Obviously, there was a failure to communicate.
In a blatantly thoughtless act, workers showed up Wednesday morning at a long-standing homeless encampment under an Overtown overpass, posted a metal sign in the ground saying anyone on the premises was trespassing, then forcibly removed the people — yes, the homeless are people, too — to who-knows-where.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The workers, of course, were following ill-thought-out orders, gathering the heap of belongings left behind in the makeshift tents set up along Northwest Second Avenue and 11th Street in Miami. By Wednesday night, the Greater Miami ACLU and Southern Legal Council, sent a letter to the leaders of Miami, Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Transportation, calling the eviction an “indefensible and inhumane assault.”
In Alachua County, they have just removed a homeless encampment. According to a Gainesville Sun letter to the editor, these people have dispersed to a wooded area close to where their encampment once stood. Apparently they were on land owned by he Department of Corrections and the Department of Corrections does not have a reputation for rehabilitating anyone. This land is close to the county jail were some people have to register and is therefore convenient for the homeless who are on the registry.
According to a previous article in the Gainesville paper, there is a homeless shelter in that area, but they do not have room for everyone, so many had to use tents outside. Unlike many other homeless shelters, this homeless shelter takes in some registrants. The paper said that this particular shelter has had a good deal of success in helping people get back on their feet by assisting in finding jobs and a place to live. This shelter is probably a model for others to follow. It is too bad the FDC does not want to work with the shelter to eliminate some of the homeless situations.
A little off topic now, but I just read an article from the Space Coast Daily at spacecoastdaily.com. They have run an article showing the pictures and information on registrants in a particular town in Brevard County. I would like to know how many of these registrants will be the recipients of vigilantism due to this article being published. I have seen this in other parts of the country but never in Florida. Flyers mailed out are bad enough, but putting all of this in the local news is disgusting. Does anyone know if this is done in other municipalities in Florida?
Yeah for them to post that stuff must mean those people are under investigation they are suspects that’s why they are warning people they suspect those people to commit crime only they don’t know when or which life or if ever so they put it out to the public to investigate and stalk these people. You’d think there is some due process violations here. I mean if a guy sells drugs 20 years ago the cops that gives the right to knock on their door and ask them questions hell no it don’t.
I worked for a municipal government for 30+ years and miscommunication between departments was a problem. It was a city of 70,000 and definitely not Miami Dade size but the person at the top was ultimately responsible for all actions taken or not taken, in our case it was a City Manager. I’m not familiar with what type of government Miami-Dade is but no matter the form there is ALWAYS someone ultimately responsible. I didn’t see anywhere in the article that a person in that position took responsibility/accountability for the action. That’s an angle that the Herald should investigate and report on.
First, a big thank you to the Dream Defenders for being there to witness this travesty. Secondly, a thank you to Carl Juste and the Miami Herald Editorial Board for bringing to light this inhumane action. I only wish they had gone further and revisited the many acts of past cruelty to the homeless by the City of Miami and Ron Crook.
There was NO failure to communicate! To say mayor gimmeknees and crook had no knowledge of this action is nothing short of a bald-faced lie. Instead they infer that the Neighborhood Enhancement Team is to blame. Casting the NET as some rogue entity when they are in fact a government agency with a bloated budget that mostly goes to pay the engorged salaries of the “administrators” suckling on the tax payers teat.
The NET mission statement is laughable and is de facto proof of an unnecessary government agency:
“NET helps residents, businesses and property owners access city, county, state and federal government services. Our NET offices strive to raise the quality of life in Miami neighborhoods by providing resources, as well as information, and serving as the primary link to City government.”
Aren’t City of Miami employees already being paid to serve the residents? WTF?
https://www.miamigov.com/Government/Departments-Organizations/Neighborhood-Enhancement-Team-NET
As for Overtown, another “team” of teat sucklers that can be found here:
https://www.miamigov.com/Government/Departments-Organizations/Neighborhood-Enhancement-Team-NET/NET-Offices/Overtown-NET-at-Overtown-Shopping-Center
They should all be included in a new lawsuit by the ACLU and Southern Legal Council.
Wake up Miami!
They are doing them a favor maybe they will go somewhere better than Miami. Place is a shit hole
I think the author was under the impression that Ron Book’s chairmanship of Miami’s homeless trust had something to do with his concern for the plight of Miami’s homeless. My guess is that most of the interest the trust earns is paying the board’s salaries, starting with his own.
Miami Homeless Trust pays salaries?? How much? Who pays?
Anyone know?
What an Orwellian concept the Miami Homeless Trust is. Those of you who’ve read ‘1984’ will recall the Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Love, and how their names alone were intended to promote doublethink. By the same token, the Miami Homeless Trust is chaired by a champion of laws that mandate homelessness, and he’s not embarrassed about that. I don’t get it!
Very depressing story
guess they don’t follow Governors orders of no evictions
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
Matthew 25:42,43 &45
Did anyone see this comment from a FB reader;
Andy Perez
Or they can do nothing and end up like San Francisco, crap, piss and needles everywhere. I was in San Fran last summer and couldn’t wait to leave. Don’t go there it’s not safe or fun , it’s crap everywhere
I guess Andy doesn’t know the difference between the homeless encampments on a city street sidewalk in San Francisco and the encampments UNDER A BRIDGE in Miami.
I see dumb comments like this all the time. Goes to show that lots of people don’t comprehend what they read, or probably skip through most of what’s written in the article past the headline. These are the kind of people who don’t know or ever learn the details of what can land people on the SOR which many people (due to sheer stupidity) refer to as “the pedophile list”. 🤦🏻♂️
Are there no limits to the evil assholism of those “running” the state? This is nothing short of attempted murder and if any of those poor already abused souls dies I hope that those responsible are charged!
This is no time for petty revenge which is the ONLY thing that the hit list aka the registry is for! Just ask Lauren Book as she is the queen of petty revenge.
Stay safe as possible there in Floriduh…