 | |
| Duration | November 22, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Location | Miami-Dade County, Florida |
| Motive | Disrupt recount of votes in the 2000 United States presidential election |
| Target | Officials canvassing the vote |
| Outcome | Election of George W. Bush |
The Brooks Brothers riot was a demonstration led by Republican staffers at a meeting of election canvassers in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 22, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the 2000 United States presidential election, with the goal of shutting down the recount. After demonstrations and acts of violence, local officials shut down the recount early.
The name referenced the protesters' corporate attire; described by Paul Gigot in an editorial for The Wall Street Journal as "50-year-old white lawyers with cell phones and Hermès ties", differentiating them from local citizens concerned about vote counting.[1] Many of the demonstrators were Republican staffers.[2] Both Roger Stone and Brad Blakeman take credit for managing the riot from a command post, although their accounts contradict each other.[2] Republican New York Representative John E. Sweeney gave the signal that started the riot,[3] telling an aide to "shut it down".[1][4]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Gigotwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Miller, Michael E. (November 15, 2018). "'It's insanity!': How the 'Brooks Brothers Riot' killed the 2000 recount in Miami". Washington Post.
- ^ "Sweeney and the Siege of Miami", Slate, Timothy Noah, November 28, 2000. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ Dana Canedy, Dexter Filkins (November 23, 2000), "Counting the Vote: Miami-Dade County; A Wild Day in Miami, With an End to Recounting, and Democrats' Going to Court", The New York Times