Black Lives Matter Protesters Come Face-To-Face With Cubans For Trump Supporters In Miami Lakes
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Protesters with opposing viewpoints met face-to-face in Miami Lakes on Sunday.
On one side there were protesters with Black Lives Matter signs. They were there with similar messages seen since the death of George Floyd.
"They don't support Black Lives Matter," one BLM protester said. "That's why we have to keep on showing them that we are here and we are not going anywhere until we get equality for everybody."
The protester didn't want to give CBS4 her name, but said her cousin organized this protest.
About an hour after it started, a caravan organized by the group "Cubans for Trump" arrived to support the president and had signs that said "Blue Lives Matter."
Miami-Dade police officers were on hand to keep the peace between both sides.
This wasn't the only protest this weekend.
On Saturday, protesters demanding change following Floyd's death were in Downtown Miami.
One man shared cellphone video he said shows protesters making their way onto I-395 and police using tear gas to disperse the crowd.
A protester told CBS4 they were leaving already when tear gas was used.
Miami police didn't specifically say tear gas in a statement to CBS4. A spokesperson wrote:
"Miami Police were on scene where a group of protesters ran through a construction site through I-395 and armed themselves with debris. Objects such as rocks & bottles were thrown at police officers, at which point in time dispersal orders were given and refused. As a result, officers were forced to deploy an irritant."
Protests have been happening for weeks now.
One woman who was hit by a rubber bullet during a Fort Lauderdale protest a month ago will share her story with Congress Monday. CBS 4 News Partner, The Miami Herald, posted a video of the incident.
LaToya Ratlieff said she was a peaceful protestor whose skull was fractured when she was hit in the head with a rubber bullet. The House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties will discuss how protestors and journalists were treated during demonstrations.
Fort Lauderdale police say they have yet to hear from Ratlieff for their investigation.
In a statement to us, the department said in part:
"Ms. Ratlieff has given numerous media interviews and made many public statements, but has yet to meet with us to give us a formal statement of facts as she sees them. Our officers reached out to her numerous times after the incident and later extended the invitation through Ms. Ratlieff's attorneys."
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz sits on that subcommittee. We've reached out for a statement.
