View source for 1980 Miami riots

{{short description|Period of civil unrest in Miami, Florida}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = 1980 Miami riots
| partof = [[Race riots in Miami]]
| image = 
| caption = 
| date = May 17–20, 1980<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days |1980|05|17|1980|05|20}})
| place = [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Dade County, Florida]] 
* [[Miami, Florida|Miami]]
**[[Coconut Grove|West Coconut Grove]]
**[[Brownsville, Florida|Brownsville]]
**[[Liberty City (Miami)|Liberty City]]
**[[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]]
| causes = acquittal of officers who beat Arthur McDuffie to death
| goals = 
| methods = riots, looting, arson, sniping, murder
| status = 
| result = 
| side1 = Rioters
| side2 = *[[Florida Army National Guard]]
*[[Miami-Dade Police Department|Dade County Public Safety Department]]
| leadfigures1 = ''No centralized leadership''
| leadfigures2 = *[[Bob Graham]]
*[[Maurice Ferré]]
| fatalities = 18
| injuries = 350
| arrests = 600
| detentions = 
| charged = 
| fined = 
}}

The '''1980 Miami riots''' (also called the '''Arthur McDuffie riots''') were [[race riot|race riots]] that occurred in [[Miami]], [[Florida]], starting in earnest on May 18, 1980,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/mcduffie-riots-miami_n_3353719.html |website=Huffington Post |title=McDuffie Riots: Eerie Scene From Miami Race Riot Of 1980 |date=May 29, 2013}}</ref> following an all-White male jury acquitting five [[White Americans|white]] [[Miami-Dade Police Department|Dade County Public Safety Department]] officers in the death of '''Arthur McDuffie''' (December 3, 1946 – December 21, 1979), a Black insurance salesman and [[United States Marine Corps]] lance corporal.  McDuffie was beaten to death by four police officers after a traffic stop. After the officers were tried and acquitted on charges including manslaughter and evidence tampering, a riot broke out in the Black neighborhoods of [[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]] and [[Liberty City (Miami)|Liberty City]] on the night of May 17. Riots continued until May 20, resulting in at least 18 deaths and an estimated $100&nbsp;million in property damage.

In 1981 Dade County settled a civil lawsuit filed by McDuffie's family for $1.1&nbsp;million.  The 1980 Miami riots were the deadliest urban riots in a single city since the [[1967 Detroit riot]] and remained such until the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]] twelve years later.

==Background==
=== Death of Arthur McDuffie ===
[[File:Arthur McDuffie 1979.jpg|thumb|left|Arthur McDuffie (1979)]]
In the early morning hours of December 17, 1979, a group of six White police officers<ref name=TBT-2006/> stopped thirty-three-year-old McDuffie, who was riding a black-and-orange 1973 [[Kawasaki Z1]] motorcycle.<ref name=AP-800318>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19800318.2.3 |title=Aftermath of 20 minutes on a Miami street |author=Spratling, Rick |agency=Associated Press |date=March 18, 1980 |newspaper=The Desert Sun |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> McDuffie had accumulated traffic citations and was riding with a suspended license. According to the initial police report, he had led police on an eight-minute high-speed chase through residential streets at speeds of over {{convert|80|mph}}.

In that initial report, four of the officers involved in the chase{{efn|Sgt. Ira Diggs and Officers William Hanlon, Michael Watts, and Alex Marrero}} claimed McDuffie had run a red light or stop sign and subsequently led police on an eight-minute chase. Sgt. Herbert Evans (who was not at the scene) added that McDuffie lost control of his motorcycle while making a left turn<ref name=AP-800318/> and, according to Officer Charles Veverka, McDuffie subsequently struck his head on the ground,<ref name=AP-800318/> after which he attempted to flee on foot. The officers caught him and a scuffle ensued in which McDuffie allegedly kicked Sgt. Ira Diggs, who wrote "the subject was observed to be fighting violently."<ref name=AP-800318/> Police drove a squad car over the motorbike to make the incident look like an accident.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lardner|first=George Jr.|date=1980-05-21|title=McDuffie Death: It Seemed to Be Open-Shut Case|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/05/21/mcduffie-death-it-seemed-to-be-open-shut-case/181a3552-c09d-4652-afb1-a9f4f0998a23/|access-date=2020-12-03|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

