Latin Grammys on the Move

Mon., Aug. 20, 2001 4:35 PM PDT by Marcus Errico

Hasta la vista, Miami.

Just three weeks before the ceremony, organizers of the Latin Grammy Awards announced Monday they were shipping the show from Miami to Los Angeles over fears of violence against Cuban peformers.

"I can't guarantee the security of our people. We have people coming from all over the world," said Michael Greene, president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and the Latin Recording Academy. "Having to run that gantlet is demeaning at best and dangerous at worst."

The move comes a day after Cuban exiles and anti-Castro activists won the right to demonstrate near the venue.

Miami officials gave the go-ahead to create a three-block protest area near AmericanAirlines Arena, despite objections from the recording academy, which wanted a larger buffer zone.

Nearly 60 groups had announced plans to protest the ceremony.

Greene said he was especially worried about several of the Cubans up for awards, including Francisco Cespedes, Chucho Valdes, Issac Delgado, Celina Gonzalez y Reutilio and Omara Portuondo. Greene said anti-Castro demonstrators might hurl objects at the artists.

Academy officials spent Monday morning trying to find a suitable location outside the city limits in Broward County, but police said they could not guarantee the safety of attendees, forcing event organizers to pull up stakes and head for the less politcally charged climes of Southern California.

The relocation could wind up costing Miami up between $30 million and $40 million in lost revenue.

The inaugural Latin Grammys were held in Los Angeles last year. Organizers had initially wanted to stage the event in Miami, but were turned down by the Miami-Dade County officials, who had a law barring the county from conducting business with groups having ties to Cuba. The law was subsequently deep-sixed, paving the way for this year's ill-fated effort.

The Latin Grammys will be broadcast September 11 on CBS from Los Angeles' Great Western Forum. Luis Miguel, Alejandro Sanz and Thal?a are among those performing and Jon Secada and Nelly Furtado have been tapped as presenters.