Protests in Coral Springs and Sunrise as residents rally to ‘take a stand’

Coral Springs, Florida – Two students launched a spirited demonstration in Coral Springs on Tuesday afternoon, and another group marched in Sunrise near the Sawgrass Mills mall.

Mahek Manjiani and Shayan Shivji, teenage cousins of Pakistani descent, organized the peaceful protest in Coral Springs that joins the nationwide movement after the death of George Floyd.

“All the protests — Miami, Fort Lauderdale — why isn’t anyone speaking up in my community?” Manjiani, a 19-year-old FIU student, said of organizing the demonstration in northwestern Broward County. “Take a stand. This is my home. I wanted a change to be implemented, here. Our voices should be heard in Coral Springs, and that’s truly what were doing today.”

The crowd grew at the corner of West Sample Road and University Drive as the weather cleared up. It began in a parking lot on the corner and by 3:30 p.m. people were lined up along the sidewalk, with car horns honking as they pass by.

“People of color need to stick together, and we need to make a change, and together we can only do this — that’s the dream, right?” said Shivji, 17, who attends Coral Spring Charter School. “This went better than anything I could have ever expected.”

Manjiani and Shayan Shivji contacted local leaders and a business in the area to ensure they had proper permission to demonstrate in this location.

Coral Springs’ mayor and the city’s first black commissioner were there.

In Sunrise, Sawgrass Mills closed early for a second straight day as a precaution, and Sky 10 captured video of people marching in the area near the mall.

Police closed Flamingo Road from West Sunrise Blvd. to NW 136th Avenue to allow the protesters to march. Roads and intersections were also shut as the protesters headed east on Sunrise Boulevard toward Hiatus Road.

These demonstrations come as Broward county commissioners met Tuesday and discussed various ways to address injustice in the community.