[ad_1]
More than 100 supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Miami Lakes Sunday afternoon, waving large American flags, raising “all lives matter” banners and carrying Trump 2020 signs as supporters honked their car horns in support for several hours, reports The Miami Herald.
“Four more years! Four more years!” the protesters chanted.
“Is our turn now!” Homero Cruz, a longtime Miami Lakes resident, posted on Facebook on Tuesday as he promoted the event in response to nationwide civil unrest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The group has grown to about 50-75. pic.twitter.com/40cnHDvPQU
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
“Police lives also matter,” Hialeah resident Missy Montecelo told the Miami Herald. “All lives matter. Not just Black people.”
Maria Martinez, one of the event’s organizers, addressed the crowd over a loudspeaker saying that while she condemned the killing of Floyd, she believed victims of police brutality are usually at fault.
“At the end of the day it comes down to this: Do what is right, respect authority, stay out of trouble, don’t commit crimes, never resist the police, and you will be okay,” Martinez said.
Martinez also decried the Black Lives Matter movement’s support of the LGBTQ community, saying the group “wants to dismantle the biblical definition of family.”
“They champion the celebration of homosexuality,” she said. “Black Lives Matter touts gender confusion, and let’s be clear: There’s only two genders.”
The crowd cheered in agreement. The crowd also cheered when Martinez noted that Sunday is President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Rally organizer Maria Martinez addressed the protests over George Floyd’s death. She condemned the officers in Floyd’s case, but said that if you “stay out of trouble” and “don’t resist” you’ll be okay. She also decried the BLM movement’s support of LGBTQ people. pic.twitter.com/elw2eancgd
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
One woman, who only identified herself as an off-duty Miami-Dade police officer, berated Miami-Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz with expletives as he covered the event.
“This woman just tried to take a picture of my license plate and called me some obscenities. She said she’s a Miami Lakes police officer but declined to give her name,” he tweeted.
This woman just tried to take a picture of my license plate and called me some obscenities. She said she’s a Miami Lakes police officer but declined to give her name. pic.twitter.com/TOvgyrJyFO
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
Tensions rose when a local couple walked into the crowd carrying a sign that said “Black Voices Matter.”
The Trump supporters immediately circled around them, screaming and calling them communists. Four or five Miami-Dade police officers arrived moments later, leading the couple across the street and away from the crowd.
The couple told the Miami Herald a woman poked them with an American flag, and that several men stood chest-to-chest with the man.
“They post online, ‘all lives matter,’ but you see how poorly they treated me,” they said of the protesters. “There’s no speaking with them.“
Tense few minutes here as a couple showed up with a “Black Voices Matter” sign and moved to the front of the group. Many crowded around them, screaming and chanting “comunistas.” Police led them away across the street, no one was hurt. pic.twitter.com/86Jm5Cvowq
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
“Some protesters showed hostility toward a Miami Herald photographer, giving her the middle finger and calling her a communist,” the newspaper reported. “Police officers instructed reporters to walk across the street to get away from the crowd.”
A couple Miami-Dade officers agreed to pose for photos with protesters. They told me they would do the same for anyone in the community, and said they also took photos with protesters at last weekend’s BLM rally. pic.twitter.com/Px4xiZhtqJ
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
Remember last Sunday’s Black Lives Matter protest in Miami Lakes? A group of Trump supporters is currently holding an “All Lives Matter” protest in response — in the exact same location. https://t.co/wbalmx3ctQ pic.twitter.com/QopN3clB77
— Aaron Leibowitz (@aaron_leib) June 14, 2020
[ad_2]
Source link
