From the article:
“They were there for us,” said the Rev. Valarie Houston, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church, a focal point for the community after the unarmed teen’s death. She met the peacekeepers there for the first time during a March 20 town-hall meeting. “We felt protected,” she said.
Did the DOJ protect the Peace Defenders when they shut down the Sanford PD?
http://www.wesh.com/r/30860081/detail.html
Sanford Police Close Headquarters Amid ‘Dream Defenders’ Protest
(snip)
The Dream Defenders, made up of college students, walked from Daytona Beach to Sanford this weekend, and then they attended services at Allen Chapel AME Church, where they announced plans for an act of civil disobedience Monday.
(snip)
The Dream Defenders spoke to special prosecutor Angela Corey on Monday.
They were present in the crowd. You can be sure that it was understood by the Sanford PD officers that any attempt to arrest protesters for restricting access to the police station would result in the officers being brought up on federal civil rights charges.