NCJ Number
78233
Date Published
1980
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Factors contributing to the May 17, 1980 riot in the black community of Liberty City in Dade County, Fla. are identified, and efforts and recommendations for rebuilding Liberty City and improving the circumstances of blacks in Dade County are proposed, based upon leadership by the religious community in the county.
Abstract
Five weeks after the riot, which killed 17 people, injured 400 people, and caused destruction to 149 buildings, a survey of blacks in Dade County showed that respondents believed the riot to have been sparked by several circumstances: the death of Arthur McDuffie, a black man, at the hands of police and the subsequent acquittal of his slayers was felt to be the most important immediate cause. Other factors perceived as responsible included a judicial system which is unfair to blacks, the theft conviction of black school superintendent Johnny Jones, and the lack of job opportunities for blacks. Spearheaded by a number of United Church of Christ ministers in the county, efforts were made after the riots to establish an interfaith religious and business community liaison to deal with some of the socioeconomic problems in the county believed to have precipitated the riot. However, members of the business community felt that business and religious approaches to the problems should be separated. Local United Church of Christ leadership then sought the help of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries in New York in defining the problems and developing a mission strategy. The analysis revealed problems among blacks in the areas of jobs, business, politics, education, housing, and income. A primary recommendation was that the organizing possibilities within Miami's black community be immediately explored to build a broad community-based organization of residents capable of addressing self-identified problems and needs and of amassing sufficient strength and cohesion to accomplish the desired change. The mechanics for implementing this basic proposal are discussed. A statistical profile of Miami's black community is provided, along with data from a poll of the county's blacks after the riot.