In Wary Miami, a Day of Seeing and Being Seen

Along Northwest 3rd Avenue in Overtown, near the spot where violence erupted after a police shooting in 1989 and turned into three days of rioting, nearly a dozen police officers congregated Saturday afternoon.

No flak jackets were visible. Nor were there riot helmets or drawn batons, no furrowed brows or clinched jaws. The police officers were passing the time of day, with each other and with the residents of this poor, African-American community. They told jokes, made small talk, listened.

Most of all the police were being seen, establishing a presence, making it known on this steamy day after suspended police officer William Lozano was found not guilty of manslaughter that they were in the vicinity in force--and ready to quell any disturbance.

To 66-year-old Bill Murray, a regular at the green and orange cinder-block tavern across the street from most of the officers, the display--and the constant parade of reporters--was unnecessary.

“They’re looking for an explosion,” he said in a huff. “That’s not going to happen.”

After a night of sporadic violence--mostly rock-throwing and scattered looting--anger and frustration was evident Saturday in the myriad faces and voices of Overtown. But there also was weariness, wounded pride over the way their community was portrayed in Lozano’s trial as a lawless and dangerous place and, here and there, even expressions of compassion for Lozano.

“I feel like the man’s been punished enough,” said Henry T. Johnson, 68, an Overtown resident who said he has a number of friends in the Police Department.

“He overreacted,” Johnson said of the shooting, which occurred near the tavern more than four years ago. “All he had to do was say he’s sorry and he overreacted, and it’s all over with.”

But there have been few public expressions of grief from Lozano, a 33-year-old native of Colombia who has insisted he fired the fatal shot at motorcyclist Clement Anthony Lloyd because he feared Lloyd was going to run him down. Lloyd’s passenger, Allan Blanchard, also died after the motorcycle crashed following the shooting.

And fueling angry charges in Overtown and neighboring Liberty City that the lives of blacks are little valued here, celebrations erupted around the city Friday night where Latinos--and particularly Colombians--gathered after the verdict was announced. The celebrations--one of which was televised--seemed to confirm that an us-versus-them attitude is still prevalent between the African-American and Latino communities.

“That man (Lozano) got away with murdering two people,” one Overtown resident said Saturday.

“The only thing (Lloyd) was guilty of was speeding,” added another. “And his passenger wasn’t guilty of nothing.”

Like many here, they expressed the opinion that the issue is not closed.

Indeed, shortly after the verdict, U.S. Atty. Roberto Martinez said he had opened a federal investigation into whether Lozano violated the motorcyclists’ civil rights.

This was the second trial for Lozano. In the first, he was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. An appeals court overturned the decision on the grounds that the jury may have feared an acquittal would prompt renewed racial disturbances.

For the retrial, the case was moved to Orlando, a more conservative city where there is a strong law-and-order sentiment.

After he was found not guilty, Lozano, who has been working as a security guard and has sold food from a cart, said he hopes to return to the Miami Police Department.

There had been a concerted effort on the part of the Miami police, community leaders and the news media to keep a lid on frustrations related to the verdict. That, plus the passage of time, contributed to the relatively muted reaction in Miami.

“The community, I think, has demonstrated that it has the sophistication and maturity to deal with these kinds of issues,” said Ray Fauntroy, head of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

And, indeed, on the street where the 1989 disturbances erupted, sentiments were heard Saturday that would not have been voiced in the angry days after the shooting.

“We’re angered by the verdict, but we’re not doing anything to disrupt our daily living,” said Murray. “It was an unjust verdict, but we have to go along with the justice system.”

What seemed to anger him more than anything was the spotlight being focused on his community, which he felt already had been maligned during the trial. “Where are we, in Hollywood?” he asked. “Are we on stage?”

Despite the relative calm, more than 60 people were arrested Friday night in Miami, many for throwing rocks or bottles and looting. One target of vandals was an unoccupied police “mini-station” in Overtown. And there were reports of shots being fired at a police car and of two white men being pulled from cars and beaten in Liberty City and in Coconut Grove.

Overtown, Liberty City and the black section of Coconut Grove were cordoned off by police Friday night, and some restaurants in the tony section of the Grove closed because of rioting fears.

More than 1,000 officers stayed on 12-hour shifts and some 200 National Guard troops were on standby in an armory Saturday.

Closed sections of the city were reopened. But police officials cautioned that roadblocks would go back up at the first sign of rock- or bottle-throwing.

On Saturday, in much of the city, life went on as usual.