Peaceful March for Venezuela Disbanded After Thousands Show Up

The organizers, who received a permit from the City of Miami, said they only expected a few hundred.

Police disbanded a peaceful march in Coconut Grove Sunday, not because of the nature of the protest, but because of the sheer number of people involved.

Thousands in white participated in what was called the 'Gran Marcha,' demanding a recount of the votes in last week's presidential election in Venezuela.

"We are trying to show the world how the corruption is affecting us," said protestor Alberto De Los Rios.

The march began at the Coconut Grove Convention Center and ended at Peacock Park. Once it reached the park, however, police were called in due to complaints from residents about car honking and pedestrian obstruction on the streets.

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The organizers said they secured a permit from the City of Miami expecting a few hundred protestors, but a few thousand showed up instead.

And it wasn't just the yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flag that made an appearance. Sprinkled in among the crowd were the flags of other countries united in supporting local Venezuelans who wanted to see a change in leadership following president Hugo Chavez' death.

"I think its beautiful because you see the Venezuelans living in Florida and they want to speak out. We're not alone, we're together. We are family and we care about our country," protestor Florieve Gonzales said.

Chavez's hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, won a razor-thin victory in last week's special presidential election, but those supporting opposition candidate Henrique Capriles are saying they won't accept the results at face value.

"We won the elections, but they do tricks, they cheated," said Victor veradicio, who voted in New Orleans during the elections.

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