Terror in Miami - Cuba’s exile community

Autumn 2008

Steve Ludlam investigates the community behind the ‘Perfect Storm’ of prejudice against the Five

The Miami Five’s first appeal to the US Court of Appeal in Atlanta hinged on the impossibility of getting a fair trial in Miami-Dade County. The Court set aside all the Five’s convictions, ordering a new trial, made necessary by,

‘... the perfect storm created when the surge of pervasive community sentiment, and extensive publicity both before and during the trial, merged with the improper prosecutorial references.’

The judgement cited extensive evidence of the bombings and killings in Miami attributed to Miami-Cuban exile groups.

One potential juror, the Court noted, ‘indicated that he would be concerned about returning a not guilty verdict because “a lot of the people [in Miami] are so right wing fas