SURFSIDE, FLA. (WSVN) – A community is coming together to stand against a man whom his employer fired after he was accused of assaulting tourists in an antisemitic attack in Surfside.
An impassioned crowd carrying signs that read “No hate in Surfside” gathered outside of City Hall in Surfside Towers to condemn the actions of a man who was arrested this past Thursday for an antisemitic attack on a Jewish couple.
Several elected officials for the Town of Surfside participated in the rally to speak out against a rise in antisemitic attacks in South Florida.
According to police, the victim of that attack was walking with his wife along the 9500 block of Harding Avenue on Aug. 16 when 35-year-old Jorden Stephen Perozo approached them on a scooter.
That was when Perozo reportedly started hurling antisemitic slurs at the couple before he punched the man and threatened to kill him.
Cellphone video from the incident appears to show Perozo aggressively accosting the couple.
“[Expletive] Israel, [expletive} Jews, and [expletive] you. [Expletive] Palestine too. I hate you,” Perozo is heard saying.
Perozo was later arrested and issued a $6,000 bond in court.
“The charges are battery with prejudice and harassing, intimidating a person based on their religious or ethnic heritage,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer.
Demonstrators gathered in Surfside were rankled by the judge’s decision.
“This man is a danger, not just to our community, but the entire greater Surfside community and other people as well,” said a demonstrator, who held up a sign demanding Perozo be prosecuted. “His violence and his rhetoric are totally unacceptable in this civilized society.”
“Hearing on the news what happened completely devastated us,” said another demonstrator.
Demonstrators believe Perozo should not have been given bond.
“He should’ve been jailed and kept under lock until his case came before a judge,” said a demonstrator.
Members of the organization End Jew Hatred said it’s critical that Perozo face consequences when he has his day in court.
“It’s so important that the state attorney general, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, prosecute this man to the full extent of the law and that the hate crime charges are prosecuted because the most important thing are consequences,” said Brooke Goldstein with End Jew Hatred.
Several elected officials, including mayors across South Florida, spoke on the incident, which they say, has been part of a disturbing increase of antisemitic threats directed at Jewish communities across the U.S.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner emphasized the importance of unity to oppose this hatred and stand against those that perpetrate it in any form.
“Unfortunately we’re seeing a serious spike in anti-Jewish incidents and everyone needs to come together and combat it because it doesn’t end with Jews, it’s just maybe a symptom, and ultimately we need to be together,” said Meiner.
While rallygoers told 7News this incident was concerning, they said they largely do feel safe in Surfside because they have a supportive community standing with them.
“There will be somebody there to fight for you. You don’t leave, stand up, face it head-on and it’s the only way that we’re all gonna survive. We’re not gonna repeat what my grandparents went through, we’re not going anywhere,” said rallygoer Jack Gold.
It’s not Perozo’s first run-in with the law.
He was previously arrested for allegedly using a box cutter to slash a giant inflatable FIFA World Cup soccer ball representing Uruguay, which was on display in Miami Beach over the summer.
7News also learned that Perozo, who was working at a Flanigan’s in Surfside, was fired after his latest arrest, which demonstrators applauded.
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