TITLE
RESOLUTION CALLING ON THE ROCKSTAR VIDEO GAMES TO MODIFY THE VIDEO GAME �GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY� TO REMOVE THE PROVISIONS THAT GIVE POINTS FOR KILLING CHARACTERS THAT APPEAR TO BE HAITIAN, CUBAN AND COLOMBIAN; CALLING UPON WALMART AND OTHER RETAIL STORES TO REMOVE SUCH GAMES FROM THEIR SHELVES; AND URGING THE MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND OTHER GROUPS TO JOIN THE EFFORT TO STOP THE SPREAD OF SUCH GAMES

BODY
WHEREAS, Rockstar Video Games is the manufacturer of a video game entitled �Grand Theft Auto: Vice City� which portrays a city that appears to be modeled after parts of Miami and Miami Beach; and
WHEREAS, this video allows players to rack up points by killing characters that appear to be Haitian, Cuban, and Colombian, thereby spreading a message of hate that is threatening and damaging to the diversity that makes Miami-Dade County a welcoming place to live and raise families; and
WHEREAS, this disturbing video has become a best-seller and recently received the award for �Best Videogame of 2002� and is therefore poised to spread its message of violence against ethnic minorities to a larger and larger audience of impressionable children and young adults; and
WHEREAS, it is essential that our entire community stand united beside the Haitian-American, Cuban-American, and Colombian-American Communities to denounce such a hate-filled message,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
* assures Haitian-American, Cuban-American, and Colombian-American Communities that this Board condemns such hate-filled messages;
* condemns those aspects of �Grand Theft Auto: Vice City� that appear to encourage or condone violence against ethnic minorities;
* urges Rockstar Video Games make the changes necessary to this video game and other video games to ensure that the impressionable children and young adults of our nation are not subjected to this type of negative and insensitive message;
* calls upon Walmart stores and other retailers to take all such games off their shelves immediately;
* summons all responsible community groups, particularly the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Civil Liberties Union and S.A.L.A.D. to join the effort to stop the spread of these hateful games; and
* directs the County Manager to send copies of this Resolution to Congress, the Florida Legislature, the Florida Attorney General, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Civil Liberties Union and S.A.L.A.D.