Woman holding ‘We are free’ sign arrested on Miami Beach

Kimberly Falkenstine, 33, is accused of trespassing during a protest on Miami Beach. (Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A woman was arrested Sunday after leaving a designated protest area in Lummus Park in Miami Beach to sit on the sand while holding a sign that read “We are free,” authorities said.

According to her arrest report, Kimberlee Falkenstine, 33, of Miami, and her husband were taking part in a protest Sunday afternoon in the 600 block of Lummus Park when Falkenstine decided to leave the area and sit on the beach “to make a statement.”

Police said three officers approached Falkenstine, told her she was violating the city’s emergency orders and gave her several opportunities to leave the beach, which is currently closed to the public.

***Video courtesy of Chris Nelson***

Authorities said Falkenstine told the officers that “the beach was for the public and it was her right to be there.”

According to the arrest report, officers warned Falkenstine that refusing to leave would result in her arrest, but she informed them that she was aware of the consequences and would not comply with their orders.

Falkenstine was taken into custody, at which time she “dropped her dead weight and refused to move,” the arrest report stated.

Police said the officers carried the protester to a marked police vehicle and transported her to the Miami Beach police station.

Falkenstine faces charges of resisting an officer without violence, trespassing and violating an emergency order.

Protesters gather May 10 in Lummus Park to demand the reopening of Miami Beach. (WPLG)

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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.