Xavier Suarez. Published Tuesday, May 9, 2000, in the Miami Herald
A public official is obligated to clarify to demonstrators and police what the rules of conduct are.
In a recent interview, I was asked about the rift created by the saga of Elian Gonzalez in this community.
My answer invoked the words of a statesman who illustrated the wonder and greatness of this country by noting that we are a nation where one-half of the population is in constant disagreement with the other half. The percentages may vary, depending on the issue and the emotions it engenders, but
the fact remains that democracy is nourished, not weakened, by the ability to resolve through public discourse and the ballot box, extraordinarily difficult and acrimonious disputes.
Miami just has emerged from being the venue for the most publicized, most gut-wrenching and most legally confusing issue since the advent of television. A young child who was initially placed in the custody of his Miami relatives was plucked from those same relatives in a dawn raid that involved
the use of automatic weapons, masks and tear gas.
A large percentage of the community erupted in anger and dismay. Demonstrations followed, and the confrontations with police were not always well handled.
As mayor from 1985 to 1993, I had to deal twice with major eruptions of street violence and many times with public demonstrations which pitted one group against another -- sometimes at close range. The issues ranged from the toppling of a Haitian dictator to the police shooting of a motorcyclist
and the congressional debate over U.S. aid to the Nicaraguan contras. I learned that public demonstrations turn to disturbances either when small pockets of agitators provoked it or when police were confused as to their role in containing what is otherwise an expression of the right to publicly
assemble.
A public official, either elected or appointed, has the obligation to clarify both to the demonstrators and to the police, what the rules of conduct are. In doing so, it helps enormously to communicate directly -- at the scene of any confrontation -- and to avoid any grandstanding or pandering
through the mass media. It also helps to have credibility with both the demonstrators and the police.
Miami's highest elected and appointed leaders, in the aftermath of the Elian seizure, had almost no credibility and no street presence. And the police seemed to be operating under what has been described as a ``zero tolerance policy.'' One radio commentator was arrested for ``excessive use of
the horn'' and charged additionally for not having his current address on his driver's license. A prominent immigration attorney was arrested, pulled down and handcuffed for collecting money in the street -- which would mean we would have to do the same thing to our firefighters, high-school
cheerleaders and recovering drug addicts, all of whom are regularly found collecting at various intersections for worthwhile causes.
The administration's lack of flexibility caused tensions to escalate and was in stark contrast to the way demonstrations were handled in the county and in Hialeah, where almost no arrests were made.
Unfortunately, the mayor was busy doing everything but keeping the peace. He had lost all communication with four out of five city commissioners, and promptly lost the confidence of the fifth (Johnny Winton). He tried to manipulate the masses and ultimately confused them with contradictory
pronouncements, accusations and incoherent press conferences. He forgot his role as peacemaker and chief municipal executive and posed as foreign-policy expert, prosecutor and investigator. The result was pandemonium in our streets and paralysis in our government.
Even so, there is hope for our city. We have a new police chief and he appears to possess the requisite skills to head a troubled department going forward.
Barring a Supreme Court decision or a successful recall, the mayor's post will not be at stake until the general election of November 2001. Until that time, Miamians will have to be content with leadership emanating from the commission, the administration below the level of mayor, and elected
officials of other governments having separate but overlapping jurisdiction.
Thankfully, the private sector has not lost confidence in our city, as can be seen from the many cranes building Miami's hotel and residential infrastructure. The city's tax base continues to expand at healthy rates, and its coffers are full of cash, resulting from sales of unneeded assets. By
next November, the state oversight process will end, coinciding with the election of a new mayor. Some people like to argue that the new millennium doesn't begin in the year 2000, but rather in the year 2001. In the case of Miami, they may be correct.
Xavier Suarez is the former mayor of Miami.
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