McDuffie was transported to a nearby hospital where he died four days later of his injuries. McDuffie's ex-wife, who was planning to re-marry him on February 7, 1980, was on duty as a nurse's aide when he was transported to [[Jackson Memorial Hospital]].<ref name=AP-800101/> The coroner's report concluded that he had suffered multiple [[skull fracture]]s, one of which was {{convert|10|in}} long.<ref name=AP-800516/>

The medical examiner, Dr. Ronald Wright, said McDuffie's injuries were not consistent with a motorcycle crash, and that if McDuffie had fallen off the motorcycle, as the police claimed, it did not make sense that its gauges would be broken. Wright said that it seemed that he had been beaten to death.<ref name=Dunn/>{{rp|194}}

===Frank investigation===
{{quotebox |text={{pad|0.8em}}"In the process of arresting and handcuffing him, McDuffie's helmet was removed and he was thrown to the ground. Officers Ira Diggs, Michael Watts, William Hanlon and Alex Marrero proceeded to strike McDuffie in and around the head and chest with flashlights and nightsticks no less that five times.<br/>{{pad|0.8em}}"During this time, the defendants used their flashlights and nightsticks to repeatedly strike the motorcycle upon which McDuffie had been riding and which, at the time he was initially apprehended, was undamaged.<br/>{{pad|0.8em}}"At the instructions of Sergeant Herb Evans, the defendants subsequently reported that the injuries to McDuffie and damage to his motorcycle were the result of a motorcycle accident. There was no accident." |author=&nbsp;—&nbsp;Capt. Marshall Frank, Metropolitan Dade County Department of Public Safety |source=Sworn affidavit, quoted in ''The New York Times'' (1979)<ref name=AP-791228/> |align=right |width=25em}}
Officer Veverka made a sworn statement on December 26 that he had lied in the initial report.<ref name=AP-801217/> According to Veverka's statement, after McDuffie stopped, Veverka pulled him off his motorcycle, and McDuffie responded by taking a swing at Veverka.<ref name=AP-800318/> More officers arrived shortly afterward and, according to Veverka, "six to eight" of them began beating McDuffie<ref name=AP-801217/> with [[Baton (law enforcement)|nightsticks]] and heavy [[Kel-Lite]] flashlights. Veverka said he tried to pull McDuffie out of the fracas, but was unable to.<ref name=AP-800318/> Captain Marshall Frank investigated the cover-up, and made a sworn affidavit which led to criminal charges against four officers.<ref name=AP-791228/>

Officer William Hanlon later testified that he had choked McDuffie to the ground with his nightstick before he managed to handcuff McDuffie. Hanlon testified that after McDuffie was restrained, Officer Alex Marrero struck McDuffie on the head with Marrero's Kel-Lite "at least three times. It was very strong and very powerful blows. His entire face was covered with blood."<ref name=AP-800318/> Hanlon added he was the officer who had driven over McDuffie's motorcycle; Hanlon also gouged the pavement with a tire iron to simulate skid marks and threw McDuffie's watch into the gutter.<ref name=TBT-2006/> A patrol car had been used to deliberately run over the motorcycle to break its gauges and make it seem that McDuffie crashed.

Officer Mark Meier testified the high-speed chase had slowed to 25 miles per hour when McDuffie shouted, "I give up" and stopped. Meier said that between three and eight officers then surrounded McDuffie, pulled off his helmet and proceeded to beat him with nightsticks. He said that the officer struck him at least twice.

By the end of the struggle, the officers had, in the words of medical examiner Dr. Ronald Wright, cracked McDuffie's skull "like an egg" using "long, heavy blunt objects. This was a melee."<ref name=AP-800318/><ref name=AP-791228/>

