Kissimmee Police Join March For Justice
(Kissimmee, FL) -- Protesters are partnering with police in Osceola County to call for change. Kissimmee Police yesterday took part in a march from the civic center to police headquarters. Mayor Jose Alvarez said the march was a show of unity. Police Chief Jeff O'Dell told protesters they matter to him and everyone in the department.
Riot Teams Being Sent To Miami
(Washington, DC) -- Reinforcements may be coming to Miami from Washington to keep the peace. US Attorney General William Barr reportedly ordered riot teams to Miami yesterday. A source tells the Washington Post the riot team is from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, but local officials seem to be in the dark. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez tells the Miami Herald he hasn't been briefed on a riot team coming to the city.
Protests Continue In Brevard County
(West Melbourne, FL) -- Young people are among those in Brevard County calling for change. Residents in their teens and early 20s joined rallies yesterday in West Melbourne and Palm Bay. About 200 people peacefully called for an end to police brutality after the death of George Floyd. A 17-year-old Melbourne girl says what happened to Floyd happens too often, and a 20-year-old Palm Bay man tells Florida Today he's sick of seeing police get away with brutality.
Sarasota Police Officer Under Investigation
(Sarasota, FL) -- A Sarasota Police officer is being investigated after a social media post. Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said yesterday a video posted online appears to show an officer kneeling on the head and neck of a black suspect two weeks ago on Dixie Ave. The suspect was not hurt, but DiPino says that tactic is not taught, used or advocated by the agency. She also says the officer is on leave, and an internal affairs investigation is underway.
Lakeland Woman Says Police Knew Of Potential For Violence Ahead Of Time
(Lakeland, FL) -- A woman who organized a protest in Polk County blames police for ignoring warnings that things could turn violent. Mercedes Werbinsky helped put together a rally Sunday in Lakeland at Munn Park to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. She says she told police the day before that outside groups were planning to, in her words, tear up the city, but she tells The Ledger that police ignored her warnings. After a peaceful protest at Munn Park, things turned violent on Memorial Boulevard, but police say they won't shut down a peaceful protest just because of a threat of violence.
Injured Protester Wants Justice
(Daytona Beach, FL) -- A man hurt while protesting in Volusia County is trying to look on the bright side. Dyrell Johnson, who also goes by Rell Black, was hurt Sunday when a woman drove over his foot in Daytona Beach while protesting the death of George Floyd. The 27-year-old Black is out of the hospital, and police are investigating the incident. Black tells the News Journal all he can do is laugh about what happened and make sure the movement doesn't stop.
SpaceX Astronauts Rock Out To Classic Rock
(Undated) -- The soundtrack for SpaceX's historic mission to the International Space Station was adorned with lots of classic rock. On Saturday, two NASA astronauts successfully launched into orbit via SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley blasted AC/DC's "Back in Black" to accompany their walk to the launchpad at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. On Sunday morning, Behnken and Hurley woke up in orbit to the mellow strains of "Planet Caravan" by Black Sabbath, according to Space-dot-com.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1999, Japanese women finally won the right to use the birth control pill, more than three decades after it first appeared in the West.
1998, voters in California passed Proposition 227, which abolished the state's 30-year-old bilingual education program, requiring that all children be taught in English.
1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the Oklahoma City bombing.
1953, 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth the Second was crowned.
1886, Grover Cleveland became the first sitting President of the United States to get married in the White House.