The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, promoted a legislative package a few months ago to punish those protesters who exceeded in the protests. The official made that decision after the altercations over Black’s mobilizations Lives Matter last year , when thousands of people took to the streets to protest the murder of African American George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Black Lives Matter activists assure that double standards are being used in the case of the protesters who have blocked Miami highways in support of the Cubans since the police have intervened in a very limited https://t.co/Vd0adWw 44 q
– el Nuevo Herald (@elnuevoherald) July 15, 2021
DeSantis enacted a measure that improves penalties against protesters is that they become violent and signed a series of criminal sanctions for those who organize demonstrations that get out of control.
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Looting, vandalism and even the burning of police vehicles occurred in South Florida. After this, DeSantis signed a decree in which it criminalized damaging historical monuments or blocking roads. In addition, they grant immunity to people who drive on the roads and meet protesters protesting .
Now many of these BLM activists complain that authorities are using double standards in Florida during protests by Cubans in South Florida , who have shown solidarity with their compatriots on the island after the wave of unprecedented protests.
The protests they do not stop in Cuba or Miami. Hundreds of people gathered in Little Havana to protest against the Miguel Díaz-Canel regime. https://t.co/ebM0XctHNq
– CNN in Spanish (@CNNEE) July 15, 2021
Some protesters blocked heavily trafficked roads, such as the Palmetto Expressway, and, criticized by BLM activists, The police acted more passively.
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“When they protest regime change, which aligns with the governor’s political point of view… you don’t see any law enforcement , ”criticized Michael Sampson, co-founder of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, one of the many groups that emerged as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Cubans in # Miami are clear: “Biden, show your face.” # SOSCuba # PatriayVida https://t.co/ cGNjcR 25 dk
– Diario Las Américas (@DLasAmericas) July 15, 2021
“I think what we are seeing from the governor and even from the forces of public order it is an absolute hypocrisy in the way they are applying this law. It shows our fears , that this law will only be used against blacks who fight for equal rights ”, he said.
On Wednesday, the ACLU of Florida filed a motion in federal court in Tallahassee to block that law immediately, claiming it could criminalize protests peace and protect people who injure protesters on the roads. The ACLU had filed a lawsuit on behalf of several African American-led organizations in May , seeking to repeal the new law on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment and targets certain advocacy groups of racial justice.