=== Trial ===
The acting director of the [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Dade County]] [[Miami-Dade Police Department|Public Safety Department]], Bobby Jones, suspended three officers on December 27.<ref name=AP-791227>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19791227.1.2 |title=Officers facing death probe |agency=AP |date=December 27, 1979 |newspaper=San Bernardino Sun |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> Diggs, Hanlon, Marrero, and Watts were charged with manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence on December 28;<ref name=AP-800101>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19800101.1.7 |title=Victim's dreams of new life end |agency=AP |date=January 1, 1980 |newspaper=San Bernardino Sun |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> Evans was charged with being an accessory after the fact, and four other officers were suspended with pay.<ref name=AP-791228>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/29/archives/four-miami-police-officers-charged-in-fatal-beating-four-released.html |title=Four Miami Police Officers Charged in Fatal Beating |date=December 29, 1979 |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=AP |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref> Marrero was charged with second-degree murder on February 1, 1980.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=State v. Diggs |court=[[Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida|11th Cir. Fla.]] |date=1980 |quote=Case No. 79-21601A, quoted in footnotes 46 and 47 of {{cite report |chapter-url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED217116.pdf#page=248 |title=Confronting Racial Isolation in Miami |author=Pendleton Jr., Clarence M., Chairman |chapter=VII — Administration of Justice: A Continuing Sore Spot |date=1982 |publisher=United States Commission on Civil Rights}}}}</ref> Jones said that since 1973, the four accused of manslaughter had been cited in 47 [[Civilian police oversight agency|citizen complaints]] and 13 [[internal affairs (law enforcement)|internal affairs]] probes. Ubaldo Del Toro later was charged with being an accessory to the crime, as well as fabricating evidence; neither Evans nor Del Toro were involved in the stop.<ref name=AP-800318/> Another officer was charged with tampering with evidence.<ref name=Dunn>{{cite book
|title=A History of Florida Through Black Eyes
|first=Marvin
|last=Dunn
|year=2016
|publisher=[[CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform]]
|isbn=978-1519372673}}</ref>{{rp|194}} The eight officers involved were all dismissed from the force and five of them would go on to stand trial<ref name=AP-801219/> in March 1980 on various charges:<ref name=AP-800516>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19800516.1.37 |title=Seven Week Long Dade County Trial May Go To Jury Today |agency=AP |date=May 16, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref>
* Ira Diggs (manslaughter, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence, being an accessory after the fact)
* Herbert Evans (tampering with evidence and being an accessory after the fact)
* William Hanlon (immunized for his testimony)
* Alex Marrero (second-degree murder and aggravated battery)
* Mark Meier (immunized for his testimony)
* Ubaldo Del Toro (tampering with evidence and being an accessory after the fact)
* Charles Veverka (immunized for his testimony)
* Michael Watts (manslaughter and aggravated battery)

Because of the volatile atmosphere in Miami, which presiding judge [[Lenore Carrero Nesbitt]] had termed a "time bomb,"<ref name=AP-800518/> the trial was shifted to [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]].<ref name=AP-800318/> Jury selection began on March 31, 1980.  The lead prosecutor of the case was [[Janet Reno]], later [[U.S. Attorney General]] during the [[Clinton presidency]].

The defense said that the police were violently attacked by McDuffie, an ex-Marine they called a karate expert, and that only "necessary force" was used to subdue him. The chief assistant state attorney disagreed: "Somebody beat this man's brains in." The defense also attacked the credibility of the three witnesses (Veverka, Meier, and Hanlon) who had been immunized in exchange for their testimony.<ref name=AP-800516/> In her instructions to the jury, Judge Nesbitt said, "a witness who realizes he must procure his own freedom by incriminating others has a motive to falsify."<ref name=AP-800518/> The three men who gave sworn statements were Veverka, Hanlon, and Meier.<ref name=Dunn/>{{rp|196}} Hanlon was the only defendant to take the stand. After their testimony, Marerro was given a new charge of [[second-degree murder]]. Hanlon was charged with felonies, while Veverka was charged with a civil rights violation, but was acquitted.

On April 25, officer Mark Meier was given immunity.

On May 8, Del Toro was acquitted on a [[Verdict#Directed verdict|directed verdict]] after the prosecution rested. Judge Nesbitt said the state had failed to prove its case.<ref name=AP-801208/> Nine days later, the all-White six-man jury acquitted the remaining officers on all counts of the indictment after less than three hours of deliberation because of inconsistent witness testimony.<ref name=AP-800518>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19800518.1.1 |title=Three Dead In Miami: Rioting Erupts After Verdict |agency=AP |date=May 18, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=9 June 2020}} [https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19800518.1.20 continuation, p.20]</ref> One juror called McDuffie's death "a tragedy" but felt "the Dade County Public Safety Department and the state attorney's office were in such a hurry to appease everybody they blew [their case]."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19800519.1.12 |title=Three Jurors Placed Under Police Guard |agency=AP |date=May 19, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref>

