Miami Beach Police Caution MacArthur Causeway Drivers Of Protest
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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – A small group of protesters gathered Friday evening in a Downtown Miami to voice their opinions about perceived police brutality and racial inequality.
The protest came a week after another, larger group of demonstrators shut down the MacArthur Causeway in an act of civil disobedience.
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Friday's crowd was significantly smaller that the previous gatherings, but dozens of police officers were on hand on the event the protesters got out of hand.
Read More: Protesters Shut Down I-195, Move Toward Downtown Miami
"Our number one concern is public safety," said Miami Deputy Chief Luis Cabrera.
Protest organizer Alex Ramos said he was pleased with the turnout, despite the low numbers.
"We just want justice," he said.
The protest was in response to the lack of indictments against police officers in several high profile cases across the country, including the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri and Eric Garner in New York.
In anticipation of another possible traffic tie-up, police were prepared.
"We have about 30 something officers on overtime. Definitely a cost to this type of event," Cabrera said.
Some argue it was money wasted considering the small size of the event.
Ramos wasn't fazed.
"That's fine. We pay taxes and stuff," he said.
The protest organizer said they want to keep the momentum going, so it's possible more demonstrations will crop up in the coming days and week.
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