Message on MetroLink van appears to praise Castro regime – NBC 6 South Florida

Shocked residents filmed an electronic billboard on a MetroLink vehicle that read “Viva Fidel y Raúl,” meaning “Long live Fidel and Raúl.”

The apparent praise of the Castro regime in Cuba was caught on camera by Dayán Ramírez as he drove on 8th Street NW and 49th Street.

Ramirez said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“It caught my attention because I saw it from a distance,” he said. “I thought, ‘Is this possible? No, it’s not possible.’”

He asked his wife to register the van and then posted the video on social media. The video shows the light message on the front windshield of the van, on the passenger side.

Resident Idael Díaz went even further and contacted the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DPTW) to complain.

“The first thing I thought was that the bus driver had made the decision to place this message,” Díaz said.

A statement from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed that the sign “was hacked by outside individuals.”

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and strongly condemn the message posted. DTPW is now working with the external service provider to implement additional safeguards to strengthen the security of its systems and ensure this does not happen again,” Levine Cava said.

MetroLink, a new transportation option in Miami-Dade County, connects residents in areas with limited transportation to key destinations such as the airport, Tri-Rail and Miami Beach.

“I am extremely offended, and I am not one to be offended easily,” Diaz said. “But to give you an example, it would never be permissible to have a sign that says, ‘Long live Hitler.'”

“I don’t think it’s a joke in bad taste either, because it goes further. It’s no longer a joke because it’s making fun of too many people,” Ramirez said.

It was not immediately clear how many other county-operated vehicles might be affected.