4 September 25 - OctOber 1, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | HOT SEATS Comments about Charlie Kirk are threatening careers around South Florida. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON A Florida Atlantic Uni- versity finance profes- sor joined fellow South Floridians who are facing public criticism and the threat of unemployment for making comments about conser- vative activist Charlie Kirk’s as- sassination — but not for making light of the killing like others in the hot seat. On September 16, Rebel Cole, a professor in FAU’s College of Business, announced his suspension and ban from the Boca Raton campus on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, for a post he apparently made on X days earlier. “We are going to hunt you down. We are going to identify you,” the post, which he seemingly made in reponse to someone criti- cizing Kirk, reads. “Then we are going to make you radioactive to polite society. And we will make you both unemployed and un- employable.” Cole posted similar remarks replying to those who criticized Kirk’s rhetoric. Cole has since taken to X to proclaim he did nothing wrong and ask those who agree to donate to his apparent impending legal challenge, asking for a cool $500,000 on Gi- veSendGo.com. “I knew those disgusting posts weren’t just wrong but were deeply harmful. I felt compelled to step in publicly to call out those dancing on Charlie’s grave with posting on social media, countering their vitriol,” Cole wrote in the pecuniary plea. “It was a small act of support during an incredibly dark time—a decision that would unexpectedly turn my life upside down. “Suddenly, without warning, someone filed a report with FAU administrators claiming that my posts had ‘threatened students.’ The accusation felt like a punch in the gut. I am not only falsely accused but also facing expensive legal repercussions for simply standing up against cyberbullying and supporting free speech — the very values we’re fighting for.” The campaign had raised $125 as of Friday afternoon, September 19. FAU hasn’t posted about Cole’s suspen- sion, despite doing so after suspending an- other professor for appearing to make light of Kirk’s killing. “We do not comment on personnel mat- ters,” an FAU spokesperson responded to New Times’ request for comment. “Our fo- cus remains on our academic community’s responsibility to promote civil discourse, conduct healthy debate, and treat one an- other with respect,” the emailed statement reads. “This applies to all members of the FAU community, no matter their political leanings.” Cole joins a Palmetto Bay councilman, as well as staff at the University of Miami, Flor- ida Atlantic University, and Miami County Day in the hot seat for comments made about Kirk. He led Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that traveled nationwide to high schools and universities to advocate for conservative policies. Turning Point’s anti- woke messaging and grassroots mobilization of Gen Z and Millennials played an influen- tial role in President Donald Trump’s second run for office. Kirk is perhaps most famous for viral videos of him verbally sparring with college students over gun rights, abortion, immigra- tion, and other hot-button issues. A super- star in conservative circles and a controversial figure to many Democrats, Kirk’s death has dominated every sector of social media, inspiring some to make light of the situation. Palmetto Bay Councilman Steve Cody On September 15, members of the Palmetto Bay Village Council voted 4-1 to censure and remove fellow Councilman Steve Cody after he posted a widely circulated Kirk quote about shooting deaths and called him a “fit- ting sacrifice to our Lords Smith & Wesson.” If Gov. Ron DeSantis sides with the coun- cil, Cody will join at least two other prominent South Floridians to lose their jobs for com- ments made about the political assassination. Cody shared a Kirk quote about how it was “worth to have a cost of — unfortunately — some gun deaths every single year,” to pre- serve the Second Amendment, according to Politico. “Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords Smith & Wesson,” Cody wrote along- side the post, referring to the firearms manu- facturer. “Hallowed be their names.” Cody told Playbook, a Politico podcast, that he awoke the next day and realized his post was “incredibly stupid.” He deleted the post and issued an apology, but not Workers at prominent South Florida institutions are facing backlash for their comments on the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr | METRO | Dirty Laundry Miamian sells Epstein- worn sweatshirt for $11K. v BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN D espite the social media rumors, fashion designer Ian Connor did not buy late convicted sex offender and disgraced fi- nancier Jeffrey Epstein’s sweatshirt. As the Trump administration and Capitol Hill continue to grapple with the ongoing Epstein saga and calls to release the Epstein files, a 30-year-old Miami man sold Epstein’s mono- grammed navy quarter-zip sweatshirt for $11,000. It is the same sweatshirt that Epstein was photographed wearing at a magazine launch party in New York City in 2002. Mar, the owner of the Restricted showroom in Midtown, tells New Times that he didn’t recog- nize the sweatshirt when his client first offered it, nor did he know it belonged to Epstein. (Mar re- quested that he be identified solely by his first name in this story.) “I don’t know how he got it. I don’t really ask. You know, what’s funny, like, as curious as I was, I normally don’t even ask people how they get things. Some things are just better not to know,” Mar tells New Times. “It was unbelievable.” His client, who did not wish to be identified, brought the sweatshirt to the showroom for authentication. Mar’s authentication process included one-to-one comparisons of the sweatshirt to the photographs of Epstein wearing it and close examinations of the sweater’s zipper and stitching. He says the sweatshirt was in good condition, with no stains or noticeable smells. However, he did notice an “old man” odor. Mar bought the sweater for $5,000. “It was like, older and faded,” Mar tells New Times. “And then I feel like nobody would just, like, replicate that out of nowhere, you know, it was pretty random. The kid was from West Palm, and I did research, and I saw that [Epstein] used to live in that area. So I just put two and two to- gether. He also showed me, like, some mail he had, and medicine prescription bottles. It was a bunch of crazy stuff.” The next day, he officially listed it for sale on his Instagram. Given the bad juju, he wanted it out of his store as quickly as possi- ble, Mar says. “1of1 worn JEFFREY EP- STEIN quarter zip museum piece fr... straight from Mar A Lago,” @restricted.lifestyle posted on Instagram. “This piece is very contro- versial and iconic. 100 percent authentic size M.” The DMs and phone calls started rolling in. Mar says he received more than 5,000 DMs on Instagram. One person, whom he wished not to identify but described as “a known person on the internet,” was desperate for the item. “They had a bunch of people hit me up,” he says. “They were really trying to get in touch with me because I wasn’t really checking my DMs, and they had like six or seven people reach out, and he was serious like, $100,000 offer.” Despite a significantly lower offer, Mar sold the sweatshirt to a loyal client, who he says is also famous, for $11,000. He adds that this is the first time he has sold a controversial item like this. He typically sticks to selling Hermes, Chrome Hearts, Chanel, and other high-end vin- tage items at his curated shop. “I wanted to treat my platform almost like a Sotheby’s or like a Christie’s, so it was more in a sense, if they would have gotten it, they would have sold it, and I would have been at home watching it sell,” he shares. “It’s more like being a store owner. At the end of the day, business is business. Like I said, I don’t support him or any- thing he has going on. It was more like an oppor- tunity to grow. It’s not like I’m keeping the item and have it framed in my store.” Naomi [email protected] “THIS PIECE IS VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND ICONIC. 100 PERCENT AUTHENTIC SIZE M.” >> p6 | STYLE |
