Miami Herald - December 6, 2002
Oscar Corral, ocorral@herald.com

At least one local politician also got involved. Miami Commissioner Tom s Regalado said Thursday that he asked the city administration to reject the company's contract with the city-owned Manuel Artime Theater on the basis of a technicality.

"I think it's bad that they canceled the event, but it's good that Rosita Forn s isn't coming," Regalado said. "What I am trying to do is protect every community that can be offended in the city of Miami."

The 8th Annual La Flor de la Esperanza (Flower of Hope) awards ceremony was scheduled for Saturday to recognize artists from the Americas who have contributed to the fight against AIDS. A percentage of the proceeds from ticket sales were to be donated to Helping Hand Foundation to help AIDS patients and children with terminal diseases, the event organizers said.

The controversy began when word spread that Forn s -- scorned by some in Miami because she has not publicly repudiated Fidel Castro's government and because she still lives in Havana -- might attend the event.

It wouldn't be the first time Forn s drew protests. In 1996, two of her concerts were canceled when someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a Little Havana restaurant where she was scheduled to appear. And in 1999, a bomb threat forced her to relocate another performance in Miami.

Spanish-language radio stations fueled rumors that Forn s might perform, and exile groups planned protests outside the theater.

It was all too much for Leo Rodriguez and Jose Ortiz, who promoted the event under the name Festival Productions.

"We didn't want problems with anybody," Rodriguez said. "We heard they were planning protests, sabotage. We just wanted to do this for a good cause."

Forn s was never slated to perform, the promoters said. Her presence at the event had not even been confirmed. Two Cuban AIDS patients who were going to receive an award had said they wanted to dedicate their award to Forn s, Rodriguez said.

"This was for a humanitarian cause," Ortiz said. "Rosita might have come, but she helped these men when they were struggling with AIDS in Cuba. What have the people on radio ever done for AIDS victims?"

Laura Vianello, national delegate for the human rights group Vigilia Mambisa, said her group and several others were preparing to protest at the event.

"Nobody wants her here," Vianello said of Forn s. "We are all in favor of curing AIDS, but why reward this woman, who has supported a dehumanizing government?"

Regalado said he did some research and discovered that Festival Productions is not a registered corporation. So he asked the city attorney to look into the matter and reject the contract if it was not legal.

Regalado says he succeeded in getting the theater to reject the contract and return the money to the company. Ortiz says that isn't true.

City Attorney Alejandro Vilarello could not be reached for comment.

Ortiz and Rodriguez said Festival Productions is a legitimate subsidiary of a parent company that belongs to them. The men declined to identify the company.

Ortiz said he was considering rescheduling the event, possibly in another location.

Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, president of the Miami Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said it's a shame the event was canceled.

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