Brooks Brothers riot

The Brooks Brothers riot is the term coined to describe the demonstration at a meeting of election canvassers in Miami-Dade County, Florida on November 19, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the 2000 United States presidential election. The name refers to a traditional brand of suits associated with conservative business dress.

The Demonstration

Hundreds of "paid GOP crusaders" descended upon South Florida to protest the state's recounts,^[1] with at least half a dozen of the demonstrators at Miami-Dade paid by George W. Bush's recount committee.^[2] Several of these protesters were identified as Republican staffers and a number later went on to jobs in the Bush administration.^[3]

The "Brooks Brothers" name reinforces the allegation that the protesters, in corporate attire, sporting "Hermès ties"^[4] were astroturfing, as opposed to local citizens concerned about counting practices.

The demonstration was organized by Republican operatives, sometimes referred to as the "Brooks Brothers Brigade",^[5] to oppose the recount of 10,750 ballots during the Florida recount. The canvassers decided to move the counting process to a smaller room and restrict media access to 25 feet away while they continued. At this time, New York Rep. John Sweeney told an aide to "Shut it down."^[2][4] The demonstration turned violent, and according to the NY Times, "several people were trampled, punched or kicked when protesters tried to rush the doors outside the office of the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections. Sheriff's deputies restored order." DNC aide Luis Rosero was kicked and punched. Within two hours after the riot died down, the canvassing board unanimously voted to shut down the count, in part due to perceptions that the process wasn't open or fair, and in part because the court-mandated deadline was impossible to meet.^[6][7][8]

The controversial incident was set in motion by John E. Sweeney,^[9] a New York Republican who was nicknamed "Congressman Kick-Ass" by President Bush for his work in Florida.^[10] Sweeney defended his actions by arguing that his aim was not to stop the hand recount but to restore the process to public view.^[11] Some Bush supporters did acknowledge they hoped the recount would end. "We were trying to stop the recount; Bush had already won," said Evilio Cepero, a reporter for WAQI, an influential Spanish talk radio station in Miami. "We were urging people to come downtown and support and protest this injustice." A Republican lawyer commented, "People were pounding on the doors, but they had an absolute right to get in."^[6] The protest prevented official observers and members of the press from getting in.^[8]

Participants

A partial list:^[3]

• Roger Stone,^[12] a self described "GOP Hitman"^[13] and former member of Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President
• Matt Schlapp, a former House aide who became the White House political director during the Bush administration
• Garry Malphrus, who became deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Bush administration
• Rory Cooper, a former staffer for the National Republican Congressional Committee
• Tom Pyle, a former Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) staffer
• Roger Morse, a former House aide who became a lobbyist
• Duane Gibson, an aide on the House Resources Committee who became a lobbyist and consultant
• Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.),
• Layna McConkey Peltier, a former Senate and House aide
• Kevin Smith, a former GOP House aide
• Steven Brophy, a former GOP Senate aide

Popular culture

This riot was dramatized in the made-for-TV film Recount.

References