NAACP Presses Miami Beach To Save Urban Beach Week

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Reverberations from a series of violent attacks over the long Memorial Day Weekend continue to be felt in this urban beach town. Representatives from the Miami area chapter of the NAACP sought to "address the elephant in the room" on Wednesday night while Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco vowed to protect his city from the annual spike in crime around the predominantly African-American crowd that attends the unsanctioned Urban Beach Week gathering.

"We have a significant increase in crime during that weekend to the point where residents in the city of Miami Beach leave by the thousands," insisted Grieco, a former prosecutor who is running for mayor. "They lock their doors. Businesses close because of the size of the crowds and because of the behavior not because of any other reason." (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

But representatives of the Miami-Dade County chapter of the NAACP contend that only a small percentage of the estimated 250,000 people who attend the event cause problems. They argue that it would be wrong to treat Urban Beach Weekend differently from any other large gathering in Miami Beach.

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They also reminded officials of a time when African-American people were not welcome to walk along the sand.

"My mother, when she was a young lady, had to have an ID to come on the beach," explained the first vice president of the Miami-Dade County branch of the NAACP. "Black folks could not partake in the going to the beach and dipping in the water. We had to go to Virginia Key beach which was the black beach."

Mayor Philip Levine announced that he would convene a blue-ribbon panel to examine issues surrounding Urban Beach Week and make recommendations. He hinted that the recommendation might include adding more structure to the event along with participation by the city in some fashion.

Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who is running for Congress, apologized to the NACCP representatives for public remarks she made concerning the Memorial Day weekend incidents. She had urged the city to take away the body cameras of its police force and give officers back their bullets.

"I just wanted to apologize for my words which were insensitive," she explained. "I learned a valuable lesson that words matter. Words matter just as much as actions do."

Prior to Wednesday's meeting, Levine had already sought to address the spike in crime by limiting alcohol sales along Ocean Drive. The iconic outdoor cafes that line the 10-block strip serve alcohol until 5 a.m. but would be forced to stop serving at 2 a.m. under the proposal, which will be put to a voter referendum. The restriction would not affect indoor hotel bars.

Levine called for the restriction after a series of violent incidents over Memorial Day weekend left two people dead and at least three others injured.

He has insisted that all groups are welcome in the city to which Grieco added the following caveat:

"Everyone’s not welcome here if you are going to come here and victimize people regardless as to your skin," Grieco said.

Photo of Ocean Drive by Paul Scicchitano