Two days after three people were arrested in Port of Spain during a protest for Kaia Sealy, supporters once again gathered yesterday, this time near the Forensic Science Centre, Federation Park.Among them were protest organiser Alyssa Phillip and her mother, Camille Caresquero, who only hours earli­er had been released from police custody on own bond.Unlike Wednesday’s incident, yesterday’s protest took place without any confrontation or arrests, des­pite a significant police pre­sence, with officers restricting access to Barbados Road and warning protesters and members of the media to keep clear of certain areas.Just before 3 p.m., barriers were moved into position to prevent both vehicular and pedestrian access from Long Circular Road on to Barbados Road. Media personnel and members of the public who had gathered near the area were instructed by officers to move away from Barbados Road and were not permitted to stand on the eastern side near the barricades.A police officer told journalists he was acting on instructions and could provide no further explanation.Access was only granted to residents of Federation Park.At one point, about ten officers moved towards the western side of the roadway where journalists and onlook­ers had gathered.Several officers were observed wearing black caps bearing the “Punisher” logo.When questioned by the Express about the insignia, officers responded that it was “just a cap with a particular emblem on it” and declined further comment.While Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro was not present at yesterday’s protest, his continued use of the emblem of the Marvel comic book character “The Punisher” on his police uniform has sparked public discussions over the last few months.Guevarro defended it previously as an award following an international operation.Among the police units observed in the area were the Mounted Branch, Guard and Emergency Branch, Task Force, Western Division and Port of Spain Division.Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin and Assistant Commissioner of Police Richard Smith were seen directing officers on the scene.As crowds slowly gathered, officers repeatedly warned protesters and members of the media not to obstruct the free flow of pedestrian traffic along the pavement.At approximately 3.45 p.m., a mobile police detention bus arrived.‘Cops say shhh’As the crowd gathered, several demonstrators placed tape over their mouths as a symbol of what they des­cribed as the silencing of public voices. Some displayed messages written on the tape.Activist Wendell Eversley wore tape marked “silent” while another on his shirt read “justice must be served”.Another protester had the name “Joshua” written across tape covering his mouth.Activist Phillip arrived shortly after 4 p.m. She wore a face mask co­­vered with duct tape bearing the words “cops say shhh” written in red.Protesters eventually lined up along the western pavement of Long Circular Road, occupying one side of the walkway. They then engaged in a prayer session before beginning 19 minutes of silence, which organisers said symbolised the 19 bullets fired at Joshua Samaroo.Caresquero also attended the demonstration with tape placed over her mouth.Leading the opening prayer, she thanked supporters for attending and called for prayers for police officers “who still had integrity in their hearts and understood the just causes of accountability and democracy”.“We pray that our silent protest, where we will be silent for 19 minutes, represents the 19 bullets that Joshua got,” she said.During the demonstration, participants held their hands in the air in gestures associated with the phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” while some knelt on the pavement.Police again warned those gathered, including members of the media, to keep the pathway clear.Following the period of silence, Phillip led another prayer.“Lord, our nation is bleeding, and we need your help. Hear our cries,” she said. “Help the people to know that our voices matter, and not just our voices but our actions. Because when we cannot speak, when we are not allowed to speak, when we are prohibited from speaking, our actions matter.”She also prayed for both the Police Service and the Govern­ment, calling on them to uphold their promises, uphold democracy, and reject violence.“We are hurting and bleeding as a nation. Not just from violence from some of the members of our Police Service but violence among our citizens. Lord, we rebuke violence, no matter where it comes from,” she said.Caresquero addressed the media briefly, saying the protest was intended to send a message while complying with police instructions.“The representation for today, in terms of coming out, is to show what happened before and what happened now—we cannot remain silent,” she said. “That is what they like. We gave them what they would like, and we followed the instructions. But freedom of speech has to go on. So we gave a silent message.”She added that organisers hoped the authorities would recognise the concerns being expressed by members of the public.“The people want to speak to them and the people have something to say, and we want that they listen,” she said.One protester, Jasson Noel, described the large police deployment as intimidation.He questioned why such a large police presence was deployed against demonstrators.“There’s always reports of robberies and home invasions and all kind of thing. Real crime with guns. But you all here. Why so many of you all here? For people who have camera and voice?” Noel asked.The protest dispersed peacefully at approximately 5 p.m. without any incident.