Protests and Demonstrations

Jay-Z vs. The 99 Percent: True American or Greedy Terrorist?

See also "Obama Salutes Jay-Z at Made in America Fest: 'He Worked Hard and Plain Refused to Quit.'" He may have come from the bottom of bottom to the Top of the Pops. But the hustler named Shawn Carter doesn't back blind classicism for the sake of tax-bracket rage, son. Jay-Z has a nasty history w ... More >>

Planning Board Denies Walmart's Rezoning Request

The City of Miami's Planning and Zoning Board delivered a setback to controversial plans to bring a Walmart to midtown last night by voting 9-0 against an exception to zoning ordinances, according to CBS Miami. The decision was made amid a heated meeting that packed city hall with several local ... More >>

Three Occupy Miami Members Arrested During May Day Protest Downtown, Police and Protesters Both Claim Violence UPDATED

Miami Police arrested at least two three Occupy Miami members today during a May Day protest downtown. Brian Tangherlini, 22, and Rolando Prieto, 23, were arrested after ignoring orders to get out of the street, according to a police report. Tangherlini was wrestled to the ground by several off ... More >>

Miami-Dade Police Watched Occupy Miami's Facebook Page For Months Around Eviction

The email went out to a group of Miami-Dade cops February 22, just a couple of weeks after they'd busted up Occupy Miami's downtown encampment. The subject line was in ominous military-speak: "Occupy Miami: Situational Awareness." Inside, an MDPD Homeland Security detective named Maritza Aschenbrenn ... More >>

Occupy Miami's Señor Paz Talks About "Peace City," His Overtown Building Turned Protest Camp

​In this week's Miami New Times feature story, Michael Miller explores Occupy Miami's strange journey after getting booted from downtown's Government Center. Displaced protesters moved to a ramshackle apartment complex in Overtown, where the building's owner -- who calls himself "Señor Paz" -- in ... More >>

Seven "Occupy FIU" Protesters Arrested UPDATED

​Last November, "Occupy FIU" gathered at the Deuxieme Maison pit on the school's West Miami-Dade campus and decried excessive student loans, Wall Street bankers, and money in politics.Yesterday, they tried to do it again. This time, seven people -- including two FIU students -- were arrested.The a ... More >>

Occupy Miami and Homeless Should Unite Against "Greedy People That Suck," Says Weedmanhippy

​For years, someone calling himself "The Weedmanhippy" has been wedging cryptic, self-promoting fliers into the front of New Times boxes across Miami Beach. At first, we were kind of annoyed. Then, earlier this week, we finally gave in and called him.The Weedmanhippy is actually Billy Blank: part ... More >>

Sarah Glidden's Occupy Miami Cartoon Essay Sketches the Scene

​Dozens of news cameras and reporters armed with tape recorders have attempted to explain the scene down at the Occupy Miami camp in Government Center, but sometimes someone armed with a sketchbook and a patient set of ears manages to capture the moment even better. Sarah Glidden, who recently pub ... More >>

Bank of America Announces End to Debit Card Fees As Occupy Miami Descends

​Hey, Miami, you're welcome. Thanks to the nationwide Occupy movement -- including the 305's very own budding revolt at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center -- Bank of America just announced it's no longer planning to rip off debit card users by charging them five bucks a month. One for Occ ... More >>

Occupy Miami Protesters: Smart, Dedicated, Cop-Loving

​Occupy Miami is both smarter and more dedicated than you think.Yesterday, about 40 occupiers joined about 150 police officers to sit in on negotiations with the police union and county commissioners.The cops and the county did not come to an agreement, but it was a hopeful encounter.Terrence Dash ... More >>

Rick Scott on the Occupy Movement: "I'm Glad People Come Out and Tell Us What They Think"

Even though the Occupy Wall Street movement entering its second month, and similar protests popping up around the globe, most politicians are remaining mum. Those of the Republican variety, in most cases, have been pretty flippant. Take Herman Cain's "if you don't have a job and you're not rich, bla ... More >>

TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe Talks Occupy Wall Street and Impersonating Prince

​Even if Tunde Adebimpe has never been a household name, TV on the Radio, the band he formed with David Sitek in 2001, has persevered and thrived longer than many of their more conventional brethren. By putting out one fully realized musical art project after another, the New York group kept criti ... More >>

Watch Occupy Miami Streaming Live Online

photo by Ronnie Rivera​Want to figure out what this whole Occupy Miami hubbub is about but are either busy slaving away at your cubicle for your one-percent master or a little adverse to rain? Well, good news, the occupation will be televised. Err, or streamed online rather. Watch the live feed be ... More >>

Occupy Miami: The Occupation Has Begun Outside Government Center

This is what democracy looks like. ​Thanks to unbelievable unemployment rates, two U.S. wars that went nowhere good, and about a million other awful current American realities, what was once comfortable enough has become unbearable.Economic inequality and the corporate influence over governmental ... More >>

Rev. Terry Jones Faces Trial For Mosque Protest in Michigan

​Rev. Terry Jones, perhaps Florida's most vile exporter of hate since Anita Bryant, is set to face trial over a planned protest near the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan. Apparently, encouraged by the response he got first from his threat to burn Korans and then actually carryin ... More >>

Fidel Castro Thinks NATO Will Invade Libya for Oil

​As Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has gone straight up tyrant in his country by ordering the killing of protesters seeking an end to his rule, some of his close allies across Latin America seem to be sticking with him. In fact, Fidel Castro thinks that the protests will be used as an excuse for th ... More >>

Will Hugo Chavez Meet the Same Fate as Mubarak?

