JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Protesters are gearing up for more demonstrations Tuesday. Over a dozen protesters were arrested after blocking traffic on the Hart Bridge Monday afternoon.
The group is calling for justice for several African American men who were killed by officers.
"We are protesting and demonstrating in solidarity, in unison with the families and the people in the community of New York City in the death case of a white officer who was not indicted, [and] the same thing with Michael Brown in Ferguson. We have problems here in Florida, Trayvon Martin," said Diallo-Sekou, a protester.
Three protesters who spent the night in jail for walking through the middle of the Hart Bridge in demonstration say the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office also confiscated their phones.
The three protesters were charged with misdemeanors charge of blocking the roadway. However, some protesters told Action News Tuesday morning they should have been cited on the street instead of jailed.
"We were just released, no bond. It was an action that they could have done on the street but they decided to handcuff everyone, put us in the back of the police car, make us wait in the garage for three hours and then threw us in jail," said Diallo-Sekou.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the group caused a public safety hazard bringing traffic to a crawl on the Hart Bridge Monday by marching down the middle of the bridge in support for the situation in New York.
“As much as JSO respects their right to protest, and we’ll make work to make sure they can peacefully protest, the responsibility still exists to ensure others are safe,” said JSO Director Tom Hackney.
One protester was arrested and charged with a felony for battery on an officer. A witness reported that an ambulance was even blocked by the protest.
"There was an ambulance, it was a Liberty ambulance, there was no one in it,” said Diallo-Sekou. “As soon as they put their sirens on we moved over, we never want to stop EMTs."
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