The skeleton crew at the Miami Herald building is getting some extra time off this Thanksgiving as cartoonist Jose Varela is visiting the Nuevo Herald editor's office with what has variously been reported as a handgun, shotgun, or machine gun. Ironically, employees who were present at the takeover and then released have been instructed not to talk to reporters:
Miami Police have begun evacuating the sixth-floor of The Miami Herald building after a man claiming to be armed walked into a sixth-floor newsroom, police said.Employees identified the man as El Nuevo Herald cartoonist Jose Varela.
They said Varela appeared agitated and demanded to see El Nuevo Herald's executive editor, Humberto Castello. He appeared to be armed with a handgun, employees said. El Nuevo Herald is a Spanish-language newspaper published by The Miami Herald Media Co.
''I thought it was a joke,'' one employee said.
Another employee said Varela walked in and started talking to employees. Then, he began ordering women out ''for their own security,'' the employee said.
It's One Herald Plaza's first gun incident since former-commissioner Art Teele Jr. fatally shot himself as he stood in the lobby demanding to speak to then-Miami Herald-columnist Jim DeFede in July 2005. DeFede was later fired for taping a telephone conversation with the commissioner without his knowledge.
Prediction: Mr. Varela will someday soon be grateful for his talent as he draws sketches to ingratiate himself with the other prisoners. Meanwhile you can enjoy his humor and artistry here.
(Herald login/pswd=crockett@tubbs.com/miamivice.)
UPDATE:
Gunman surrenders; gun finally identified as toy machine gun; Telemiami camera crew enters building in search of circus.
Looking at the work of guys like Valera and Ted Rall, I'm starting to think that my lack of any actual artistic skills shouldn't disqualify me from becoming an editorial cartoonist. Hello, new career opportunity!
Posted by: Sean M. at November 25, 2006 07:36 AMI got big fricking problems, problems so overwhelming that I'm sitting at a computer looking at blogs instead of working my ass out of it, but your prediction is the funniest damned thing I have read, seen, or heard since the opening of "Used Cars". Why? Because it's true!
Posted by: Donald at November 25, 2006 07:37 AMsurrenders with a toy machine gun? Are you sure this guy isn't french?
Posted by: Southern Knight at November 25, 2006 11:11 AMI'm frequently underwhelmed by the drawing skills of political cartoonists. It looks like a sweet gig for anyone with a rudimentary ability to draw. Those who successfully created a dirty-picture flipbook in 5th grade might want to look into it.
Posted by: Donnah at November 25, 2006 03:23 PM