The Porcine Pardon: Hog Named Six Seven Pardoned by Miami Dade County Leader.
It might not have been at the same level as pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys, but the county's top official conducted a ceremonial pardon event this week by ceremoniously saving the life of a swine named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava carried out the annual tradition at the Cuban-style Latin Cafe 2000 in the center of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
“This animal is guiltless. She is worthy of this pardon. No offenses are on her docket,” Levine Cava said in a speech with obvious nods to the vast quantity of executive clemencies issued from the start of the commencement of a new presidential term.
“If we disregard eating half a dozen apples per day,” she went on. “I hope she experiences a lengthy and joyful existence without fear.”
This ceremony, either celebrating or rejecting the area's customary feast of eating roast pork during the holidays, was established to replicate the annual turkey pardoning at the White House.
The animal, donated by a local firefighter, was named for the popular vernacular phrase of young people yelling “six-seven” – deriving from a musical verse – often seemingly at random. The trend became so widespread that a leading lexicon site recently named “6-7” its top term for the year.
A New Life
This particular pig is now destined to live out its days at a rural sanctuary “far from charcoal and roasting pans”, according to the event’s official press release.
“The pig pardon has become a beloved tradition to begin the festive period,” said Eric Castellanos, in a notably cheerful message.
“It embodies the essence of Miami: joyful, multicultural, and rooted in traditions that bring people together. Every time, we are delighted to mark heritage and mercy in a way distinctively Miamian.”
Attendees enjoyed a meat-free selection of croquettes and strong coffee as they toasted the pig's pardon.
