Liberty City / Miami Beach Riots Part 1


Liberty City / Miami Beach Riots Part 1 In 1980, the infamous Liberty City Riots broke out after an unpopular verdict in a 1979 case of white-on-black police brutality. The acquittal of five white police officers that beat a black motorist to death sparked the violence. By the time the rioting ceased the following morning, over 850 people had been arrested and 18 people lost their lives, including eight whites and ten blacks. Police officers had pursued motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie in a high-speed chase. The officers claimed that the chase ended when McDuffie crashed his motorcycle and died. The coroner’s report concluded otherwise. One of the officers testified that McDuffie fell off of his bike on a I-95 off ramp. When the police reached him he was injured but ok. The officers removed his helmet, beat him to death with their batons, put his helmet back on, and called an ambulance, claiming there had been a motorcycle accident. These actions were later admitted to by one of the officers while on trial. An all-white jury acquitted the officers after brief deliberation.