​After weeks of tumultuous protests, embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is widely expected to step down as soon as tonight. Will other "democratically elected" presidents-for-life across the globe soon face similar fates? Now that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has announced plans to run for re-e ... More >>

International Burn a Koran Day: What else can we torch September 11?

Bill McCollum Supporters to Protest Rick Scott's Mexican "Porn"

​Anything related to the Republican primary for Governor has long since stopped making sense. Bill McCollum supporters are now set to hold a protest out side of a social networking website Rick Scott once invested in. The site, QuePasa.com, has a business relation with Playboy Mexico, which the Mc ... More >>

Fidel Castro's New Miniseries Chronicles 638 Times He's Cheated Death

On Sunday, Cuban television broadcast the first episode of an 8-part miniseries on the various assassination attempts on Fidel Castro.Just another jolly night on Cuban prime-time!​Called He Who Must Live, the miniseries covers the "638" attempts on El Supremo's life, including some that took place ... More >>

Behind the Scenes in Bolivia: Massacre Victims Call for U.S. to Extradite Leaders

In this week's New Times, you can read my update about the Bolivian victims of a 2003 conflict now known as Octubre Negro. More than 60 mostly indigenous protesters and bystanders died when the government called the military on demonstrators. Then, Bolivia's president and defense minister fled to M ... More >>

Publix Headquarters in Lakeland Protested by 500 for Farm Workers' Rights

Jacob KatelSunday, November 8, 2009, West Miami​This past Sunday, more than 500 voices rang out strong in Lakeland at Publix headquarters. Students, farm workers, religious leaders, and concerned citizens came together to protest the supermarket company. It has refused to align itself with the Coa ... More >>

The Timoney Boot Party Countdown, Day 2

Whitney Roux​ The morning breeze whips John Timoney's rosy cheeks as he settles into his rowboat moored at the Miami Beach Rowing Club. He pushes off the dock and begins paddling up Indian Creek, soaking in the dry, mild November weather, pondering where his next gig will be.Maybe he'll roll throu ... More >>

Michael Steele Will Grace Miami with His Presence

Awkward Republican National Committee Chairmen Michael Steele is coming to Miami Monday! Hooray! If you're the kind of person who likes to protest the GOP, Steele is probably the best thing that could have happened to that party. It hasn't been announced exactly where Steele will be, but Riptide has ... More >>

Couch Potatoes for Lolita

Big time animal lover Anthony Marasia lives in Hawaii, but he's got beef with Miami. The 35-year old, media savy former zookeeper launched a national campaign Thursday to free Seaquarium's Lolita the killer whale. The plan: broadcast footage of the captive orca in her kiddie pool of a tank on p ... More >>

Timoney Loses, Freedom Wins, Taxpayers Pay

Miami Police Chief John Timoney screwed up, and we taxpayers are just gonna keep paying and paying.Back in November 2003, the City of Miami shut down some protests against a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) meeting being held here. The cops beat some protesters and illegally jailed others. Jus ... More >>

Obama Still Attracts More Souvenir Stands Than Protesters

Pollsters can pour over all the phone surveys they want, but the real gauge of President Obama's population may be the ratio of protesters his public appearances attract to the number of people hawking Obama merchandise. Oddly, if you used the math today at the Harborside Event Center you'd fall in ... More >>

Fighting The Man

Palestinian protester Riadh Atmani wants to clear his name.

Coalition Wants Miami Cops to Drop Protest Charges

As the world collectively crosses its fingers that a second cease fire talk will work in Gaza -- and raging South Florida protests fade into tepid peace rallies -- a temporary truce in the middle east doesn't seem so far away. But in Miami another battle is boiling. This past week, the Florida bran ... More >>

Doctor Charged With Felony at Gaza Protest Says Cops are Lying

Riadh Atmani, Israeli-Palestinian protest, doctor, felony charge, miami, bonita springs, police

Pacifists. Not Crazies

Homestead Boards the Butt-Crack Ban Bandwagon

Burger King or Bust

Alvarez a No-Show at the NAACP

BellSouth Employees Suspended After Background Checks

All Politics Is Loco

Pan American Art Projects alights in Wynwood

Bush in the Closet?

C-O-Ps Crash the P-A-C Party

A Bay of Pigs Invasion

A protester with a history does his business at the Eighth Street monument

Already Home (?)

Immigration rally in Homestead small but sincere

RIP for the CIP?

The police watchdog group's right to do its job is challenged

Direct Action Reaction

Provoking a cop doesn't exactly improve working conditions for Latin America's poor

Street Theater

Fervent days, absurd dramatics

Threats, Lies & Videotape

Leroy Jones outslicks prosecutors on the Criminal Procedure Discovery Rule

Playhouse Cubano

A controversial theater troupe finds a new home in Miami

Have Bullhorn, Will Travel

Most anti-Castro groups shun partisan presidential politics, but not Miguel Saavedra and his merry band of protesters

Best Monologuist

Ed Kaplan

Leadership Abhors a Vacuum

A Ventriloquist Becomes Watchdog

Ed Garson, who once hammed it up onstage, wants Miami-Dade schools to clean up their act

We Dare You to Sing

In Miami Beach, the First Amendment and a few thousand dollars will get you some "free" speech