Two men were arrested Tuesday night as more than 100 demonstrators occupied the street in front of Miami's criminal courthouse.
It was one of several protests that have erupted across the country over the refusal of a Missouri grand jury to indict police officer Darren Wilson who killed teenager Michael Brown in the town of Ferguson this summer.
The Ferguson case awakened a litany of grievances in Miami -- the seven men killed by police in various incidents three years ago and the more recent killing of young graffiti artist Israel "Reefa" Hernandez by a police Taser shot.
Anger boiled over when protesters realized police were using yellow crime scene tape to limit their movements.
"We are moving nonviolently through that tape to the left cause it's making me angry," said Phillip Agnew, leader of the social action group Dream Defenders, as he led the group through the tape.
Miami-Dade police let them pass but later, Agnew and another man charged the courthouse steps and they got arrested.
Dream Defenders organizer Sherika Shaw said direct action is her group's strategy for getting its message across.
"Rather than just being at home and being upset about it, we have the power to change it so we believe we should bring our voices to the street," Shaw said.
Miami State Senator Dwight Bullard was also in the crowd. He said the Ferguson case has energized the drive to require police to wear body cameras at all times and legislative Democrats will try to pass that bill next year.
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