Miami, FL – Around 100 protesters met on the Wolfston campus of Miami-Dade Community College, Aug. 14, to demand justice for Mike Brown. Led by groups like Dream Defenders, Miami Workers Center, and Power U, protesters held signs reading “Hands up don’t shoot!” and chanted “No justice, no peace, no killer police.”

In addition to demanding justice for Michael Brown, they also focused on the case of Israel Hernandez. Israel Hernandez, 18, known as Reefa to his peers, was murdered by Miami Beach Police a year ago to the day.

After chants and holding signs, the crowd formed four columns and marched silently through the small campus and into the Federal Building housing the U.S. Attorney’s office. They filled the lobby of the building and amid chants of “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and demanded to speak with U.S. Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer, who oversees the southern district of Florida. The group’s spokesperson presented a list of demands which included: Obama visit Ferguson; Jail the cops that killed Israel Hernandez and Mike Brown; Make Police wear body cameras, and for there to be an independent investigation of these teens murders.

“It is time for the federal government to reign in the Miami Beach Police Department, the Ferguson Police Department and other bigoted departments around the country with an established history of targeting and terrorizing communities of color,” said Phillip Agnew of the Dream Defenders.

The group hoped to highlight the state violence Latino and Black communities face in America. They connected the Israel Hernandez case with Mike Brown’s case, as well as that of Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Javon Neal, Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell and others.

After two hours of waiting, Wilfredo Ferrer failed to address the protesters. Police officers and U.S. Marshalls were then ordered to clear the lobby as the building was set to close for the night. Eight protesters, five women and three men, refused to move until they got an answer to their demands. They were arrested with their hands up and held on federal charges of disobeying a law enforcement officer and excessive noise. They were all released later that night and all vowed to keep fighting until justice was won for victims of police terror and the killer cops were jailed.

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