== Riots ==
The May 17 verdict resulted in protests in the Miami streets that night; approximately 5,000 people attended a protest at the [[Downtown Miami]] Metro Justice Building. By 6:00&nbsp;p.m. that night, the protest had turned into a riot.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/02/07/Only-one-man-with-a-bullhorn-and-a-couple/1870350370000/ |title=Only one man with a bullhorn and a couple ... |author=Seibert, Barney |date=February 7, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> While driving home after a day of fishing, three white men{{efn|Benny Higdon, 21; Higdon's brother-in-law Robert Owens, 15; and Owens's friend Charles Barreca, 15.<ref name=DS-800527/>}} were dragged from their car and beaten to death in northwestern Miami.<ref name=DS-800527>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19800527.2.21 |title=Blacks aid arrest effort |agency=AP |date=May 27, 1980 |newspaper=Desert Sun |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/01/06/Four-blacks-go-on-trial-in-riot-deaths/3333347605200/ |title=Four blacks go on trial in riot deaths |date=January 6, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> A butcher{{efn|Amelio Munoz, 66}} driving home from work that night was ambushed by a stone-throwing mob; he drove into a wall while trying to get away, and the crowd set his car on fire, burning him to death inside it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/23/A-convicted-murderer-was-charged-Wednesday-with-murder-in/5210377931600/ |title=A convicted murderer was charged Wednesday with murder |date=December 23, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> In other incidents that night, at least 23 were injured, some critically. The driver of a car with three white people{{efn|Driver Michael Kulp, 18; his brother Jeffrey, 22, who later died; and Jeffrey's girlfriend Debra Gettman, 23.<ref name=NYT-810107/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/29/1-guilty-1-innocent-in-miami-rioting-trial/916be966-16fd-477a-8344-00b983a1d60c/ |title=1 Guilty, 1 Innocent in Miami Rioting Trial |author=Harris, Art |date=October 29, 1980 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=12 August 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} lost control after it was surrounded and stoned; after the car struck and injured two black pedestrians,{{efn|Shanreka Perry, 11; Albert Nelson, 75}} the occupants were pulled out and beaten, and one of the men in the car would die from his injuries 26 days later.<ref name=NYT-810107>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/07/us/riot-victim-12-spirited-despite-leg-amputation.html |title=Riot Victim, 12, Spirited Despite Leg Amputation |agency=AP |date=January 7, 1981 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref>

[[Florida]] governor [[Bob Graham]] ordered 500 [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] troops into the area; despite his doubling their number the next day, the riot continued. Twelve more people were killed and 165 injured as violence spread to the [[Black Grove]], [[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]], [[Liberty City (Miami)|Liberty City]], and [[Brownsville, Florida|Brownsville]] sections of the city. In one incident, a black man{{efn|Lugene Brown, 38}} who had driven to a convenience store was shot in the chest with a shotgun from a passing pickup truck while his family watched.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/08/05/First-white-charged-in-Miami-riots/4929365832000/ |title=First white charged in Miami riots |date=August 5, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> In addition, fires, burglaries, and looting increased, with police reluctant to enter some areas for fear of [[sniper]] fire.

By the third day, the violence declined as the city imposed a curfew from 8:00&nbsp;p.m. to 6:00&nbsp;a.m., coupled with a temporary ban on the sale of firearms and liquor. Governor Graham sent in 2,500 National Guardsmen in addition to the 1,000 already in the city.

Local police barricaded parts of [[Coconut Grove]] to warn motorists away from the area, as drivers had reported having rocks thrown at them. The city came to a standstill. Reports of sniper fire at freeway drivers also stopped traffic until the military could restore order.

In total, 18 people were killed over the three days of rioting,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/17/Prosecutors-have-decided-not-to-try-a-20-year-old-black/1445377413200/ |title=Prosecutors have decided not to try a 20-year-old Black man a fourth time |date=December 17, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> while 370 people, some of them children, were hurt and 787 were arrested. Property destruction exceeded $100 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19800520.2.33 |title=Miami faces more riots |agency=AP |date=May 20, 1980 |newspaper=Desert Sun |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Corpse Had a Familiar Face |first=Edna |last=Buchanan |date=1987 |publisher=Random House |isbn=9781439141144 |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Corpse-Had-a-Familiar-Face/Edna-Buchanan/9781439141144 |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2875&context=mlr |title=In The Jungle of Cities |author=Chase, Anthony |volume=84 |journal=Michigan Law Review |date=1986 |issue=4|pages=737–759 |doi=10.2307/1288843 |jstor=1288843 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Analysis===
On the one-year anniversary of the riots, [[Florida International University]] professor Marvin Dunn and journalism instructor Bruce Porter released ''The Miami Riot of 1980'', a report which concluded that unlike prior [[Long, hot summer of 1967|riots in 1967]] and [[King assassination riots|1968]], the "one purpose [of the riot was] beating and killing whites."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19810520.2.64|title=Massive anger at whites was cause of Miami riots |author=Smith, Stephen C. |date=May 20, 1981 |newspaper=The Desert Sun |agency=AP |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> The demographics of those arrested for rioting were different, as well; the majority of those arrested in Miami were "not poor or unemployed or members of the criminal class." In addition, the authors observed that "Blacks in Miami seemed willing to give the criminal justice system an opportunity to apply itself"; in previous riots, the delay between an unjust killing and the riot was usually hours or days, much shorter than the five-month gap between McDuffie's death (December 1979) and the riots (May 1980).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/17/us/study-finds-miami-riot-was-unlike-those-of-60-s.html |title=Study Finds Miami Riot Was Unlike Those of 60's |author=Thomas, Jo |date=May 17, 1981 |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref>

