
By: Robin Murray-o'hair
Re: The Voodoo that You do

THE VOODOO THAT YOU DO

Courthouse employees call it Chicken Lane. It's a street by the
Metro Justice Building in Miami, and each morning a city crew of
janitors -- dubbed the voodoo squad -- patrol it for slaughtered
chickens and goats.

What's with the slaughterhouse atmosphere?

It's a result of the legalization of animal sacrifices by members of
the Santeria religion, as approved by the Supreme Court of the United
States. According to Santeria priest Rigoberto Zamora, the road running
from the Metro Justice Building to the Dade County Jail is an important
spot to kill animals to appease and bribe the gods on behalf of those
on trial, as they must cross the street to go to court. And so, a
courthouse maintenance man reports, "Sometimes we find one chicken.
Sometimes we find three or four. It depends who is on trial." Inside
the courthouse, gagged lizards (meant to help silence stool pigeons),
oodoo powder, corn kernels (to speed trials), cakes (to sweeten the
fate of the accused), and black pepper (to help keep someone in jail)
have been found.

Santeria and voodoo are practiced by many Cubans and Haitians. Both
groups are increasingly large parts of the Miami population.

Sources: AP, 4/9/95; Reuters, 4/9/95

