Here Is the Graffito That Got Israel Hernandez Killed

Yesterday, Riptide broke the story of 18-year-old skateboarder Israel Hernandez getting fatally Tasered by Miami Beach cops for tagging an abandoned building. Afterward, our article was flooded with more than 500 comments. Many expressed sadness. Others, outrage. But some labeled Hernandez a "vandal" who "got what he deserved." So we...

By Michael E. Miller

August 8, 2013

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Yesterday, Riptide broke the story of 18-year-old skateboarder Israel Hernandez getting fatally Tasered by Miami Beach cops for tagging an abandoned building.

Afterward, our article was flooded with more than 500 comments. Many expressed sadness. Others, outrage. But some labeled Hernandez a "vandal" who "got what he deserved."

So we went to see the precise extent of Hernandez's vandalism. Here it is, all three inches of it.

Hernandez, known as "Reefa," never got very far into tagging his name on an abandoned McDonald's on Collins Avenue before cops began chasing him. The "R" matches some of his tags found around town. Here are a few comments from New Times readers who think Hernandez "got what he deserved":

And here are some photos of the ~~run-down McDonald's~~ architectural gem that he was caught tagging on Tuesday morning.

But lest you get depressed thinking that cops would chase a teenager to his death over scribbling something so small on a public eyesore already plastered with posters and campaign advertisements, here is something else to focus on: the love of his friends.

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Michael E. Miller was a staff writer at Miami New Times for five years. His work for New Times won many national awards, including back-to-back-to-back Sigma Delta Chi medallions. He now covers local enterprise for the Washington Post.

Contact: Michael E. Miller