The city government of Miami Beach is under fire from civil rights groups after police visited the home of a woman about posts she made on social media critical of the mayor.
In a video posted online last week, two detectives with the Miami Beach Police Department were filmed questioning Raquel Pacheco, a former candidate for statewide office and longtime resident of the seaside resort city, over a post she made criticizing what she said was Mayor Steven Meiner’s hypocrisy around Israel and Palestine.
“This Facebook post was protected speech, and it’s not a close question — not remotely,” said Daniel Tilley, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. “In context, the actions and statements by government officials here are likely to have a chilling effect on those who would otherwise voice their critique of the government.”
Pacheco, a frequent critic of the Miami Beach mayor, said she didn’t think much of a Facebook comment she wrote on January 7, in which she pointed out the mayor’s hypocrisy over calling the city a safe haven for all.
“The guy who consistently calls for the death of all Palestinians, tried to shut down a theater for showing a movie that hurt his feelings, and REFUSES to stand up for the LGBTQ community in any way (even leaves the room when they vote on related matters) wants you to know that you’re all welcome here,” she wrote, following up with three clown emojis.
Pacheco’s comment came in response to a post by Meiner in which he called out New York City for alleged antisemitism after Mayor Zohran Mamdani rescinded his predecessor’s controversial executive orders on Israel. Meiner post echoed the Israeli government’s response to Mamdani.
“Our city is consistently ranked by a broad spectrum of groups as being the most tolerant in the nation,” Meiner wrote on January 6. “By contrast, certain places like New York City are intentionally removing protections against select groups, including promoting boycotts of Israeli/Jewish businesses.”
“He claims Miami Beach is a safe haven for everyone, but the post itself is addressed to a specific group of people.”
Pacheco said she was irritated by the insinuation by Meiner that New York City was rife with antisemitism, or that Miami Beach was free of bias. So she fired back.
“I was pointing to the hypocrisy of his statement,” Pacheco told The Intercept. “He claims Miami Beach is a safe haven for everyone, but the post itself is addressed to a specific group of people and makes false allegations against NYC.”
Meiner, who is Jewish, is a staunch supporter of Israel’s war on Gaza. He has used his office to clamp down on pro-Palestine speech. In March of last year, Meiner sought to evict an independent cinema from its city-owned space over plans to air “No Other Land,” a documentary on attempts by Israeli forces to demolish a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank. Meiner called the Oscar-winning film “hateful propaganda.”
Pacheco acknowledged that Meiner may not have verbatim called for the death of all Palestinians, but said she was taking aim at his “blind support for Israel” and the connotations of that support in light of the genocide in Gaza.
“He may not have said it in those words, but that was my interpretation,” she said.
Pacheco said she thought little of the post until days later, on January 12, when a pair of plainclothes detectives with the Miami Beach Police Department knocked on her door wishing to discuss the post.
In the video of the interaction filmed by Pacheco and provided to The Intercept, Pacheco answers the door to a pair of officers, one of whom is holding a cellphone with a screenshot of Pacheco’s Facebook post on the screen. One of the officers asks several times if Pacheco was the author of the post, but she declines to confirm.
“What we’re just trying to prevent is someone getting agitated or agreeing with the statement,” the officer says, before reading aloud from the post in which Pacheco accused Meiner of “consistently calling for the death of all Palestinians. “
“That can probably incite someone to do something radical. That’s what we’re here to talk about,” he says. “I would think to refrain from posting things like that, because that could get something incited,” he continues.
“I appreciate your concern,” Pacheco responds, while still declining to confirm that she was the author of the post and saying she would only answer questions with a lawyer. A few seconds later, the officers depart.
Shortly after the incident at her home, and after consulting with a lawyer, Pacheco decided to post the video of the police visit online, kicking off a local controversy in Miami Beach.
In response to criticisms from the ACLU of Florida and other groups, Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne A. Jones took responsibility for sending the detectives to Pacheco’s home.
“Given the real, ongoing national and international concerns surrounding antisemitic attacks and recent rhetoric that has led to violence against political figures,” Jones said in a statement on January 16, “I directed two of my detectives to initiate a brief, voluntary conversation regarding certain inflammatory, potentially inciteful false remarks made by a resident to ensure there was no immediate threat to the elected official or the broader community that might emerge as a result of the post.”
Representatives for Meiner and Jones did not respond to requests for comment from The Intercept.
Pacheco, for her part, said she hopes the controversy might make city government think twice before pulling a similar move with other critics.
She said, “This stops at my door.”
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