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ACLU Statement on Miami's Loss of Latin Grammys
By Randall C. Marshall
Legal Director, ACLU of Florida
August 20, 2001
It was the ACLU that made it possible for the Latin Grammys to come here by successfully challenging the Miami-Dade County Cuba Ordinance.
Now, we are saddened by, and regret, the Latin Grammys decision to abandon Miami ? the capital of Latin American arts and culture. The City of Miami bent over backwards to accommodate the Latin Grammys while respecting the constitutional rights of community groups to freely express their views.
It is unfortunate that an industry that so depends upon freedom of expression is so willing to trammel the First Amendment rights of an entire community. The withdrawal of the Latin Grammys from Miami is a display of arrogance and reflects a refusal to compromise. It is a monumental lack of respect and sensitivity for the democratic ideals of this country and the entire Miami community.
Once the police assured the Latin Grammys and this community that they were capable of addressing the safety and security concerns surrounding the event, the only reason for leaving Miami is concern for the television image of the event. It appears that the Latin Grammys organizers only wanted a sanitized TV image for the event with demonstrators relegated to an area where they could not be seen or heard. The exercise of First Amendment rights is not a security threat.
The blame here is clear. The Latin Grammys were unwilling to make minor accommodations to acknowledge the First Amendment rights of the people of Miami. Their attitude was everything had to be their way or no way. The coalition of Cuban exile organizations that sought to exercise their First Amendment rights, the ACLU that represented them, and the City officials who fashioned a reasonable compromise worked hard to save the Grammys, while respecting constitutional rights. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the Grammys organizers. They should be ashamed.
There will be much said about the economic loss to Miami. However, the demands of the Grammys organizers called for the sacrifice of the First Amendment. That simply is too high a price to pay.
