Miami Beach Police Visit Woman for Criticism of Mayor's Israel Support on Facebook. Now She's Filing a Complaint.
A Miami Beach resident was stopped by police at her home after posting a Facebook comment criticizing the city's mayor, Steven Meiner, over his support for Israel. The woman, Raquel Pacheco, has filed a complaint with the city, saying she wants to know why the police visited her door instead of addressing her concerns through official channels.
Pacheco had posted on January 7 about Meiner's hypocrisy on social media, pointing out that he called the city a safe haven for all but also made statements that could be seen as antisemitic. The post quickly gained traction online and was shared by several critics of the mayor.
Days later, Pacheco received a visit from two detectives with the Miami Beach Police Department, who asked her about the Facebook post in question. When she refused to answer their questions directly, they told her that posting incendiary statements could lead to someone "doing something radical." The police eventually left without making any arrests.
Now, Pacheco is filing a complaint against the department, saying the visit was an abuse of power and that she was intimidated by the police. Civil rights groups have rallied around her, calling for greater accountability from law enforcement officials who are pushing back on criticism of public figures.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said in a statement that Pacheco's Facebook post was protected speech and that the police actions were "likely to chill free speech." The group is urging the Miami Beach Police Department to cooperate with an investigation into the incident.
A Miami Beach resident was stopped by police at her home after posting a Facebook comment criticizing the city's mayor, Steven Meiner, over his support for Israel. The woman, Raquel Pacheco, has filed a complaint with the city, saying she wants to know why the police visited her door instead of addressing her concerns through official channels.
Pacheco had posted on January 7 about Meiner's hypocrisy on social media, pointing out that he called the city a safe haven for all but also made statements that could be seen as antisemitic. The post quickly gained traction online and was shared by several critics of the mayor.
Days later, Pacheco received a visit from two detectives with the Miami Beach Police Department, who asked her about the Facebook post in question. When she refused to answer their questions directly, they told her that posting incendiary statements could lead to someone "doing something radical." The police eventually left without making any arrests.
Now, Pacheco is filing a complaint against the department, saying the visit was an abuse of power and that she was intimidated by the police. Civil rights groups have rallied around her, calling for greater accountability from law enforcement officials who are pushing back on criticism of public figures.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said in a statement that Pacheco's Facebook post was protected speech and that the police actions were "likely to chill free speech." The group is urging the Miami Beach Police Department to cooperate with an investigation into the incident.
. I mean, come on! A woman just speaks her mind on Facebook about a local mayor's Israel support and suddenly she's getting visited by the cops? That's not how democracy works. She didn't do anything wrong, but just expressed an opinion. And now she's filing a complaint because they showed up at her door instead of talking to her through official channels. Can you believe that? 
It's like they're trying to silence someone who disagrees with them. And the fact that it happened online is just ridiculous. Just because something goes viral doesn't mean we should be afraid to speak our minds. I think this whole thing is a huge overreach of power by law enforcement and it needs to stop! 
. what if she was like, scared for her life or something? that's what this is all about - who gets to decide what kind of speech is acceptable and what's not? it's getting crazy over here 
. cant even share ur thoughts online without gettin visited by the man 
. this is some scary stuff. gotta keep an eye on this one 
It's not even about the content of the post, it's about silencing ppl who are trying to hold officials accountable. Newsflash: criticism is just part of democracy! 
Raquel Pacheco is speaking truth to power and I'm so proud of her for standing up for herself. We need more people like her, not less! 
. Raquel Pacheco should be commended for speaking out, not bullied by the police 
. It's freedom of speech that keeps our society open to discussion and growth 
. If she wants to file a complaint against the department, I'd support her in doing so...but first, let's hope this kind of overreach is investigated 
The fact that she got visited by police and told to watch her words is straight up intimidation tactics 
.
. I mean, if someone's making noise online, shouldn't they be able to do that? It feels like they're more scared of public backlash than actually doing their job 
... some people need to get over themselves. like, you can criticize anyone on facebook and if you get called out for it, the police show up at your door? that's not how free speech works, fam 
... i mean what's next? going after people who share memes online? 
... we need to stand up for our rights and make sure the police don't abuse their power 
i hope the ACLU is on top of investigating this and holding those cops accountable. they can't just pick and choose who gets to speak their minds online. that's just not how it works in a free society 
I'm all for keeping our communities safe, but this is just ridiculous. Shouldn't we be encouraging free speech and critical thinking instead of silencing people who disagree with us? 
and it's even more messed up because she was right to call out the mayor's hypocrisy. shouldn't we be supporting critical voices or are we gonna get too scared to speak up? 
that's like, total overreach bro 
what was she supposed to do? just keep quiet 'cause the mayor said so? no way, girl! i'm all for free speech and if rachel felt strongly enough about this issue to speak up, more power to her 
. Raquel Pacheco is right in filing a complaint - she deserves some answers