A Miami Beach woman was visited by police at her home over a Facebook post criticizing the city's mayor, who is accused of hypocrisy over his support for Israel. Raquel Pacheco, a former candidate for statewide office and longtime resident of the seaside resort city, had posted about Mayor Steven Meiner's criticism of New York City after it rescinded some executive orders on Israel.
Meiner had stated that Miami Beach was a safe haven for all, but Pacheca argued that his post made false allegations against NYC. In response to her Facebook post, two detectives from the Miami Beach Police Department showed up at her home and questioned her over the phone about the comments she made.
Pacheco said she didn't think much of the post until days later when she received a call from police wishing to discuss it with her, and she responded that she would only answer questions with a lawyer. She then posted a video of her interaction on Facebook, which has sparked controversy over free speech rights in Miami Beach.
Daniel Tilley, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said Pacheca's comments were protected speech and that the police action could have a chilling effect on people who want to voice their opinions about government officials.
In response to criticism from civil rights groups, Police Chief Wayne A. Jones took responsibility for sending detectives to visit Pacheca over her post. However, Pacheca stated that she hopes this incident will make city officials think twice before taking similar actions against critics in the future.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner is a strong supporter of Israel and has used his office to clamp down on pro-Palestine speech. The Intercept's editor-in-chief Ben Messig said it was a devastating year for journalism, with the US experiencing its worst year for media freedom since modern times.
As the situation continues to unfold, Pacheca remains defiant, saying that she will not be silenced and that her comments were legitimate concerns about the hypocrisy of Meiner's statements.
Meiner had stated that Miami Beach was a safe haven for all, but Pacheca argued that his post made false allegations against NYC. In response to her Facebook post, two detectives from the Miami Beach Police Department showed up at her home and questioned her over the phone about the comments she made.
Pacheco said she didn't think much of the post until days later when she received a call from police wishing to discuss it with her, and she responded that she would only answer questions with a lawyer. She then posted a video of her interaction on Facebook, which has sparked controversy over free speech rights in Miami Beach.
Daniel Tilley, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said Pacheca's comments were protected speech and that the police action could have a chilling effect on people who want to voice their opinions about government officials.
In response to criticism from civil rights groups, Police Chief Wayne A. Jones took responsibility for sending detectives to visit Pacheca over her post. However, Pacheca stated that she hopes this incident will make city officials think twice before taking similar actions against critics in the future.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner is a strong supporter of Israel and has used his office to clamp down on pro-Palestine speech. The Intercept's editor-in-chief Ben Messig said it was a devastating year for journalism, with the US experiencing its worst year for media freedom since modern times.
As the situation continues to unfold, Pacheca remains defiant, saying that she will not be silenced and that her comments were legitimate concerns about the hypocrisy of Meiner's statements.
- I mean, who wouldn't want to speak their mind without fear of being bullied by those in power? But you know what they say "silence is golden"... or should I say "silenced speech isn't" 
. It's a tough world out there and we gotta be careful about who we choose to stand up for, but also remember that our voices matter too! 
The police department may have taken responsibility for their actions but it's really important for all of us to take a step back & think about why this is happening in the first place... are we becoming more afraid to speak out? Or are we just losing sight of what's truly important? 
i mean, it sounds like mayor meiner is trying to silence critics who are speaking out against him... and now the police are helping him out by intimidating people from expressing their views 
that's not right! free speech is what America is all about, right? 
I mean come on... 2 detectives from Miami Beach PD showing up at someone's home over a Facebook post? That's just ridiculous 
. And now, with this incident, we're seeing a chilling effect on people who want to speak out against government officials. It's not just Pacheca - 45% of Americans say they've been too afraid to express their opinions because of fear of retribution 
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she just spoke up against Mayor Steven Meiner over his hypocritical comments on Israel and then got visited by police at her home 
like, what even is that?! 
it's crazy that she felt pressured into responding with a lawyer and now she's speaking out about the whole thing. i think this incident is SO concerning for free speech rights in Miami Beach 
if ppl are getting silenced just for expressing their opinions, that's not right 
hope Raquel continues to speak her mind and inspire others to do the same 