FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Some South Florida activists for the Black Lives Matter movement are speaking out after the chaos at the Capitol.
The police response to Wednesday’s riot shows a stark contrast to police responses at other demonstrations, specifically the Black Lives Matter protests that took place over the summer of 2020.
Back in May, Latoya Ratliefe was shot in the eye by a rubber bullet while out demonstrating in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
She and other witnesses said the protest was peaceful until an officer shoved a woman.
Now Ratliefe and other activists are raising issue with how police responded to the mob at the Capitol.
“If we were met with the same level of understanding and patience, I wouldn’t have been shot in my face,” said Ratliefe.
“Where was the tear gas?” said Michael R. Howson with Black Lives Matter Alliance of Broward County. “Where were the rubber bullets? At the end of the day, if this is really all about law and order and everyone is equal under the law, then we really expect to have that equal treatment.”
Videos appear to show officers in D.C. moving barricades for protestors on Wednesday.
Another video showed an officer in full riot gear helping a woman down the stairs who was trespassing on federal property.
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