MIAMI, Fla. – Florida Highway Patrol issued an alert that drivers may want to avoid certain areas of Miami this weekend, including I-95, I-195, I-395 because of closures due to anticipated protests.
Protesters shut down Interstate I-95 northbound and southbound around 8 p.m. Friday.
The group tried to get onto the Julia Tuttle Causeway about 6:30 p.m. Friday, but were blocked by police. They left and then seemed to go around to another side to eventually make their way onto the interstate.
The protesters grabbed some of the fencing and had put it in front of them on the highway.
This Black Lives Matter protest began in Wynwood on Friday afternoon and was working its way through downtown when they tried to get onto the Causeway. Eventually, the demonstrators broke through some fencing to get onto the interstate.
Some of the organizers of the protest were seen trying to corral the group and get them to leave the highway.
#TrafficAlert: Motorists can expect periodic road closures on the below listed roadways throughout the weekend due to potential demonstrations in the area:
— FHP Miami (@FHPMiami) June 5, 2020
I-95
I-195 (Julia Tuttle Cswy)
I-395 (MacArthur Cswy)
SW 8 St in the area of SW 107 Ave.
Please avoid the area! pic.twitter.com/YB1yPJ6ZE1
Because of the rising unrest, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has moved up the curfew for this weekend.
On Saturday, the mayor moved up the curfew from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. It ends at 6 a.m. until further notice, the mayor’s office said. That means no citizens should be on the streets unless they need to be out for essential purposes, such as work.