HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – 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.
“Our school police is prepared,” Superintendent Jose Dotres said.
As the Israeli war escalates and a Hamas leader called for a “Global Day of Jihad,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called for heightened levels of security all over the county.
“While 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,” she said in a statement, in part. “MDPD will have an increased presence around schools, synagogues, mosques and Jewish Community Centers.”
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In Broward, school officials say they too are on alert but have not identified any credible threats.
“We’ve been working with local law enforcement, all the intelligence communities and monitoring it closely. We’ve dispatched a lot of our staff and security staff to make sure they’re in schools today,” Broward Superintendent Peter Licata said Friday. “We 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 what’s going on, we decided we were going to be extra, extra safe today and monitor the situation.”
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.
“The way that I feel is that we can’t live in fear. Both my husband and I have a lot of family living in Israel and thank God, they’re OK,” Larea said. “Instilling fear in our children is not a way of living. They need to know that we’re Jewish and we’re proud of being Jewish and we’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.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff’s Office said, “We 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.”
A pro-Palestinian demonstration is planned for 4:30 p.m. at downtown Miami’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 isn’t the answer.
“Neither side should be killed,” Anas Amireh said. “Neither side should die.”