The Porcine Pardon: Hog Named 6-7 Spared by Miami-Dade Mayor.
It might not have been at the same level as sparing holiday birds, but the county's top official had her own presidential-style act this week by ritually sparing the life of a pig named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava performed the seasonal stunt at the Cuban-style Latin Cafe 2000 in the center of Miami’s iconic Little Havana neighborhood.
“The swine has done no wrong. Clemency is justified for her. No offenses are on her docket,” Levine Cava said in a speech with obvious nods to the extraordinary and sizable number of executive clemencies issued from the start of the beginning of a second term in office.
“Except perhaps for eating 6 or 7 apples per day,” she went on. “May this pig enjoy a prosperous future without fear.”
This ceremony, which both honors and questions the area's customary feast of feasting on pork during the holidays, was founded to replicate the annual turkey pardoning at the White House.
The animal, provided by a local firefighter, was named for the modern linguistic fad of young people shouting “six-seven” – deriving from a musical verse – often seemingly at random. The phrase became so ubiquitous that a leading lexicon site recently made “6-7” its top term for the year.
A Peaceful Retirement
The pardoned swine is now scheduled to spend its days at a farm sanctuary “far from charcoal and roasting pans”, according to the ceremony's official statement.
“The annual pig pardon has become a cherished method to kick off the end-of-year celebrations,” said the cafe owner, in a decidedly positive message.
“It captures the spirit of Miami: joyful, multicultural, and based in heritage that unite the community. Every time, we are honored to observe culture and compassion in a way distinctively Miamian.”
Attendees enjoyed a plant-based fare of croquettes and strong coffee as they marked the pig's pardon.
