Zero Tolerance Of Crime And Violence Planned In Miami Beach

Miami FL

23 September, 2021

9:51 AM

Description

By Johania Charles, the Miami Times Sep 21, 2021 Miami Beach commissioners are using everything in their arsenal – including code enforcement, more police presence and a zero tolerance policy that encourages prosecution – to stop a recent surge of violence plaguing the city. Residents say they are fed up with the gun violence, stabbings and street brawls, but not everyone agrees on how to fix the problem. The resolutions, prompted by the murder of tourist Dustin Wakefield last month, call for reassigning 40 police officers a day to patrol Miami Beach, revisiting off-duty programs, more undercover officers, limiting the occupancy of short-term rentals, traffic control, enforcement of an existing marijuana ordinance, encouraging prosecution of detainees, noise management and restricting the use of Slingshot vehicles. Tuesday, Miami Beach's Black Affairs Advisory Committee released a statement echoing its frustration with the zero tolerance policy suggestion. "Strategic enforcement, increased prosecutions, high visibility and community dialogue will help deter [and] reduce crime in the Art Deco Cultural District (ADCD)," read the statement. "Not a policy of zero tolerance enforcement that will create additional distrust and historically target minorities and people of color." Last month, five Miami Beach police officers faced charges for their use of excessive force while detaining two Black men at a nearby hotel. One was an innocent bystander simply recording a rough arrest. Prior to that incident, the department faced scrutiny for the way officers dispersed a crowd of spring breakers, and crowd-controlling regulations that supposedly targeted a racial group. The committee's statement aligned with comments shared by Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez, who told Miami Beach commissioners that policing has evolved in such a way that makes a zero tolerance policy ineffective in curbing crime. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez embraces Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements at a commission meeting to discuss ways police can push down rising crime rates. (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) Ramirez, who was invited to a special commission meeting held Sept. 9 to discuss violence in Miami Beach, shared his department's strategy for curbing a wave of gun violence throughout the county earlier this year. "It was said that this summer would've been a bloody summer but I can tell you, that didn't happen," he told commissioners, crediting MDPD's engagement with community organizations like Circle of Brotherhood and anti-gun violence activist Tangela Sears for making that happen. "Policing in today's world, it's not zero tolerance ... whatever crime plan you come up with, you cannot cause a lack of distrust with the community." Though Ramirez offered to dispatch 10 MDPD officers to Miami Beach through December to help the city navigate its high crime rate, Group 4 Commissioner and Vice Mayor Steven Meiner was in stark opposition to the former's approach. Meiner immediately shot down the idea of an evolution in policing and stood firm on his decision to have those arrested in Miami Beach prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. During the commission meeting, he referenced the "Broken Windows Theory" to justify his position. The theory states that visible signs of crime and anti-social behavior encourages more crime in a given environment. Police departments from three jurisdictions descended on South Beach over the weekend to restore order. (Local10 News) Out of 418 arrests made in Miami Beach during the pandemic, 383 cases were dismissed by judges and prosecutors, according to Meiner. "That's over 90% of our cases," he said, demanding that someone be held responsible for what is going on. "We're going to [have to] start pointing fingers because we've gotten to a point where we just can't let it go ... we really have a moral obligation to do this ... for me personally, it hurts when someone is shot and killed on our streets." Meiner said he is willing to do whatever it takes, stating that he would reach out to the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office and the county to collect more data on the matter. He even went as far as suggesting that the U.S. Department of Justice get involved to prosecute some of the cases, or hiring a municipal prosecutor in Miami Beach to enforce legal consequences. "Perception is reality and the perception right now among those who live in this area, is really, really poor," he added. "People are saying that their lives have been upended [by the violence]." Last Friday, the commission was set to discuss agenda item R9 AL to decide whether the city should take a more aggressive stance on prosecuting Miami Beach visitors for law violations, but the item was rescheduled for an Ocean Drive workshop Sept. 23. Crowds on Ocean Drive a week before an evening brawl caused the Clevelander Hotel to close its restaurants, which contributed to the city's decision to impose a curfew. (Erik Bojnansky for The Miami Times) Another item proposed by Commissioner Mark Samuelian for implementing crime-mitigating solutions that include a significant police presence was rescheduled twice and reserved for the next meeting. "We've been seeing the problem escalating and getting worse so we have to take drastic action to let people know that crime is not acceptable on Miami Beach," Commissioner Michael Góngora told The Miami Times. "And we're going to have a zero tolerance on crime. If that brings less criminals or less people that want to engage in crimes here at the beach, then that's a good thing. We love tourism but we want tourists that want to follow the law." Other public safety-focused solutions discussed by the commissioners consist of installing security cameras, creating a real-time crime center with two crime analysts, providing housing stipends for sworn police and fire personnel, the creation of six code enforcement personnel positions dedicated to the ADCD, and increasing police recruitment with higher signing bonuses. Fabian Basabe, whose family owned the Boulevard Hotel on Miami Beach and operated two restaurants in the area, attended the latest commission meetings and expressed being in favor of the zero tolerance policy. "I think we have been very forgiving to a lot of little things. It's like raising kids – when you don't enforce the little rules, all of a sudden, they take, take, take, take," said the Miami Beach resident. "We've raised a monster that's uncontrollable right now. This is not just a community issue with bad tourists, we're a breeding ground. I want to live in a city where we don't have random acts of violent murders." Basabe said it may take more than just the zero tolerance policy. With the November commission election around the corner, he says the blame can also be placed on some of the city's leaders. Dozens of officers from the Miami Beach Police Department attend a commission meeting to discuss increasing police presence in the city. (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) "Maybe we have the wrong leaders," he said, disclosing a run for the Group 2 commission seat. Rev. Gary Johnson, the national president of King Clergy and Miami Beach police chaplain, said involving the community in the solution is what should be prioritized first. "How we police our community is important. There's gotta be some community input as well, it can't just be [asking] for more and more policing, without community involvement," he said. "It has to work hand and hand. We have to change the climate on policing as a whole, throughout the county, throughout the nation (and) the way we address and deal with our citizens because right now, you have the community against police departments." "I don't want people to perceive [our approach] as racially motivated," said Góngora. "And it's my hope that Black leaders will come and work with [Miami Beach officials]. This is a situation of crime versus noncrime." Góngora said the commission is expected to make a vote Sept. 23 and that residents can expect to see changes as soon as possible. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.