URGENT CALL FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT:

Help 3 South Florida Palestine protestors afford legal representation after being brutally and unlawfully arrested for protesting in honor of Palestinian Martyrs.

This past Saturday (12/9) 3 pro-Palestinian organizers were brutally and unlawfuly arrested while engaging in a peaceful demonstration, mourning children lost in the Gaza genocide. The individuals were subjected to a chemical agent after which they were kenneled into the back of a paddy wagon and denied food, water, and medical attention for over 6 hours. The three, along with another protestor who was also detained, were then shuffled around back to the convention center, then to the Miami Beach precinct, and finally to TGK correctional facility where they were held overnight on baseless charges. While community was able to bail the four out the next day, they are now facing trial and in need of support raising $7.5k for legal fees.

Read below statement by the organizers for more details on the aggression:

This past weekend, the Palestinian community and allies gathered in honor of the Martyrs of Gaza. As the crowd peacefully marched through downtown Miami Beach, they were confronted by a militarized police force.

Miami Beach PD witnessed anti-Palestinian hatred and physical aggression towards one of the organizers when a passerby attempted to snatch the organizer’s flag off of their person so forcefully that he pulled the organizer backwards in the process. The aggressor was met only with a verbal warning despite the organizer’s request action be taken.

Miami Beach PD’s selective policing and bias in use of discretion continued into the evening, where they continued to ignore harassment directed towards us, including items being thrown at us. Miami Beach PD’s biased policing resulted in four brutal arrests and the police deploying chemical agents against the crowd of mourners, which included multiple small children. They declared the event an unlawful assembly and threatened to arrest even more demonstrators, as well as made false accusations and threats of felony charges after accusing demonstrators of stealing a police baton (which it appears they misplaced).

One of the arresting officers who used excessive force, Sgt Michael Angulo, murdered a Black woman in 2017. At the time that incident was being investigated, internal affairs records reveal he was involved in seven incidents where force was used. It is reasonable to conclude he has been involved in more incidents of excessive force since then given his aggressive behavior this weekend.

Two arrestees were denied medical treatment after Officer Stella claimed the chemical agent used against us was “just smoke.” Officer Fernandez admitted that it was was “tear gas” that was used, but the People For Palestine have reason to believe that a combination chemical agent was deployed against the crowd (including children) due to the length of times demonstrators experienced symptoms and the types of symptoms experienced.

It is concerning that at least two of these arrests were made after officers (including Sgt Angulo) appeared to be triggered by participants’ free speech. Another demonstrater was also threatened with arrest over attempts to exercise his free speech.

Police departments across the US, including multiple agencies in south Florida, receive training from the war criminal entity of Israel and its agents beholden to facilitating the violent occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in Palestine. Their adherence to these oppressive tactics were on full display this weekend, but we will not be silenced. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and oppressed people everywhere. Miami Beach, we will be back.

FREE PALESTINE! 🇵🇸

Support for So Flo Palestine Protestors

By Community

Support for So Flo Palestine Protestors

Help 3 South Florida Palestine protestors afford legal representation after being brutally and unlawfully arrested for protesting in honor of Palestinian Martyrs