A Pig's Tale: Pig Named 6-7 Granted Clemency by Miami Dade County Mayor.
It might not have been at the same level as pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys, but the county's top official had her own presidential-style act this week by formally pardoning the life of a swine named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava executed the holiday gesture at the Cuban-themed Latin Cafe 2000 in the core of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
“This pig is innocent. She is worthy of this pardon. She has committed zero crimes,” Levine Cava said in a speech with inescapable allusions to the sheer volume of pardons issued since the commencement of a second term in office.
“If we disregard eating six or seven apples per day,” Levine Cava continued. “I hope she experiences a prosperous future without fear.”
This ceremony, which both honors and questions the region’s Hispanic tradition of eating roast pork during the holidays, was created to replicate the yearly bird sparing at the White House.
The pig, contributed by a Coral Gables firefighter, was named for the modern linguistic fad of young people yelling “six seven” – deriving from a musical verse – often for no discernable reason. The craze became so ubiquitous that a major dictionary recently named “six-seven” its annual vocabulary selection.
A New Life
Six Seven the pig is now destined to live out its days at a farm sanctuary “far from charcoal and roasting pans”, according to the organizers' announcement.
“The annual pig pardon has become one of our favorite ways to begin the festive period,” said Eric Castellanos, in a particularly upbeat message.
“It embodies the essence of Miami: joyful, multicultural, and based in heritage that unite the community. Each year, we are proud to celebrate culture and compassion in a way unique to Miami.”
Guests enjoyed a vegetarian menu of spinach fritters and Cuban coffee as they toasted Six Seven’s big moment.
