Published Wednesday, May 17, 2000, in the Miami Herald
Protests went too far, ad says
By Amy Driscoll. adriscoll@herald.com
The decisive moment for Tom Manos came the day he drove past a ``pro-USA'' rally, gave the group a thumbs-down sign and a protester shouted at him: ``Go home!''
Manos -- born and raised in Miami, descended from Irish, German and Greek ancestors, married to a Cuban-American woman -- generally steers clear of politics. The 40-year-old corporate lawyer dabbles in music, has two kids and a full life.
But on that day last week, as the protesters turned their ire on him, Manos knew he could no longer sit silently by as ethnic tensions triggered by the Elian Gonzalez case tore apart the city he loved.
``I wanted to put my money where my mouth is,'' he said.
So the man who once wrote a Spanish-language song called Adios, Fidel! plunked down $9,500 to place a full-page, open letter to the Cuban-American community in Sunday's Herald.
``I think it is important that the Cuban Americans in Miami understand that not all `Anglo' Americans are against them,'' it began. ``In fact, most Anglos with whom I associate have a deep respect, appreciation, and empathy for Cuban Americans and the immense contributions they have made to our
great city and culture.''
Manos, who is not a rich man, said the expense was ``a stretch'' for his finances. Several friends have pitched in, he said, but he is shouldering the bulk of the costs.
The letter, which continues 12 paragraphs, discusses Manos' experience at the pro-USA rally: ``I gave a thumbs-down sign as I drove past them, showing my non-support for their insensitivity, and was the recipient of hateful screams such as `go home,' and `go back to Cuba.' . . . It defies logic
how these flag-wavers somehow think they are more American and have some superior right entitling them to tell other Americans to leave, and think that only a Cuban could disapprove of their display.''
Response to the letter has been overwhelmingly positive, he said. By Tuesday, he had received about 400 letters, emails and phone messages.
``It was a conciliatory type of thing, and it did what it was intended to do: It made a lot of people feel better,'' he said. ``A lot of people said, `Thank you for saying what I was feeling.' ''
But he has received five death threats and 10 letters laced with obscenities.
``My wife is proud of me, but she's afraid of those kinds of things,'' he said. ``Maybe it's naive, but I'm just not. I have the right to speak up.''
It is not the first time the Miami lawyer has wound up in the spotlight. A decade ago, in 1990, the ex-musician wrote a song, Adios, Fidel! that won a strong local following. A friend helped him translate the English into Spanish rhyme, and he sang it himself.
A sampling of the lyrics:
Thank you, Fidel, for the Latin food
Thank you, Fidel, for the many pretty girls
You threw the best people out, and they grew up here
You stole a lot from your own people
But you gave a lot to me.
Today, Manos says his latest foray into the public eye has given him a sense of accomplishment, that he has done his part to help bridge the cultural gaps in the community.
``I had always felt there were underlying currents of prejudice, but when they came out in such a huge way, I couldn't believe it,'' he said. ``This was my way of saying, `Hey, not everyone feels like that.' ''
Local police seek Elian-case refunds
By Tyler Bridges. tbridges@herald.com
Miami-Dade County and Miami police are seeking federal reimbursement for a tab of more than $4 million spent on law enforcement and street cleanup during the Elian Gonzalez case, local officials said Tuesday.
The county and city want the state to declare an ``emergency'' that would allow them to collect the money from the Federal Emergency Management Administration. But the state agency that must approve the reimbursement request to FEMA said late Tuesday that the county and city police are not
eligible, said David Bishop, a spokesman for the state Department of Community Affairs.
Bishop said, however, that both governments could apply directly to the U.S. Department of Justice for reimbursement.
He said that the city of St. Petersburg got a Justice Department grant to reimburse its costs from civil disturbances in 1996.
``We cannot find any precedent to honor [their] request,'' Bishop said. ``They can apply directly to DOJ.''
The county was seeking reimbursement for its ``protective measures'' and for ``debris removal,'' said Rhonda Barnett, a county spokeswoman.
Starting with the first disturbances in January, the county spent $2.57 million on police alone, plus $20,000 processing people who were arrested, $10,000 on public works, $7,500 for its emergency operations staff and $1,200 for fire-rescue, Barnett said.
This was the first time the county was able to provide a breakdown of its costs.
New Miami Police Chief Raul Martinez said the extra personnel for the tug of war over Elian has cost his department $1.5 million.
According to a breakdown provided by Angel Calzadilla, senior executive assistant to Martinez, the police department spent $1.27 million on overtime, $278,590 on officers assigned to Elian duty away from their normal duties, $27,260 on food and ice for street officers and $15,780 for towing
charges.
The $1.2 million for overtime comes from the $6.7 million the police department budgeted this year for all overtime costs.
Of other government agencies:
The Miami Fire Department spent $38,000 to $58,000 on overtime, said new City Manager Carlos Gimenez, the former fire chief.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement spent $50,000 in overtime costs and staff who would have been assigned to other duties, spokesman Al Dennis said.
The Florida Highway Patrol spent $80,000 before the April 22 raid, $158,000 on overtime from April 22-26 and another $17,000 on overtime on April 29, the day of a massive protest march, FHP spokesman David Tripp said.
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