NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Circle of Brotherhood held a press conference in Northwest Miami-Dade Friday along with police officials, several community organizations and justice advocates calling for action to keep the black community safe in South Florida and across the country.
Melba Pearson, a civil rights attorney, said, “The pain and the trauma many people of color are feeling right now may be unfathomable to our allies.”
The call for action comes just one week after a woman falsely blamed two black men for kidnapping and killing her autistic son, a crime for which she was eventually accused and arrested.
The conference also comes in the wake of the death of George Floyd after cellphone video of a Minneapolis Police officer kneeling on his neck surfaced, triggering riots and protests against police brutality in Minnesota and in other states throughout the country.
Sherita Small, a Miami resident, said, “As black people, we are angry. I’m not condoning what’s going on. I’m not condoning any of that, but George Floyd, that could be one of my sons.”
Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, said she is not anti-police, as her father once served in the Miami Police Department but rather she is against bad police officers.
“I do not have anything against police officers. I do have something against bad officers,” she said.
Fulton also said, “How would you feel if it was your child? A lot of times we need to put ourselves in other people’s positions.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said it’s unbelievable that the police officers involved in Floyd’s death have not been charged with any crime.
“Justice must be done. Anyone who’s watched the videos understands something went terribly wrong,” the mayor said.
Gimenez went on to say that that he does not condone the violent rioting that has been happening in Minnesota.
Miami Police Department Chief Jorge Colina said, “It’s disturbing. It sets us back in law enforcement a decade easily. It doesn’t matter that it’s in another state. This hurts us profoundly.”
Small said, “We need more of these police officers to come into these communities and say, ‘You can depend on me.'”
Fulton said, “How would you feel if someone had their knee on your neck?”
Meanwhile, a number of marches and protests have been planned throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County for the weekend.
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