MIAMI (WSVN) - Police have detained a man who was spotted along Interstate 95 in Miami installing a banner commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, as pro-choice activists in South Florida and around the nation took to the streets to make their voices heard.
Video captured Caleb Freestone as he climbed dozens of feet to install the banner on a scaffolding next to the southbound lanes, near Lummus Park, just before the Southwest Seventh Street and Brickell Avenue exit.
The banner read, “S.O.S. Biden. They won’t stop at Roe.”
City of Miami Police officers took Freestone into custody. He was later released.
“The risks are nothing compared to what’s going to happen,” he said.
Freestone was accompanied by a group of protesters advocating for abortion rights.
“My body,” said a woman using a loudspeaker.
“My choice!” demonstrators chanted.
The protest comes one day after President Joe Biden signed an executive order attempting to safeguard access to abortion medication and emergency contraception, protect patient privacy and bolster legal options available to those seeking abortions.
But Fresstone and other protesters said they want the commander in chief to do more.
“His Justice Department could be already suing the states,” said Freestone.
Protesters with the group Bans Off Miami said certain steps must be taken right away.
“We, the constituents, are asking our government to codify Roe v. Wade, to declare a state of emergency and to start actually fighting back like we are,” said Tania Gonzalez, the co-founder of the group.
“They’re not going to stop with reproductive rights, so we’re building unity within our community, we’re mobilizing, we’re educating people within our community,” said demonstrator Victoria Vega.
Similar protests took place in the nation’s capital on Saturday. Hundreds of people marched to the White House and held a sit-in.
Participants shared a similar sentiment to those protesting in Miami: they believe the Supreme Court could also start overturning other constitutional rights.
“This ban is just so far-reaching, and what the court is doing is so far-reaching,” said Women’s March organizer Paris Hatcher. “It won’t just stop at abortion. We will see this around who we choose to love, who we choose to go to school. It’s just so many things that are at stake right now.”
A group of counterprotesters also hit the streets of D.C. Some of them carried signs that read, “Abortion is murder.”
Back in Miami, despite the scorching heat, these activists said they will continue protesting every weekend.
“We’re out here sweating. We’re out here; we’re not stopping,” said Gonzalez.
The actions that Biden can take are limited. It would take Congress passing a new federal law to reinstate abortion rights.
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