South Florida Venezuelans Gather At FAU To Raise Awareness About Violence In Venezuela
BOCA RATON (CBSMiami) – South Florida Venezuelans rallied Tuesday, protesting for the ouster of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro.
Dozens of Venezuelans lined the street outside of Florida Atlantic University Tuesday, the same day the country's opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez turned himself into authorities. He is accused of causing unrest against Maduro.
The protestors rallied Tuesday with hopes of calling attention to the recent violence occurring in their country that has left at least four people dead.
"We want the government to get out. Leave Maduro…we don't want you," the protestors chanted.
Orina Bottaro and her family left Venezuela five years ago. She said it's frightening to go back and visit.
"Whenever I'm in Venezuela I feel like I'm going to get robbed, murdered or raped," said Bottaro.
Opponents of Maduro's socialist government who have been protesting for the past few weeks say the crime rate has spiked, the government is corrupt and that it favors the rich, and that people are suffering to have their needs met.
Jorge Clavo told CBS4's Carey Codd he's not sure how his grandmother will survive in Venezuela.
"She can't find milk, she can't find cheese, she can't find toilet paper—like the basic necessitates that people need to live with they don't find them," said Clavo.
Venezuelans in Doral and Boca Raton Tuesday said that without basic freedoms, Venezuelans cannot trust their government.
Many protestors in Venezuela are demanding resignation of President Maduro but there is no sign that him doing so is imminent. Opposition leaders do believe that the arrest of their leader Tuesday may serve as a galvanizing moment in the protest movement.