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The mayor of Hialeah, Bryan Calvo, publicly criticized the film The Rip, which was recently released on Netflix, stating that the production presents an offensive and distorted image of the city, as well as ridiculing its cultural identity.
"Pronounced ja-ya-lía," stated the mayor at the beginning of a joint press conference with Hialeah Police Chief George Fuente, in response to one of the most talked-about scenes in the film, where the characters mispronounce the name of the city, reported local channel Telemundo 51.
The controversy arises because, although The Rip is inspired by a real police raid that took place in Miami Lakes in 2016, the producers decided to move the story to Hialeah, using exact replicas of uniforms, patrol cars, and the official badge of the local Police Department in a context of corruption and violence.
Calvo criticized Netflix for associating Hialeah with crime, despite the fact that the real events did not occur in that city. "Why Hialeah? Because it’s iconic. They needed our strength and our status for the movie to be relevant," he stated, although he emphasized that the film is a work of fiction.
The mayor asserted that, for decades, Hialeah has been "the butt of jokes," but stated that his administration will not allow that narrative to continue about the most Latino city in the United States, where essentially Cuban families reside.
"This movie is a slap in the face to our police personnel," he said, before presenting official statistics that, according to him, rank Hialeah as the safest large city in South Florida, the second safest among large cities in the state, and within the 15% safest in the country.
For his part, Police Chief George Fuente supported the mayor's statements and defended the department's daily work, highlighting its commitment to transparency and community protection.
Calvo also extended a direct invitation to the producers of The Rip and to actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to visit the city. “Come see what Hialeah is really like,” he expressed.
The Rip, directed by Joe Carnahan, tells the story of a group of officers who uncover millions of dollars in cash during a raid, a plot inspired by the real-life case of former officer Chris Casiano and the seizure of over 21 million dollars in a home in Miami Lakes.
As with other productions based on real events, the film takes creative liberties with the story, including the depiction of a city billboard filled with bullet holes that does not actually exist. Telemundo reported that the mayor plans to sue the production company over this matter.
The film is currently available on Netflix, while the controversy continues to grow among residents and local authorities who are questioning how Hialeah—a city where 98 percent of the population speaks Spanish—is being portrayed once again in popular culture.
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