Arthur Lee McDuffie

Arthur Lee McDuffie. . , On December 17, 1979, Arthur Lee McDuffie, a 33-year-old Black man and former Marine, was killed by a group of white Metro-Dade police officers at this location. McDuffie was a father to three young children, the associate manager of an insurance company, and a former musician in the Booker T. Washington High School marching band. The police pulled McDuffie over for reportedly running a red light. They dragged him from his motorcycle and beat him into a coma. Four days later, McDuffie died of his injuries in the hospital. The officers tried to cover up the beating by staging it as an accident, but a few days later on Christmas Eve, one of the officers turned himself in and reported the truth. In early 1980, the Florida State Attorney’s Office charged the six officers. The presiding judge, Lenore Carrero Nesbit, had the trial moved to Tampa due to racial tension surrounding the case in Miami. Jury selection began in March, and future U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno served as the lead prosecutor. On May 17, 1980, the all-white jury returned verdicts of not guilty. In 1981, the Dade County Board of County Commissioners agreed to pay a substantial settlement to McDuffie’s family to avoid a civil lawsuit., Following the verdicts, Black Miamians took to the streets in protest. Nearly 5,000 people gathered in front of the Miami police department and courthouse downtown. What began as a silent march eventually evolved into outrage over the verdicts and became violent, overwhelming local police. Much of the protest occurred in historically African American neighborhoods like Liberty City, Overtown, and Brownsville. Florida Governor Bob Graham dispatched thousands of Florida National Guardsmen to Miami to help restore order. After three days, the unrest subsided. The violence claimed the lives of ten Black people and eight white people, and resulted in over $100 million dollars in property damages. McDuffie’s death, the subsequent uprising, and need to rebuild had far-reaching impacts for Miami-Dade County and beyond. The settlement paid to McDuffie’s family was one of the largest for a police brutality case. Local law enforcement prioritized the recruitment of Black and Hispanic police officers. Furthermore, the County created the Independent Review Panel for police oversight, as well as the Miami-Dade Economic Action Plan that aimed to build economic equality for the Black community., A Florida Heritage Site