Senator Barack Obama kept his cool after being heckled by a group of what appeared to 20 African-American men at a rally in Coral Gables, Florida. The men interrupted the presidential hopeful’s speech, screaming and holding up handmade signs that read, “Barack Obama endorsed by KKK,” “Jesse Jackson hates Obama,” “Obama for abortions,” and “Obama for gay marriage.”
Obama was speaking to a crowd of close to 5,000 at the University of Miami basketball arena, discussing Senator John McCain’s record on women’s issues and the economy, when the ruckus occurred. At one point, he stopped his speech and directed his attention to protestors saying, “Hey, young people out there, it’s no problem for you to put your signs up, but let everybody, let me finish what I have to say, all right?”
When the protesters didn’t comply, their outbursts received an even stronger wave of boos and jeers from the crowd of supporters as local police and Secret Service escorted them out of the arena. The men, known as “Blacks Against Obama,” are said to be part of a Miami-based group called “Michael Warns.”
After the group was removed, Obama calmly resumed business as usual saying, “All right, guys, see ya! Now, let’s get back to work.”
A similar group of Obama hecklers appeared at an event in Tampa last August.