MIAMI -- Police reported quiet in the riot-torn black ghetto of Overtown Saturday, but officers remained alert to protect 71,000 fans expected at the Orange Bowl game 10 blocks away.
'We're holding a small force of officers in reserve, a dozen, just in case of any spot trouble,' police officer William Mell said. About 300 officers were stationed in the racially troubled district at the height of the violence.
'Nothing of an unusual nature is going on. Our days off are back to normal,' Mell said. 'We no longer have barricades up. We no longer have posts and such keeping cars out.'
Officers onpatrol in Overtown carried riot gear, a police dispatcher said. Police said the section had been quiet since a gang of youths stoned a bus in the black neighborhood following the Orange Bowl parade Friday night.
Ku Klux Klan leader Bill Wilkinson said Saturday at least a dozen Klansmen would don white robes and pass out Klan literature on downtown Miami streets Sunday to try to recruit members.
Wilkinson arrived Friday, saying he was standing up for whites whose civil rights were violated by the civil unrest.
'We're trying to bring our message to the white people,' said Wilkinson, grand wizard of the Invisible Empire of the Knights of the KKK. 'I feel, quite frankly, that this city is a very ripe plumb for us to pluck. The people need help. They need a spokesman, and I think we can help them.'
Police Lt. Paul Martinez said the Klan could distribute literature but it must be done peacefully.
'They can't block the sidewalks or traffic or cause any commotion. Of course, that might happen just because what they'll be wearing,' he said. 'But legally they can pass out literature.'
Martinez said the Klan would have to obtain a permit if they wanted to march.
Three days of uprisings that killed two people and injured 26 others began to fade as south Florida leaders planned a renewed publicity push to revamp the tourism-dependent area's tarnished reputation.
Central to polishing Miami's image as a sun-and-fun center, officials said, was a peaceful -- and crowded -- Orange Bowl game.
Mayor Maurice Ferre said he was certain no trouble would erupt at the Nebraska-Louisiana State game because of the stadium's relative inaccessiblity from Overtown.
'You have to cross the river and there's only two bridges to cross,' he said. 'It could be 100 miles away.'
Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority Chairman Chuck Kramer announced adjustments in a northeastern media blitz designed to help soothe fears of would-be south Florida visitors.
'The questions will be raised no matter how positive we are, no matter how many palm trees we wave or oranges we throw out,' Kramer said.
A $1.32-million advertising campaign targeting New York City, New Jersey and Long Island was moved up from February to January because of the riots, Kramer said.
In addition, Ferre, Metro Mayor Stephen Clark and Miami Beach Mayor Norman Ciment agreed to go to New York to try to convince travel editors it's safe to vacation in Miami.
Ferre also attempted to clarify reports Saturday that the policeman who shot 20-year-old Nevell Johnson Jr., igniting the unrest, had been suspended. Ferre said Luis Alvarez 'has been suspended from duty.'
'He is not suspended with or without pay. He's not been suspended in any way,' Ferre said. 'They (police department officials) just pay him and tell him to go home and be available and keep cool.'
Alvarez so far has refused to give a statement to homicide investigators.
