Residents gathered on the steps of Lewisville City Hall to protest the military coup that occurred in early February in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar.

Dozens joined the Feb. 27 protest, whose organizers sought to bring attention to the Myanmar military's arrest of civilian leaders, journalists and human rights activists on Feb. 1. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were among those arrested.

Nearly "5,000 members of the Lewisville community have roots in Myanmar, and many are worried about the safety of family and friends still living in that country," the city said in a Feb. 27 proclamation of support for its Chin residents. The city's statement called for the restoration of democratic governance in Myanmar, which held elections in November.

The U.S. government has identified the events of Feb. 1 as a coup, and announced sanctions against several current and former military leaders and organizations that it says were involved.

View images from the protest in the gallery above.