BOCA RATON, FL — Two activist groups say they plan a Saturday morning sidewalk protest at Federal Highway and 18th Street in Boca Raton, at the entrance of the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club community.
Indivisible Boca Raton and Resist Wilton Manors say the demonstration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Saturday, July 18. In public materials, the organizers identify George Zoley, CEO of the Boca Raton-based GEO Group, as the target of the protest. Organizers also describe the protest location as across the street from Zoley's residence. Zoley lives in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club community. Boca Post is not publishing the exact address.
The GEO Group is a publicly traded company headquartered in Boca Raton. According to the company's public descriptions of its business, it operates detention, correctional, and processing facilities under contracts with federal, state, and local agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to the announcement from Indivisible Boca Raton, the group says it objects to GEO's ICE-related contracts and to the company's surveillance technology, and describes conditions inside GEO-operated facilities as inhumane. Those descriptions reflect the organizers' characterizations and are not findings by a court or a regulatory agency. Indivisible Boca Raton also states that participants are expected to follow the group's stated commitment to nonviolent action.
The event follows other local demonstrations organized by Indivisible Boca Raton and adjacent groups this year. In prior coverage, Boca Post reported on Indivisible-affiliated and No Kings protests at a West Boca Raton Home Depot tied to federal immigration enforcement activity, and a separate No Kings car protest through Boca Raton.
According to prior Boca Post coverage, GEO Group has drawn attention on a separate front. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant the company an early appeal in a federal labor case involving people held in its facilities. That case centers on claims related to compensation for detained workers who perform work inside GEO-operated facilities.
"BRPD is aware of the protest and in contact with the organizers," a Boca Raton Police Department spokesperson told Boca Post. "Officers will be present to ensure the safety of those in and around the protest."
Neither the GEO Group nor the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club responded to a request for comment.
Drivers using Federal Highway near 18th Street should plan for the potential for slower traffic during the 10 a.m. hour on Saturday.
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