HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) — One person was arrested during a protest against a large port complex by a group of truck drivers that caused a road block on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah Gardens.
Hundreds of truckers parked along Okeechobee Road, shutting down the roadway, Tuesday night. The roadblock brought dozens of police officers from several South Florida departments to oversee the protest.
Protesters throughout the night raised their voices and sounded their horns. Some carried signs and others voiced their issues. Some even faced off with the police. That’s when the arrest occurred.
The protest took place west of the Palmetto Expressway, on Okeechobee Road, during the Tuesday evening commute. Truckers spoke up with hopes of changing what they call unfair labor practices. “We’ve been treated like straight up criminals,” said one protester. “And we’re no criminals. We’re just working like yourself right now.”
The truckers said brokers who arranged for the loads they hold to be delivered to companies are not paying enough. “They’re paying loads 80 cents a mile, 70 cents a mile,” said trucker Randy Avila. “You know, we are not making it. We can barely support ourselves.”
Police estimate about 100 people were on the scene. Several trucks, along with other civilian vehicles, were parked along grassy areas, Tuesday evening.
Florida Highway Patrol and officers with the Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens and Miami-Dade Police departments were in the area in an effort to maintain reasonable crowd control.
FHP closed exits on the Palmetto, which backed up traffic for miles. “I was trying to get on the Palmetto, but I just find this closure,” said one driver. “All the streets and everything was closed.”
On Monday, the truckers went to Tallahassee to bring their concerns to lawmakers. At the capital, others were arrested.
The truckers at the roadblock said they will continue their protest until their voices are heard and their pay is raised. “They want to be heard, and they want the people from Tallahassee to be released because they felt they did it properly,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, “and they were taken and arrested, and they don’t feel that was done properly.”
For continuing coverage on this story click here.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.