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South Florida law enforcement beefs up security ahead of planned pro-Palestinian protests

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. ā€“ Law enforcement agencies across South Florida beefed up their presence at Jewish schools and houses of worship ahead of planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations Friday.

Officials said there are no credible threats, but the tighter security measures are being fueled by social media chatter.

Miami-Dade school board officials referenced security worries at their most recent meeting.

ā€œOur school police is prepared,ā€ Superintendent Jose Dotres said.

As the Israeli war escalates and a Hamas leader called for a ā€œGlobal Day of Jihad,ā€ Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called for heightened levels of security all over the county.

ā€œWhile our public safety teams are not responding to any individual threats in our area, we are partially activating the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center out of an abundance of caution,ā€ she said in a statement, in part. ā€œMDPD will have an increased presence around schools, synagogues, mosques and Jewish Community Centers.ā€

9 a.m. report:

In Broward, school officials say they too are on alert but have not identified any credible threats.

ā€œWeā€™ve been working with local law enforcement, all the intelligence communities and monitoring it closely. Weā€™ve dispatched a lot of our staff and security staff to make sure theyā€™re in schools today,ā€ Broward Superintendent Peter Licata said Friday. ā€œWe recognize that every child walking through has got to be safe every single day and some days are just a little more important than others. And today, with whatā€™s going on, we decided we were going to be extra, extra safe today and monitor the situation.ā€

On Friday morning, the assistant principal of a Jewish school in Hollywood told Local 10 News they have extra security and fewer students in attendance.

Michelle Larea is one parent who chose to send her child to school Friday.

ā€œThe way that I feel is that we canā€™t live in fear. Both my husband and I have a lot of family living in Israel and thank God, theyā€™re OK,ā€ Larea said. ā€œInstilling fear in our children is not a way of living. They need to know that weā€™re Jewish and weā€™re proud of being Jewish and weā€™re here for a reason. They need to be able to go to school and feel safe going to school. Thank God we have amazing support.ā€

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriffā€™s Office said, ā€œWe are closely monitoring the situation for any local public safety concerns. We are in contact with members of our local religious organizations and our local, state and federal highest priority.ā€

A pro-Palestinian demonstration is planned for 4:30 p.m. at downtown Miamiā€™s Bayfront Park.

Local 10 News spoke with a local Palestinian-American, who condemned the Hamas attacks on Israel, but also said that killing innocent Palestinians isnā€™t the answer.

ā€œNeither side should be killed,ā€ Anas Amireh said. ā€œNeither side should die.ā€


About the Authors
Annaliese Garcia headshot

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!

Alex Finnie headshot

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

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