Audio By Carbonatix
Independent Journalism in Miami Needs You
We need to raise $10,000 by August 9 to support the reporting our community depends on. Reader support keeps us independent and is playing a larger role in funding local journalism and shaping what comes next. If you believe independent local journalism matters, make a contribution today.
It’s only natural that a group gathers in remembrance when its members believe one of their own was unjustly killed.
So the Miami Fraternal Order of Police will host a rally this afternoon in support of the New York Police Department and the two officers who recently lost their lives in the line of duty.
The rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. today at the Torch of Friendship in front of Bayside Marketplace. Coincidentally, that’s the same spot where just weeks ago protesters gathered to remember the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
Javier Ortiz, the president of the Miami Police Department chapter of the Fraternal Order of the Police, says the event will be held in memory of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, two NYPD officers who were gunned down December 20. After shooting his ex-girlfriend in the abdomen in Baltimore, lone gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley traveled to New York and ambushed the officers while they sat in their vehicle before killing himself. Comments left on his Instagram account suggested that the slayings were in retaliation for the deaths of Brown and Garner.
Ortiz says all law enforcement officers and supporters are welcome at the rally, and he urges attendees to wear NYPD shirts.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