== Aftermath ==

The federal government declared Miami a [[disaster area]], and authorized the release of funds to allow the city to rebuild. The Miami Fraternal Order of Police had threatened a walkout unless the officers were reinstated. The following day, the five officers who had been acquitted were reinstated in their jobs.

===Civil rights trial===
Days after the verdict, the U.S. Justice Department said it would seek indictments of the policemen for federal [[civil rights]] violations. On July 28, 1980, a federal grand jury indicted Charles Veverka, despite his having received immunity from the original charges filed by the state during the first trial.<ref name=AP-801208/>

The federal trial was held in [[San Antonio, Texas]]. It had been moved initially from Miami to [[Atlanta]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19801030.2.20 |title=Racial strife worries over trial spurs talks |agency=AP |date=October 30, 1980 |newspaper=Desert Sun |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> and then to [[New Orleans]];<ref name=AP-801208>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19801208.2.178 |title=Veverka manslaughter trial bounces around the South |author=Sisk, Mack |agency=Associated Press |date=December 8, 1980 |newspaper=Desert Sun |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> each city asked that it be moved from their venues due to its controversial racial aspects. Journalists referred to the case as "The Trial That Nobody Wants."{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

On December 17, Veverka was acquitted in the week-long trial after the jury deliberated for more than 16 hours.<ref name=AP-801217>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19801217.1.4 |title=Ex-Florida Policeman Is Declared Innocent |agency=AP |date=December 17, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> The jury foreman cited Veverka's voluntary sworn statement contradicting initial police reports as the biggest factor in the acquittal.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19801218.1.6 |title=Ex-policeman acquitted in slaying of Black man |agency=AP |date=December 18, 1980 |newspaper=San Bernardino Sun |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> Minor incidents of violence were reported in Miami after the verdict was announced.<ref name=AP-801219>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19801219.1.59 |title=Sporadic Violence Breaks Calm In Miami |agency=AP |date=December 19, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19801218.1.42 |title=Miami Streets Remain Quiet |agency=AP |date=December 18, 1980 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> Veverka's attorney, Denis Dean predicted that no further indictments would be forthcoming from the case and none were issued.

===Further legal developments===
On November 17, 1981, Dade County commissioners agreed to a $1.1 million settlement with McDuffie's family in exchange for their dropping a $25 million civil lawsuit against the county.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/11/18/Dade-County-commissioners-approved-a-proposed-1-million-out-of-court/4683374907600/ |title=Dade County commissioner approved a proposed $1 million out-of-court settlement with the relatives of Arthur McDuffie |date=November 18, 1981 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref> Of that amount, the family's legal team received $483,833, while McDuffie's two children each received $202,500, and his mother, $67,500.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

===Ex-officers===

Herbert Evans earned a master's degree from the University of Miami and stated he may apply to law school.<ref name=UPI-801220/>

In the immediate aftermath of the trial, William Hanlon worked part-time as a chauffeur and real estate agent.<ref name=UPI-801220/> On April 20, 2006, Hanlon, who had trained as a lawyer, was permanently denied admittance to the bar by Florida's state Supreme Court.<ref name=TBT-2006>{{Cite news |title=Whatever happened to redemption?|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2006/05/21/whatever-happened-to-redemption/?outputType=amp |last=Lush |first=Tamara |date=2006-05-21 |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>

Alex Marrero's wife petitioned for divorce the day after the acquittal. Marrero became a private detective,<ref name=UPI-801220/> and was later indicted for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and commit bribery in 1989.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/04/20/DEA-agent-former-cop-indicted/2960609048000/ |title=DEA agent, former cop indicted |date=April 20, 1989 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref>

