Takin’ it to the streets

They’re protesting public funding for the Marlins’ ballpark down in Miami:

Elected officials, community organizations, business owners and others gathered outside the Fillmore at the Jackson Gleason Theater in Miami Beach on Tuesday, explaining how the proposed Marlins baseball stadium would divert needed money from the local economy.

One member of the coalition, City of Miami Beach Commissioner Dee Dee Whitehorn, said, “I implore we go slow and do our homework” . . .

. . . The coalition also claims that current agreements to build the 37,000-seat stadium could force the county to tap into its general revenue funds, which it suggests would affect on local services.

Coalition members includes Clergy for Change; Urban Environment League; Human Services Coalition; Miami Neighborhoods United; Democracy for America; The Workers Center; Health Care For All; Former Rep. Gus Barreiro; Philanthropist Anthony Shriver; Miami Community Activist Jack Spirk; FIU law school student Mayowa Odusanya; South Miami Commissioner Valerie Newman; Kendall Community Activist Pat Erwin; Hialeah Community Activist Mercy Dominguez.

Given my leanings on issues like this I’d like to think that this represented something important, but really, protesting is a dead art. These days no one moves anyone in mass about much of anything. Instead, you issue press releases and make sure that your smallish group fills up the five seconds of TV air time the locals allot you. As such, you never know if a movement is truly a groundswell or simply an assemblage of motivated fringe types.

I hope this sort of thing actually moves Miami-Dade officials to say no to the stadium, but I kind of doubt it will.


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MooseinOhio
15 years ago

Are you telling me those folks protesting the Irag war every Saturday for five plus years at the intersection of North Braodway and High aren’t accomplishing much of anything?

For all the non-Columbus folks in Shysterville just insert the popular intersection for protesters from your locale.

Craig Calcaterra
15 years ago

Moose: my favorite guy there is the one with the beard with the sign that says “for the real 9/11 criminals = follow the $$$”

I have no idea what the = is for.  But man, he’s still out there. At least he was last time I checked.  Right in front of the Starbucks that used to be a Pizza Hut.

MooseinOhio
15 years ago

At least the strippers, excuse me exotic dancers, who protested the ‘no touching’ rule in downtown used their assets to get folks attention while protesting in front of the Statehouse. 

Again, for all the non-Columbus folks the city has an ordinance that allows women to be topless in Columbus so it does makes for some interesting, if not distracting, protest in Columbus.

Pete Toms
15 years ago

I’ve been reading that the vote on Friday isn’t a slam dunk.  Jorge Costales, are you out there?

Jason @ IIATMS
15 years ago

Wonder if they got more attendees than the Million Manny March

Jason B
15 years ago

If the Starbucks business model continues rolling along at it’s present clip, it will be a Pizza Hut again in 6-12 months.

America’s love affair with greasy, unhealthy food > America’s love affair with mediocre, overpriced coffee.