The incidents that occurred at Wilton Manors Pride exemplify the connections between Israeli pinkwashing, police brutality, and racism. 

At 7:00pm, Debbie Wasserman Schultz made a speech on one of the stages. Four Code Pinkers were present at the stage, not chanting, not disrupting, but merely using these fans.

Please be aware that everyone affiliated with CODEPINK purchased a $10 ticket and wore the provided wristbands. Upon entrance, no bags were searched, and no one was told there was a problem with any of the bags.

The group was approached by police officers, stating that one of the individuals had a bag that did not meet security standards and they needed to search it. The cops roughly grabbed this individual by the shoulders and tried to snatch the bag away from them, despite them not consenting to search without a warrant. Another Code Pink member took the bag from the original owner, prompting the police to tackle him to the ground and pile on top of him. The cops pushed his face into the ground, and he sustained multiple injuries, including a split lip. After piling on top of him, the police lifted him into the air and carried them off the premises. The man who was brutalized by the police was Hispanic. Meanwhile, another Code Pink member who was filming the arrest batted away the hand of an officer who was attempting to obstruct the filming. This individual was white, but if they were not white, there would likely have been an escalation.

Following this arrest, these CODEPINK members reunited with the larger group. They were followed by the police. The police encircled the group and asked for everyone’s identification, specifically targeting the Hispanic group members. The cops stated that they were trespassing, despite being at a public event they paid money to attend. An unrelated attendee of the pride event was filming the interaction, which the cops said she wasn’t allowed to do, and they arrested her. This attendee was Hispanic. They arrested another Hispanic CODEPINK member for trespassing. Everyone else was escorted out of the event by the police, with the exception of a white member who got his ID taken but got it back without consequence.

At the point that most of the group had been arrested or kicked out, no actions had occurred other than being present with the fans. The police and the Wilton Manors pride event violated the 1st amendment rights of these queer community members to freely express themselves and unlawfully made arrests. 

Wilton Manors Pride, also known as Stonewall Pride after the Stonewall riot, has no place in the Pride community if it continues to uplift police to brutalize and disenfranchise the people it claims to serve. 

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