Mark Meier worked as a security guard.<ref name=UPI-801220/>

Eric Seymen was never charged criminally, but was dismissed from the police for complicity with the cover-up.<ref name=UPI-801220/>

Charles Veverka resumed his job as a security guard after his December 1980 acquittal on the charges he had violated McDuffie's civil rights.<ref name=UPI-801220>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/20/Ex-cops-in-McDuffie-case-not-unscathed/1878346136400/ |title=Ex-cops in McDuffie case not unscathed |author=Seibert, Barney |date=December 20, 1980 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref>

On May 22, 1980, Michael Watts was rushed to the hospital after attempting to commit suicide by breathing [[carbon monoxide]].  The police said that his attempt was related to a romantic breakup and not his trial.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/23/archives/acquitted-miami-officer-apparently-tries-suicide.html |title=Acquitted Miami Officer Apparently Tries Suicide |agency=UPI |date=May 23, 1980 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Race riots in Miami]]
*[[1968 Miami riot]]
*[[1989 Miami riot]]
*[[1992 Los Angeles Riots]]
*[[List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States]]
*[[Mass racial violence in the United States]]
*[[List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===
* ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', 1982, volume 13, pg. 396
*{{Cite book |title=The Miami Riot of 1980: Crossing the Bounds |last1=Porter |first1=Bruce |name-list-style=amp |first2=Marvin |last2=Dunn |year=1984 |publisher=[[D.C. Heath and Company]] |location=[[Lexington, Massachusetts]] |isbn=0-669-07663-5 }}
* ''The Washington Post'', various news articles, May 21 & 22 and June 22, 1980.

== External links ==
* [http://www.housingissues.org/floridacdc/articles/050515-1.html AMY DRISCOLL, "THE McDUFFIE RIOTS 25 YEARS LATER"], ''Miami Herald'', 15 May 2005, at South Florida Community Development Corporation
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080611153658/http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/895/Riot_erupts_in_Liberty_City "Riot erupts in Liberty City"], African American Registry article 
* [http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/21/Floridian/Whatever_happened_to_.shtml TAMARA LUSH, "Whatever happened to redemption? Everybody says Bill Hanlon is a fine man and would make a fine lawyer. He has done free legal work, helped foster kids, volunteered at his church. But he did a terrible thing 26 years ago, and no matter how much good he does, he can't seem to live it down."], ''St Petersburg Times'', 21 May 2006
* [http://vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto#9381985 Video: "This is Overtown" c. 2009]
* [http://vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto#9606651 Video: "Bullets Don't Have Eyes" c. 2010]
* [http://vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto#9431525 Video: "The Eye of Overtown" c. 2009]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101016022221/http://whgbetc.com/main/whokilledmcduffie.html Harold Lee Rush, "Who Killed McDuffie?"]}}, 1980 poem
* [http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1097097876961 Law.com article], requires premium subscription
* {{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-52736475 |title=Miami riots 1980: My friend was killed by my colleagues |work=BBC News}}
* {{cite news |url=https://flashbackmiami.com/2014/05/07/mcduffie-riots-1980/ |title=McDuffie Riots, 1980 |date=May 7, 2014 |work=Flashback Miami |publisher=The Miami Herald}}
* {{youtube |id=qko065dR4pE |title=1980-89 Special Report: 'Miami Riots'}}
{{Lynching in the United States}}
* {{cite report |url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=75626 |title=Miami Riots, May 1980 - After Action Report |author=Miami Police Department |date=1980 |publisher=National Institute of Justice}}
* {{cite report |url=https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/329091 |title=Report of Governor's Dade County Citizens Committee |date=October 30, 1980 |publisher=State Library and Archives of Florida}}

{{Riots in the United States (1964–1980)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miami Riots}}
[[Category:1980 in Florida]]
[[Category:1980s in Miami]]
[[Category:1980 riots]]
[[Category:1980 crimes in the United States]]
[[Category:African-American history in Miami]]
[[Category:African-American riots in the United States]]
[[Category:Arson in Florida]]
[[Category:History of racism in Florida]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 1980]]
[[Category:May 1980 in the United States]]
[[Category:Miami-Dade Police Department]]
[[Category:Police brutality in the United States]]
[[Category:Police misconduct in the United States]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against white Americans]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Florida]]