ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

1980 Miami riots

Alright kiddo, let me try to explain the 1980 Miami riots to you like you’re five years old.

You know how sometimes people get really upset when something happens that they don’t like? Well, that’s what happened in Miami in 1980. People were feeling angry and frustrated about a few different things, and it all boiled over into huge protests and riots.

One reason people were angry was because there had been a lot of tension between the police and the black community in Miami. Some people felt like the police were treating them unfairly, and tensions had been building for a while.

Another reason people were upset was because a young black man named Arthur McDuffie had been beaten to death by some white police officers. People were outraged by this and felt like justice hadn’t been done - the police officers had been acquitted in their trial.

So when news of the verdict came out, people started protesting. They marched in the streets and blocked traffic. But unfortunately, things quickly turned violent. People started throwing rocks and bottles at the police, and setting fires in the streets. Some people broke into stores and stole things.

It was a really scary and chaotic time for Miami. It took several days for the riots to calm down, and in the end there were many injuries and a lot of damage caused.

But the riots did get people’s attention. People started talking about the issues of police brutality and racism in Miami, and eventually changes were made to try and address these problems. So even though the riots were really scary and dangerous, they did help to spark some important conversations and changes in the community.