University of Virginia Library

Democrats Gamble On 'Magic City'

By FRED HEBLICH

MIAMI What can you say
about a city that busted Allen
Ginsberg on an obscenity
charge? That has the highest
crime rate of any city in the
country? That it is the home of
"The Original Topless
Shoeshine?"

—That it has nice weather in
the winter?

—That it has the friendliness
of a warm toilet seat?

—That it will host the
Democratic Convention next
summer?

You can say any of the
above and still be correct. The
most unfortunate choice is also
the most undisputed, because
the Democratic Convention
really is going to be here,
which is news to no one,
especially the Miami police.

The Justice Department
gave the city about $400,000
to get ready, and with little
subtlety the police are making
preparations to make sure that
when the circus comes to town
that the spectators will be kept
in the stands.

Miami has a twin image: one
is a finger-snapping hipster in
purple shoes who junkets to
Freeport; the other is Anita
Bryant, juggling oranges and
singing "God Bless America."
It is the latter image which
inspires the police, the Elks,
and the VFW to make Miami
the anal city it is. They keep
Miami clean, very Kleen, very
very KKKleen.

Of the $400,000 about half
is being used to buy
armaments, plastic handcuffs
(no deposit, no return), and
tear gas. The other half is being
used to train the police in
something called "crowd
control." But the $200,000 for
crowd control training
probably won't go a very long
way if one considers the Miami
police.

Most of the police call this
city "MY-am-ma." In the past
few months the Policemen's
Benevolent Association has
spent over $20,000 in legal fees
fighting a law suit by black
police (there are only a
handful, and no black officers
above the rank of captain)
which would force the PBA to
integrate. Besides the threat of
integration, the morale of the
force has fallen because of a
damage suit by the parents of a
16-year-old who was shot and
killed by a policeman who
suspected the boy of driving a
stolen car. The city's number
one crime rate hasn't helped
either.

In 1968 the city built a
fence around Miami Beach

Convention Hall. Fearing that
viewers of the Jackie Gleason
Show, and the Miss Universe
pageant might notice the new
landscaping, they put up a
hedge to hide the fence.

Although nothing happened
in Miami in 1968 to approach
the abortion of Chicago, not
everything was quiet on the
eastern front. The blacks in the
city began to stage a minor
riot, which was quickly and
firmly repressed by the police.
It was equally well repressed
by the media which was too
busy taking pictures of Nixon
and Claude Kirk and trying to
find out who Spiro Agnew was.

Miami's blacks are
incredibly repressed, and
things haven't gotten any
better since 1968. Miami is the
ultimate consumer's city and
the city depends on tourism,
which depends on good public
relations. Consequently, most
tourists aren't even aware that
Miami has any ghettos. But
have them it does.

Most cities have what are
called "invisible barriers" like
toothpaste has an invisible
shield, which separate the
black districts from the white
residential areas. Miami is more
candid. The several ghetto
areas border on highways, and
are separated from the
highways by anchor fences. At
night, within the caged areas,
"high-intensity" lights glare
away lighting up the streets
with an eerie pink glow. Every
time the crime rate goes up,
the city installs more lights,
because the police are too busy
out busting gay bars (a favorite
sport) or arresting hitch-hikers.

The Democrats probably
had good reasons for picking
Miami Beach in 1972. For one,
the Democrats can not afford
another disaster like Chicago,
and Miami can not afford to
have a Chicago, Miami is
already losing its ass to Disney
World and can't take the
chance of having the city
ravaged by riots which would
further discourage the tourist
industry.

In terms of defensive
logistics, Miami is more than
the Democrats could ask for.
The Convention Hall is in the
heart of south Miami Beach,
and the only way to get there
is by going over bridges, a good
first line of defense. Also, there
is nothing close to a People's
Park anywhere near the Beach,
or in the city for that matter.
It is doubtful that too many
demonstrators will pay $100 a
day to stay in the
Fontainebleau or Eden Roc.
Furthermore, the road to
Miami is through Muskogee,
Jaw-jaw.

The Florida Highway Patrol
is confident that it can prevent
things before they start. The
Miami police are confident that
if anything starts in the city
they can keep it from
spreading to the Beach, and if
it spreads to the Beach, they
are pretty sure they can push it
into the Atlantic.

The mayor of Miami, David
Kennedy, is no Richard Daley,
but he is a Humphrey man, and
will probably be a national
co-chairman in Humphrey's
campaign. Kennedy thinks he
has a bright political future,
and he is not about to watch a
bunch of commie faggots and
niggers wreck the convention.

Publicly, Kennedy is
moderate. He issues statements
saying he will respect "peaceful
non-violent dissent, etc. blah."
But it always sounds too much
like Edgar Shannon "sharing
your deep sympathy and
concern over this tragic event
blah-blah, etc. un-so-weirder."

Miami had a chance to land
both conventions next
summer, but the city wouldn't
put up enough money to
satisfy the Republicans. At the
same time Jerry Rubin & Co.
were screaming about bringing
a million people to the
Republican convention, which
made the prospect of hosting
both conventions seem less
attractive. In an interesting
sidelight, the Justice
Department gave San Diego
$800,000 for plastic handcuffs
and "crowd control"
training—twice what it gave
Miami. Either the Republicans
expect big trouble in River
City, or they would rather see
a little more of it happen to
the Democrats.

A couple of months ago,
when Birch Bayh was touring
the state, some redneck at the
airport walked up to him,
called him a communist and
spit in his face. The yokels
yukked it up. The biggest fear
of Florida Democrats is that
Wallace will enter the Florida
primary. If he does, he will
probably win, or at least
destroy any national
significance the primary might
have.

The Democrats are taking a
gamble by having the
convention in the Magic City,
and they know it. In their
favor though, is the fact that
all the big plans are being
directed at San Diego. They
just might pull it off. The
delegates might come down,
stay in the Americana, get
drunk, pick up hundred-dollar
hookers, and pick the next
president of the country. But if
the shit hits the fan, the
Democrats might get burned a
little too badly for Solarcaine
to cool by November.