Miami-Dade County said it will immediately repair a damaged historic marker commemorating the life of Arthur Lee McDuffie, a Black man whose beating death in 1979 at the hands of police officers drew national attention and triggered violent protests in Miami.
The plaque, which told the story of McDuffie’s death and the ensuing public outrage, was snapped completely off its base. It was found destroyed on Monday morning.
Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) said the break was likely caused by a vehicle collision, as first reported by Miami New Times.
PJ Natuzzi, creative director of the Natuzzi Italia furniture store directly facing the historic marker, said he found the base of the marker destroyed early on Monday morning, and the plaque lying on the ground several feet away.
“We found the plaque was kind of hidden behind the wall next to our store and it was there all day or morning. Something might have happened in the night,” Natuzzi told WLRN.
Juan Mendieta, a spokesperson for DTPW, said department experts believe the break was caused by a collision with a truck or bus that drove up onto the curb of North Miami Avenue near Miami’s Design District.
“Crews recovered the sign yesterday, and all indications show it was likely caused by a collision with the mirror from a truck or bus. It’s a jagged cut, and there were scuff marks on the side closest to the road,” Mendieta told WLRN.
Mendieta said the sign was apparently moved to the side of the building by the time county crews arrived, but the department does not believe there was foul play involved.
“When a sign is vandalized they’ll usually strike it multiple times. We don’t see anything like that,” he said.
DPTW is in the process of determining how they will replace the plaque, either by reinstalling it onto the existing base with a bracket or by rebuilding the marker altogether.
McDuffie’s history
On December 17, 1979, McDuffie, an insurance broker and former Marine, failed to stop for a traffic light and police officers gave chase. After realizing he could not escape, McDuffie surrendered, but he was beaten by police officers until he lost consciousness.
Miami and Dade County police falsely claimed that McDuffie became gravely injured when his motorcycle wiped out near North Miami Avenue and Northeast 38th Street. In those early morning hours, McDuffie was surrounded by several police officers who beat him within an inch of his life, fracturing his skull in multiple places, leading to his death on Dec. 21.
According to the coroner's report, the beating caused his death.
The trial had been moved to Tampa, and an all-white jury found the officers not guilty on May 17, 1980. Outrage started almost immediately and lasted several days in what would come to be known as “The McDuffie Riots.”
Eighteen people died and the social unrest caused millions of dollars in damages. The events became a focal point of Miami's struggle to contend with race relations.
The historic marker was installed less than a year ago in February. The marker was accompanied with a county proclamation commemorating Arthur Lee McDuffie Day.
READ MORE: Forty years after Arthur McDuffie was killed by Miami-Dade Police, his family honored in ceremony
