Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Commissioner Keon Hardemon unveiled the Arthur Lee McDuffie State Historical Marker
In a somber reflection of a tragic incident 44 years ago, the McDuffie family, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Commissioner Keon Hardemon unveiled the Arthur Lee McDuffie State Historical Marker on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at the very place where his life was taken – NW 38th Street and North Miami Avenue.
McDuffie’s life was unjustly taken by four white police officers, leading to a trial in Tampa and subsequent exoneration for the officers that ignited unrest in Miami. United States President Carter called for calm, but Liberty City, The Grove, Overtown, and South Dade saw riots, reflecting the city’s simmering double standards for life. It was a cry from the Black community.
Governor Bob Graham deployed National Guardsmen, and the NAACP demanded State Attorney Janet Reno’s removal. The city faced a curfew and rumor control measures were put in place to help to keep the community informed. This was before social media and many were without electricity and didn’t receive a newspaper delivery.
Richmond Heights resident George DeMeritte, in a 1980 interview with The Miami Herald, highlighted the challenges faced by the community during the unrest and looting of stores. “One thing that’s terrible about this is that we have to go two miles now to get simple things. This is going to be hard for old people.”
Commissioner Hardemon cited that he wasn’t born at the time of the tragic occurrence but that the markers of death are all too prevalent throughout the city.
Hardemon brought to legislation, The Peace and Prosperity Plan, to develop programming to address the social and economic disparities at the root of revitalization needs and economic insecurities that face many communities.
Miami-Dade County’s historic preservation efforts worked for two years to secure the state historic marker, symbolizing a poignant moment in the McDuffie story documented by Nicholas Griffin.
Professor Dr. Marvin Dunn authored the marker and was told by the state historic preservation board that he needed to remove the race of the group of “white” officers who wrongly took the life of Arthur McDuffie. Dunn instructed the state historic preservation office that if they saw fit to remove the word “white” from the marker
then remove his (Dunn’s) name from the marker — the marker list Dunn’s name. It is so.
