More than 100 protesters laid down on Millenia Boulevard Thursday to call for an end to police brutality.
Organizers said they want everyone to know their protest, called the "Millenia Takeover," was not against the police, but against police brutality, especially in the wake of the controversial grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York.
Protesters laid on Millenia Boulevard near the Super Target parking lot for a symbolic 15½ minutes. It was organized on social media, particularly Facebook, with the hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #ferguson2orlando.
"Eleven minutes of the 15½ minutes were for the 11 times Eric Garner said he could not breathe," said organizer Keisha Robinson. "And 4.5 of the of the 15½ minutes were for the hours Michael Brown laid in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri."
Hundreds of people protested in downtown Orlando a week ago, holding a so-called "die-in" outside the Amway Center, and a rally on Dec. 4, organized using the hashtag #ShutItDown, blocked traffic on Hughey Avenue for several minutes as Orlando police redirected traffic.
Next, the organizer of the rally said she wants to arrange a town hall meeting with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Orlando Police Chief John Mina and other community leaders — for a discussion about police brutality.
Orlando police officers helped redirect traffic around the protestors.