The Porcine Pardon: Hog Named Six Seven Spared by Miami Dade County Mayor.
It might not have been at the same level as sparing Thanksgiving turkeys, but the county's top official conducted a presidential-style act this week by ritually sparing the life of a pig named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava carried out the annual tradition at the Cuban-style Latin Cafe 2000 in the core of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
“The swine has done no wrong. She deserves this act of mercy. No offenses are on her docket,” Levine Cava said in a speech with obvious nods to the sheer volume of executive clemencies issued from the start of the beginning of a second term in office.
“Unless you count eating six or seven apples per day,” she went on. “May this pig enjoy a prosperous future away from worry.”
The event, either celebrating or rejecting the local cultural practice of consuming swine during the holidays, was created to emulate the traditional fowl clemency at the White House.
The animal, contributed by a first responder, was christened after the popular vernacular phrase of young people exclaiming “6-7” – inspired by a hip-hop line – often without clear purpose. The phrase became so ubiquitous that a leading lexicon site recently named “six-seven” its top term for the year.
A New Life
The pardoned swine is now scheduled to spend its days at a countryside refuge “distant from barbecues and spits”, according to the organizers' announcement.
“The annual pig pardon has become one of our favorite ways to kick off the festive period,” said the cafe owner, in a notably cheerful message.
“It embodies the spirit of Miami: vibrant, varied, and rooted in traditions that unite the community. Each year, we are delighted to mark culture and compassion in a way unique to Miami.”
Attendees enjoyed a vegetarian menu of spinach fritters and Cuban coffee as they marked the swine's new lease on life.
