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roasted to a turn for a raid . . . The cover showed young man in bathing trunks facing Biscayne Bay. Beside figure was heading: 'Miami Junks The Constitution'.'

COMMISSIONER RANDALL CHRISTMAS: "Unfortunate that we cannot pick up these people without valid complaints or until they have committed some crime..."

ROBERTS, again: "The latter day emperors of Rome were perverts. Their deeds have been recorded for history, but are too sordid to recount here. Considerable evidence the top men in Hitler's Third Reich were perverts. The modern day homosexual points to the fact that Socrates was of their nature. But they fail to point out that Greece was in the throes of moral degeneration when Rome took over." ((And that eminent historian, Jack W. Roberts, fails to point out Socrates had been dead 253 years when Rome took over. The news, perhaps, hasn't reached him yet.-L.P.))

Letter to MIAMI HERALD: "Term Pervert, as applied to dead people, should have to be proven before being bandied about. Seems all a murderer has to do in our city these days is to piously proclaim his victim a pervert and have all the sob sisters weeping on his shoulder.'

MIAMI POLICE CHIEF WALTER HEADLEY: "If I ran all the homosexuals out of town, members of some of the best families would lead the parade."

THE CASE OF THE SNICKERING COPS...

Fri., Aug. 13: Miami Beach Police Chief Romeo Shepard personally led a "flying squad of raiders" who fearlessly "swooped down on the public bathing area at 22nd street and the ocean and herded 35 males to headquarters for questioning." Two headed for the deep sea but were pulled in by lifeguards. . . "The raid was executed with all the advance planning and secrecy of an amphibious landing"... Romeo explained there'd been "numerous complaints" of "males who act mighty like girls." Six were booked for disorderly conduct for failing to give a good account of themselves. (What does that mean? A cash transaction, perhaps?-L.P.) The rest released after questioning. Charges later dropped against all but two, who were fined $10 each. Some had worn bathing suits "that caused snickers from police"-bikinis and such, "shocking pink, daring cerise and a leopard skin pattern."

That night Sheriff Tom Kelly led a surprise raid with 44 deputies on 11 Miami and Beach bars. The bruiser boys were given floor plans of each bar, but warned against the use of any "unnecessary rough stuff . . . They are still protected by laws, and the Constitution is still in effect in Dade County." (Complaining or apologizing, Sheriff?-L.P.) 53 persons seized and 19 booked, including one minor and one "fighting barmaid" charged with "striking a deputy and interfering with the raiders." Ostensible purpose of the raids: to check venereal disease. All but one of 19 held for weekend, released Monday (but for two) on $500 bail apiece. Attorneys protest VD law had not before been used as pretext for keeping suspects in jail (excepting prostitutes.) Kelly said any found to have VD would be kept in jail till cured!

Two days later, eight Beach detectives, "clad only in bathing suits," found beaches "crowded, but not with perverts." Again, our Romeo personally led the intrepid sleuths.

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