Occupy Miami Once Again Gets Extension From Eviction

While Occupy encampments across the country are battling it out with police on a daily basis, getting their faces doused with pepper spray and their bones battered with batons, Occupy Miami’s encampment has been all about the song and dance.

They sing and dance to Caballo Viejo and Guantanamera before they march to the banks to protest.

They sing and dance to James Brown’s Payback while at the banks protesting.

And they sing and dance to Phish’s Poor Heart at 4 a.m. under the shadows of the banks they are protesting.

All three of those videos are posted at the top and at the bottom of this article.

Considering they have lived a rather peaceful co-existence with police and county officials, they have a lot to sing and dance for.

Just this week, they were preparing for a threatened eviction on Friday, but the county sent them a letter, giving them an extension of a week.

It was the second such extension in a month.They will continue negotiating for a permanent extension.

“It definitely is a positive sign,” said attorney Kelley Roark, who has been advising Occupy Miami in its negotiations with the county.

“There seems to be a reluctance from the county and police to have a confrontation.”

Considering that the Miami Police Department is currently under federal investigation for shooting killing nine black men in a 16-month span, including seven in an 8-month span, it is understandable why they are electing not to have a direct confrontation, which has been a public relations for police departments across the country.

The Justice Department provided some startling figures justifying its investigation:

“In the past 16 months, we have seen nine police-involved shootings that are of concern and are the premise of our investigation,” said Tom Perez the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights.  “Since July 2010, MPD officers shot and killed eight young men and critically wounded a ninth man.  By comparison, the country’s largest police force, the New York City Police Department, had one fatal shooting for every 4,313 officers in 2010, while Miami had one fatal shooting for every 220 officers.”

This peaceful co-existence has allowed Occupy Miami to focus on their message, including protesting against the eviction of a Liberty City woman Wednesday who is claiming to be the victim of mortgage fraud.

The peaceful co-existence also attracted the attention of a New York cartoonist who was in town last week for the Miami International Book Fair.

Sarah Glidden sketched a 10-page essay on Occupy Miami, which got the attention of The Washington Post.

We seem to hear only about the camps which get raided right now, or the ‘occupy’ marches in which there are clashes with police,” comics journalist Sarah Glidden tells Comic Riffs, “but there are smaller camps all across the country which are still standing and which are finding their own way to make things work in their communities.

“I kind of wanted to highlight the fact that just because we don’t hear about what’s happening in these places doesn’t mean they’re not interesting or important in their own way.”

While in town, she struck up a conversation with some police officers while order Cuban food at the Latin Café on Biscayne Blvd., who confirmed they are not cracking down on Occupy Miami because of the federal investigation.

Check out her essay here. You might see somebody you recognize.

And don’t forget to check out the photos from last week’s concert and march as well as the other two videos depicting more song and dance.

All photos and videos by Carlos Miller

Related Links: • Occupy Miami Receiving Little Static From Police And Authorities • Occupy Miami Begins Occupation At Government Center • Occupy Miami Late To The Party In National Movement Related Categories: Miami: Local News, Carlos Miller is a featured writer at Miami Beach 411. He also operates Photography is Not a Crime, a blog about photographer rights, New Media and First Amendment issues. See more articles by Carlos Miller. See more articles by Carlos Miller Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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