The Haitian American Grassroots Coalition called the rally. Cosponsors included Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami (Haitian Women of Miami), Service Employees International Union Local 1199, American Civil Liberties Union, and the NAACP. The majority were Haitians and many waved Haitian flags.

Protesters held signs saying “Equal Treatment for Haitian Refugees” and “Freedom for Haitian Refugees.” People chanted in English and Creole. One popular chant was “Remember, remember, remember Savannah!” referring to the participation of Haitians in the U.S. revolutionary war against the British, and who died at Savannah, Georgia.

The speakers focused on the situation of the 235 Haitians who arrived on a boat at Biscayne Bay, in Miami last October. They were detained by Miami cops, and then incarcerated at Krome. Marleine Bastien of Famn Ayisyen denounced the horrible conditions of detention, and the long delays for processing asylum requests by Haitians. Many people held posters protesting the abusive treatment of women and children at the detention center, and the detention of juveniles. Kevin Sharpley, a young man, said he has been attending rallies for Haitian refugees for many years, and called the U.S. government policy towards Haitians “disturbing and unconscionable.”

“More needs to be done to fight the racist and unequal treatment of Haitians,” said Ninon Fortune, another participant at the action. “We must link with the Black American struggle,” she added.

Another focus of the rally was the statement made by U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft April 23 that a mass migration from Haiti, and the release of the boat’s passengers, could pose a “national security” threat. Ashcroft claimed that “Pakistanis, Palestinians, and others, are using Haiti as a staging point for trying to get into the United States.” On April 23 he overruled a decision by an immigration appeals board releasing one of the detainees. Aschroft’s decision affirmed that Haitians seeking asylum must be held in detention until their claims are processed rather than to be released on bond. Several protesters held signs saying “Haitians are not Terrorists.”  
 
 
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