Multiple Protests Across SoFlo; Miami-Dade Curfew Moved Up

MIAMI, FL — Fearing possible unrest, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Saturday moved up the countywide curfew for a second straight day as peaceful protesters took to the streets in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Davie and the campus of Florida International University to call for racial equality.

"I’ve ordered the curfew time to be changed to 9 p.m., beginning Saturday, June 6, 2020, until further notice., Gimenez said.

Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez imposed an 8 p.m. curfew for his city where the FIU main campus is located "to make sure there is going to be nobody on the streets protesting after dark."

Miami-Dade police reported four arrests Saturday night near the FIU campus after protesters surrounded a white Mercedes SUV for a time and a woman inside called 9-1-1.

One of the organizers of Saturday's protest in Miami told WPLG-TV that protesters would continue to march in the streets for racial equality.

"The plan now is to continue until there are convictions," he said of the George Floyd case in Minnesota that touched off nationwide protests. "This thing is just the beginning. Racism is systemic. It is in every single part of the American culture that we're here. People feel like we're calling out the police specifically. It's not. It's education. It's banking. It's loans. It's jobs."

At one point, the FIU protesters paused in the street to feast on a number of pizzas that arrived during the demonstration.

Miami Beach police shut down both directions of the Julia Tuttle Causeway which connects Miami to the beach as a precautionary measure.

On Friday night, protesters poured onto Interstate 95 near Miami and briefly caused traffic to shut down in both directions of Interstate 95 near Wynwood.

The curfew has added to the instability of Miami's ailing restaurant industry, which has already lost business and suffered widespread layoffs from measures taken to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

Gimenez said he initially pushed up his curfew Friday night "due to increasing unrest in parts of Miami-Dade County."

The mayor has kept Miami-Dade beaches closed during the curfew, which was imposed a week ago when a peaceful protest turned violent in downtown Miami. County beaches, including those on Miami Beach, had planned to reopen last Monday.

Friday's protests began in Wynwood and moved along Biscayne Boulevard until protesters found a path to I-95 near the Austin Burke clothing store at 2601 NW 6th Ave.

The protesters were met by Florida Highway Patrol troopers equipped with riot gear. Protesters remained on I-95 for a short time Friday and then made their way off the highway without incident.