User:JEdwards77

Arthur McDuffie
 * Arthur McDuffie is well known for his untimely and unfortunate death during the 1980 Miami riots. McDuffie was killed at the hands of four Miami-Dade police officers, who were ultimately acquitted of the crime. Early life for McDuffie was no picnic. He was born on December 3, 1946 in Florida. Just like many African-Americans during that time, McDuffiehad to endure many hardships and various injustices just because he was a black man in the south. The 1970s were not the easiest of times to live in because of the changes brought by the civil rights movement that ended in the 60’s. There were countless civil rights movements and people trying to fight for their rights, and essentially their freedom. The blacks were not enslaved but they surely were not free. Many black people were still being lynched and beaten beyond recognition by white people. The African-Americans almost had to live in fear, just because people were committing hate crimes, and they could not even count on the police to help them if they were in need.


 * On December 17, 1979, McDuffie was being pursued by numerous police officers while driving through town. McDuffie essentially led the officers on a high speed chase, while driving with a suspended license. Eventually the chase ended and once the officers subdued McDuffie, they began to beat him. One of the prosecutors described McDuffie’s skull as being “cracked like an egg.” by one of the police officers. Sadly four days after being transported to the hospital, Arthur McDuffie died from his injuries.


 * A while later in March of 1980 a trial began for his murder. The jury consisted of all white males. I do not even need to state how biased and unfair that is. During the trial no matter how much evidence and witness statements and even confessions were given there was always some kind of twist or turn that got one of the officers off the hook. So many of them were given “immunity”, which meant they could say exactly what happened, and how they beat him senselessly, but no penalty or charges would be brought against them. Ultimately all of the officers were acquitted, and the judge said the state “failed to prove their case.” With an injustice this blatant, how could they expect anything less than outrage?


 * Once the verdict was in the protest began. More than 5,000 people were in the streets of downtown Miami, protesting and wreaking havoc. After a while people stopped protesting and started rioting. Everyone was so angry and hurt, and in pure disbelief that the officers got off scot-free. No consequences, no penalties. The riots lasted about three days and ended with eighteen people dead. I am not sure you can call that successful. The whole period was just violence on top of violence. Nobody prospers from sense events like this. People just ended up dead or injured. What sense does it make for all these people to lose their lives? It makes no sense at all.


 * The life of Arthur McDuffie is now just surrounded by a ring of negativity. People will not know what he accomplished in life; people will not know any other aspect regarding his life. All that people will know is that he is the black man that was beaten by white police officers, and all of the officers were acquitted of his murder. He will be known as that guy from Miami that caused the Miami riots in 1980. What kind of remembrance is that? I am sure that McDuffie did not deserve the death he received, no matter what kind of life he lived. He did not deserve to be beaten to death, and then treated as if it was his fault it happened. No one should endure that. No one should have to live that life, or experience that death.


 * I wake up every day and I thank God for the life I have and then I thank my ancestors and fore fathers for taking the beatings, the lynching’s, and the injustice so I do not have to. I thank them for making a change, and for making a difference. Arthur McDuffie was not a bad guy, no matter what he did that angered those police officers, it was not their right to take his life so viciously, admit they did it, and then be acquitted of all the charges stacked against them. They were clearly guilty and it angers me to know that justice was not served for McDuffie.


 * About a year or so later on November 17, 1981 the commissioner of Dade County agreed to a settlement of $1.1 million dollars to the McDuffie family, if they dropped their $25 million dollar lawsuit against the county. The majority of that money went to the family’s legal team each of McDuffie’s children received $202,500 and his mother received $67,500. Who knows where the rest went. Even though that was a small victory for the McDuffie family, it did not compensate them for their loss, and they did not get what they were promised. I think this teaches us, or at least it should teach us that there is nothing truer than the statement; violence only begets more violence.