On November 3, 2020, as voters around Miami-Dade County cast their ballots in the divisive presidential election, authorities said that a Donald Trump fan was dangerously airing his political views on Biscayne Bay while brandishing a weapon and making threats.
Eduardo Acosta is accused of attacking two men after becoming enraged after spotting a Joe Biden banner on a personal watercraft. He is also accused of pursuing the men down and threatening them with a gun while spreading the rumor that people who support Biden are child molesters.
He could spend the rest of his life behind bars, with a statutory minimum of 20 years.
The altercation, part of which was captured on film, was a striking reflection of how hostile the political climate in South Florida had grown by Election Day 2020, even though the charges are in dispute. The current search for a fair jury to determine Acosta’s fate has revealed just how politically polarized Miami still is in front of the Nov. 8 midterm election.
The jury selection process in Acosta’s trial, which has lasted two days and could go into next week, has uncovered raw emotions by forcing scores of prospective jurors to talk about their opinions on the nation’s divisive politics.
Tuesday, a prospective juror indicated that despite having recently witnessed a close friend brutally slain, she might try to cope with the case’s references to violence. But she was unable to ignore the politics.
The woman added, “Trump represents everything that I… have a scorn for. It’s not that I think Biden is fantastic. I believe he is a horrible human being.
She was immediately let go.
