Nick Navarro Put Me In Jail and Put People To Work

By Luther Campbell Thu., Sep. 29 2011 at 9:26 AM

Categories: Luke's Gospel

Pin It

Alex Izaguirre

Luther "Luke" Campbell, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. In this special edition, Luke remembers the man who had him arrested for singing obscene lyrics.

Nick Navarro was the Made-For-TV-Sheriff. Nick brought Hollywood to south Florida. He practically invented reality television by having the Broward County Sherriff's Office featured on the show Cops. Being on the front page of the Miami Herald or the lead story on the evening news was Nick's thing. That's his legacy.

Some people didn't agree with Nick's tactics such as cooking up crack cocaine for undercover stings, but he was definitely at the forefront of law enforcement. A lot of cops in Broward County owe their carreers to him. He doubled the police force during his tenure, putting a lot of people to work, especially African Americans and Cuban Americans in a county that was predominantly Anglo at the time he took over.

It was only when he decided to come after me and 2 Live Crew that he went overboard. Once he started attacking musicians, he was attacking free speech. I remember in 1990 when we were arrested on obscenity charges for singing our raunchy songs, I was hoping Nick would be the cop to put the cuffs on me. Yet, in a rare moment, Nick wasn't there to smile for the cameras. But afterward, we definitely went toe-to-toe on Geraldo Rivera's and Phil Donahue's synidcated talk shows.

Years later, when I was hosting a party for one of my artists on a yacht, I got a chuckle when I found out the firm providing security belonged to Nick. In a bit of irony, he went from arresting me to protecting me. I think over time he must have realized he was wrong for going after 2 Live Crew.

Rest in peace Nick.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.