This weekend marks the fortieth anniversary of the McDuffie Riots that "erupted in May 1980, sweeping through the city’s black communities with a rage that would cripple Miami for years, even decades. Four white police officers were acquitted by an all-white jury in the death of McDuffie, a black Miami insurance agent. McDuffie, a Marine, had been fatally beaten while handcuffed after a police chase by a group of white police officers, who then tried to cover it up as an accident.
The verdict, coming as the black community’s relationship with law enforcement reached an all-time low, sent people pouring into the streets. A three-day rampage of fury and grief followed, escalating with frightening speed in Liberty City, the Black Grove, Overtown, and Brownsville, killing 18 people, costing 3,000 jobs and causing $100 million in damage."*
This WTVJ news report, anchored by Bob Mayer, aired as the violence unfolded. It includes reporting by Mary Nissenson, Bob Jackson, Eliott Rodriguez and C. T. Taylor and interviews with Eula McDuffie, mother of Arthur McDuffie, and Miami Dolphins offensive guard Larry Little.
*Flashback Miami, flashbackmiami...[group-60]/1/ . Retrieved May 14, 2020.
Subscribe to the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives’ KZfaq channel and tune in to the fascination and fun of Miami and Florida’s past, captured on film and video and preserved by the Wolfson Archives at Miami Dade College.
This video and audio is copyrighted/owned by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College.
This clip is derived from news film in the WTVJ Collection. Accession number WC05671; airdate May 17, 1980.