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Arts & Culture

Local Kids Pulled from Performance with Pink Floyd Singer At The American Airlines Arena

This story was updated on Thursday, July 13 at 5:25pm.

The twelve kids slated to join Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Thursday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena will no longer participate in the event.

The local students, ages 10 to 15, were chosen from AYUDA Miami's T.A.L.L program and Miami Beach Parks and Recreation's summer Teen Club to join Waters onstage. The kids were to join Waters on the song, "Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. II)." 

On Thursday afternoon, Miami Beach spokeswoman Melissa Berthier released a statement to the Miami Herald saying the teenagers were no longer going to take part in the Waters concert due to accusations of anti-Semitism against the performer.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation posted on their website: "Mr. Waters, your vile messages of anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and hatred are not welcome in this community.

Credit Allison Light / WLRN
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Jasmine Sosa came prepared with her Pink Floyd T-shirt.

"This is like the most awesomest thing that ever happened to me, and I'm really thankful that I got to be chosen for this," said 13-year-old Jasmine Sosa on Wednesday at a rehearsal.  

For Waters, who strongly opposes President Trump, this tour is very political. He has reached out to local organizations throughout the country to find economically disadvantaged children to take part in his show. The kids wear orange jumpsuits that they rip off at the guitar solo, revealing black T-shirts that say "Resist." 

"Again, that's one of the things we stressed: the resist. You know, people are going to say negative things to you, anything from you're fat, you're not good enough," said William Priegues, head of the Teen Club program. He explained how the organizers found less politically-charged ways to explain the song lyrics to the kids. "And resist to them right now means 'we're just not going to listen to you."

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Isaiah Sheffield-Veney wants to be a cardiologist or neurosurgeon, but also feels comfortable on stage.

Before learning that they would not be performing, the teenagers were unfazed by the size of the AmericanAirlines Arena and the thousands of audience members. "I mean, I've done so many productions, now I'm just used to being onstage," said Isaiah Sheffield-Veney, also 13 years old.

The tour's promoters reached out to The Children's Trust, a Miami-Dade funding source, which connected them to AYUDA Miami and Teen Club. The students were supposed to have a final rehearsal then dinner with the band, get autographs, and watch the concert from the orchestra pit before performing.

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