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No good can come of this
Myths and harsh realities in the political sludge match over Elián González.
By Bruce Shapiro
[04/08/00]

Meet Miami's Cuban moderates
The eruption over Elián González is eclipsing a newer, tamer politics emerging in South Florida.
By John Lantigua
[04/07/00]

Grumpy old men
The aging exile leaders who are trying to keep Elián González in the United States have a lot in common with their anti-democratic nemesis, Fidel Castro.
By Max J. Castro
[04/06/00]

Harlem's un-Sharpton
Rudy Giuliani finds an ally in Imam Pasha, a black Muslim leader with a pro-Giuliani, pro-police message.
By Rob Mank
[04/06/00]

"Dead, I can't do anything"
Francisco Santos, a former kidnap victim of drug lord Pablo Escobar, became a symbol of hope for Colombians weary of violence and fear. But when leftist guerrillas ordered him killed, he had to flee to the U.S.
By Ana Arana
[04/05/00]

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So what kind of Miami relatives surround Elián? Both of his two great uncles, including Lazaro who seeks custody of Elián, have two DUIs with inebriation levels that shot through the roof. (This fact has received only brief mention in the national press and appeared in only five stories out of scores on the Elián case in the Miami Herald. The Herald, more often a cheerleader than a fact finder when it comes to Cuban-Americans, was in the embarrassing position of having to attribute this story to the New York Times.)

The blood level of Elián's 49-year-old great uncle, Lazaro, was at more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested for drunken driving in 1993, after police spotted him swerving between lanes. Officers noted that he "had extreme poor balance, red, glossy bloodshot eyes [and] slurred speech [and he] was in a total daze" when next arrested in 1997. (A previous conviction came in 1991, but court records for DUIs are no longer available dating back that far.)

His brother, Delfin, a frequent visitor to the house of Elián and a major player in the custody battle, was so drunk that he was arrested driving the wrong way in traffic on a main thoroughfare, resulting in one of his two convictions. Brenda Shapiro, who has served as a juvenile guardian in numerous family custody disputes, stressed that Lazaro's drunken-driving convictions should give one pause in a custody battle. If she were the attorneys for Elián's father, she said, "I would make it clear that I wouldn't want my child riding with him."

Twin cousins who used to visit Elián disappeared from the photo-ops after it was revealed by the Miami New Times that, at the age of 32, both men have multiple felony arrests. Cid, the son of Lazaro's sister, faded from sight when it became known that he was awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting a tourist last fall. Cid was arrested hiding under a car next to two gold necklaces he had allegedly ripped from the neck of a tourist after hitting him over the head while an accomplice held his arms. Throughout the '90s he was in trouble with the law. Cid was arrested on felony charges of carrying a concealed weapon and violently resisting arrest and later on felony firearms and prowling charges. In 1994, his ex-wife sought a permanent injunction against him alleging domestic violence and sued him for child support a year later. His brother, Jose, was arrested at least five times in four years on felony charges including burglary, grand theft and robbery and another time on charges of petty larceny.

The family's spokesman, Gutierrez, kissed off the cousins' extensive criminal records by saying "everybody has somebody in their family who was a troublemaker." So much for the man who is seen hovering over Elián, coaching him to raise his fingers in a V for victory sign when the cameras roll.

Next page | The politics of smarm