In anticipation of a pro-Palestinian march calling on U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, to remove her support for Israel’s conflict in Gaza, dozens of police officials descended on Miami Beach City Hall on Tuesday night.
Wilson’s Miami Beach satellite business, which is located in City Hall, was the location of the protests ‘ advertised function. However, authorities made an effort to prevent the rally from occurring either inside or instantly outside the building. The protesters were permitted to set up on the basin next to City Hall on 17th Street, but an official later said the team could remain in a designated” First Amendment area” in local Pride Park.
More than two dozen armed Miami Beach officials and various Miami-Dade officers were present in the area, making it seem like police were more popular than protesters.
About two dozen people calmly held signs and chanted about their opposition to the war and Wilson’s sturdy support for Israel in recent months, including a , voting in November , to review$ 14 billion in aid to the region.
” Frederica, you ca n’t hide, we charge you with genocide”, protesters chanted. Some held signs that read” Fund attention, not killing”, calling on Wilson to divert aid to Israel toward the demands of her region, which includes parts of Miami Beach, Miami, North Miami and Miami Gardens, among other places.
The protest was organized by a partnership of pro- Arab parties, including Israeli Voice for Peace, Al- Awda and Desire Soldiers. Activists said they planned to deliver papers to Wilson’s company in Miami Gardens, following up on a , notice they delivered there , in February.
We are asking Rep. Wilson to support the Palestinians who are being massacred, according to Phillip Agnew, co-founder of Dream Soldiers and Black Men Build, and we are standing now in solidarity with them. You ca n’t be a progressive in the United States of America and commit genocide anywhere.
Reached by telephone, Wilson’s communications director declined to comment on the opposition.
In a , February statement , about her assistance for the assistance package, Wilson said it is “imperative that we remain steadfast in supporting one of our strongest supporters, especially during such a critical time, because when Israel is strong, America is powerful”.
Since the attacks on Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and Israel’s conflict in Gaza that killed more than 34, 000 people, pro-Palestine protests have become a source of conflict in Miami Beach. Mayor Steven Meiner, who is Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel, has railed against protesters, including their use of , the controversial chant,” From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
A pro-Palestine protest took place outside the Miami Beach Convention Center during Art Basel, which Meiner raised in December.
In March, pro- Palestinian protesters outside the Aspen Ideas climate conference at the Convention Center were directed to a barricaded , “free speech zone”  , in Pride Park. Days later, the Miami Beach City Commission directed police to enforce unspecified time, place and manner restrictions on protests,  , approving a resolution , that said” the city recognizes the importance of fostering strong and peaceful international relations by supporting nations that share]its ] values, including the State of Israel”.
At that meeting, Meiner showed video of pro-Palestine demonstrators at the Miami Beach Temple Emanu-El protesting attorney Alan Dershowitz’s speech from February. Senior citizens were seen walking through a group of protesters chanting and displaying signs on a sidewalk in a video taken outside the synagogue.
In a way that is comparable to Nazi Germany, Meiner said,” As mayor, I will not tolerate our residents being harassed, accosted, and threatened for merely praying.” Although Police Chief Wayne Jones claimed a protester was “battered by a congregant,” there were no reports of protesters harming synagogue members.
At the March meeting, Commissioner Suarez stated that he thought the lack of police presence outside the synagogue event had caused Jones to “fire” and that the situation would have changed if it had been a “KKK rally” instead.
Within an hour of learning about any planned protests in Miami Beach, the resolution that was passed in March mandated that police notify the city’s elected officials.
Some free speech advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, are concerned about the city’s protest restrictions in response to pro-Palestine demonstrations. The group’s interim executive director, Howard Simon, told the Miami Herald last month he was concerned the city’s measures were intended” to prevent pro- Palestinian protest”.
That was the backdrop for Tuesday’s protest, where police were out in force and enforcing strict rules around the City Hall perimeter. Some drivers were informed that city employees only could park in the City Hall garage. A police sergeant told protesters that City Hall was still open to those “doing City Hall business,” but officers sat under a tent in the barricades as part of a more thorough “vetting process,” according to police spokesperson Christopher Bess.
Before the event, Bess stated,” We implement our operational plan to mitigate the demonstration and hope it’s a group of individuals that are peacefully assembling.” ” We respect and protect our constitutional provisions, and we do n’t want to infringe upon anyone’s constitutional right”.
In an effort to enforce a city ordinance passed in March that prohibits obstructing a public right of way after being given an order to leave, police made sure protesters were n’t blocking the sidewalk. Before making arrests, police are required to provide protesters with an “adequate and available alternative forum” nearby, according to the ordinance.
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