Overview
- Viral video shows two detectives questioning resident Raquel Pacheco about a Facebook comment accusing Mayor Steven Meiner of calling for the death of all Palestinians, with Pacheco declining to answer without a lawyer and being told she was not under arrest.
- Police Chief Wayne Jones said he ordered a brief, voluntary visit because of concerns that inflammatory rhetoric could provoke violence and asserted that no city official directed him to act.
- The Miami Herald reported that the mayor’s office initially flagged Pacheco’s comment to the police, and the paper has reported Meiner has not called for the death of all Palestinians.
- In the recorded exchange, a detective said the goal was to prevent someone else from getting agitated or agreeing with the statement rather than to judge its truth.
- The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent a letter condemning the visit as chilling protected speech, and commentators including Megyn Kelly and Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate James Fishback criticized the police response.