DORAL, Fla. — Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz issued several warnings for riders planning to participate in the “Wheels Up, Guns Down” demonstration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Miami-Dade County.
Groups stunt riding on dirt bikes, ATVs, bicycles, and motorcycles plan to take over roads, streets, and highways as part of the annual non-violent demonstration.
“If you participate, you will be stopped, cited, arrested, and your vehicle will be impounded,” Cordero-Stutz said during a news conference in Doral
Cordero-Stutz also warned participants who plan to break Florida law that deputies are partnering with Miami police officers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
“As of July 1st, 2024, anyone who takes part in a street takeover involving 10 or more vehicles faces a felony charge and fines from $2,500 up to $4,000,” Cordero-Stutz said.
On Oct. 10, Dwight C. Wells, a 40-year-old activist who started the “Wheels Up Guns Down” movement in Miami, was fatally shot outside Winning and Won Turkey Legs, his restaurant in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood.
Wells’s grieving mother, Mary Brown, told Local 10 News that she was proud of how his son had turned his life around, was a regular churchgoer, developed an interest in Black history, and focused on anti-violence efforts.
“We’re looking to do it more legitimately and keep it more official,” Wells said about his vision for the “Wheels Up, Guns Down” demonstrations.
Local 10 News interviewed Wells in 2022 and 2023 when he had dreamed of partnering with authorities to allow young people to participate without risking arrest.
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