Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Miami Stays Calm After Court Ruling

The calm reaction of Miami blacks to the reversal of a white officer’s manslaughter conviction has pleased community leaders and police. Lawyer H.T. Smith, leader of an economic boycott by blacks, said anger resulted from Tuesday’s appeals court ruling ordering a new trial for Miami policeman William Lozano in the 1989 shooting death of a black motorcyclist. But anger no longer automatically leads to violence, he said. Four times in the 1980s Miami erupted into riots after white officers either killed blacks or were acquitted in such killings. On Tuesday, Miami police had doubled shifts and called in riot squads in anticipation of the Lozano ruling. No serious incidents occurred. The appeals court ruled that jurors’ fear of renewed riots had made a fair trial impossible.