"This is freedom of speech. This is America, right?" Those were the incredulous words of Raquel Pacheco, a US Army veteran and three-time candidate for local office. She made the remark while being questioned by police at her Miami Beach home last week for criticising her mayor on Facebook. On 6 January, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner posted a message on his official Facebook page saying, among other things, that "Miami Beach is a safe haven for everyone" and that the city "is consistently ranked by a broad spectrum of groups as being the most tolerant in the nation".