Now for something completely different?

To be honest, when I started this blog I wanted my friends and family to better understand what South Florida is like. The news media here, much less the media nationally, rarely covers the area accurately, in my opinion. South Florida, or even just Miami-Dade County, is an extraordinarily diverse, multifaceted place with groups of people with strong opinions completely at odds with one another and often at odds with the narrative of what this place is like.

As much as I like John Oliver, for example, in his recent episode on the dangers of Tasers, he accidentally conflates the Miami Police Department with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, two entirely separate law enforcement agencies. This is a minor thing, but just an example I noticed yesterday when I watched the episode.

I've been kicking myself lately for not getting out my camera and taking pictures of and interviewing the dozens of people who protested the Biden Administration nearly every Saturday for at least two years in Tropical Park, along the busy Bird Road. A few weeks ago I did grab some photos of protesters in the same space who were protesting some policies of the current Administration.

This hammered home to me my frustration with myself and with the press of not knowing what exactly the people along Bird Road protesting President Biden were all about. I wanted to know, yet, I never asked and I don't recall seeing any stories in the media about them. There was one story about a protest in 2021 about Cuba but I don't think the protesters I saw in 2022-2024 were the same people.

So, today, when I was planning on driving past Tropical Park, I made sure to bring my camera just in case I saw a protest. And I did! But not exactly what I was expecting.

According to one of the organizers for the The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property that I met today, about a dozen of them were there waving signs at cars, protesting against the dangers of satanism and communism (which they said were the same thing) and, I think, praying for humanity along the lines of the vision of Fatima. The organizers expect a much larger march on May 10 at the same place, with perhaps 100 participants.

While I may disagree with some or most of what they believe, I admire their commitment to being out in the sun, most of them in suits, no less, and their genuine desire to see good in the world. These people are South Floridians too. Though a protest with a dozen people one week might not deserve press coverage, the same people out there every second Saturday (as they say they are) do, in my opinion. And if they have 100 people out there championing their beliefs, I think that's newsworthy, too.

Also, they felt that news coverage of some of their national events didn't accurately depict how many people attended their March for Life, leading to a correction in the Washington Post. Dang it, media, I want to know how many people are at events, not some hidden spin!

I hope to be at their May 10th event myself--covering it as a religious protest and activity because they are a part of my community and I want to listen to what they have to say, and I want my friends and family to know that these passionate people are part of my community.

These folks want what they think is best for our community and our world. I may disagree with how to do that, but I applaud them for doing something about their beliefs.

Note: I only got a couple of photos but hope to get many more, and better ones on May 10 and then I'll go into more of what they are advocating. At that point I plan to add that protest to my protests and actions page. Until then, you can check out their website at www.tfp.org if you'd like to learn more about them.