The Porcine Pardon: Pig Named 6-7 Spared by Miami Dade County Leader.
Although not quite at the same level as granting clemency to festive fowl, but the mayor of Miami-Dade conducted a ceremonial pardon event this week by ritually sparing the life of a pig named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava carried out the annual tradition at the Cuban-themed Latin Cafe 2000 in the heart of Miami’s iconic Little Havana neighborhood.
“This pig is innocent. Clemency is justified for her. Her criminal record is spotless,” declared Levine Cava in a speech with clear references to the extraordinary and sizable number of executive clemencies issued from the start of the beginning of a current administration.
“Unless you count eating six or seven apples per day,” she went on. “Let this swine have a prosperous future without fear.”
This ceremony, simultaneously observing and challenging the region’s Hispanic tradition of feasting on pork during the holidays, was created to mirror the yearly bird sparing at the White House.
The swine, contributed by a Coral Gables firefighter, was named for the popular vernacular phrase of young people exclaiming “six seven” – inspired by a hip-hop line – often seemingly at random. The craze became so ubiquitous that a major dictionary recently made “six-seven” its annual vocabulary selection.
A Peaceful Retirement
The pardoned swine is now destined to live out its days at a rural sanctuary “distant from barbecues and spits”, according to the organizers' announcement.
“The pig pardon has become a beloved tradition to open the holiday season,” said the event host, in a decidedly positive message.
“It represents the essence of Miami: happy, varied, and based in heritage that unite the community. Every time, we are proud to celebrate tradition and kindness in a way only Miami can.”
Attendees enjoyed a plant-based fare of croquettes and Cuban coffee as they celebrated the pig's pardon.
