The authorities of Miami and the inhabitants of the city - a great mecca for international tourism -
are fed up with the "Spring break"
, the spring break period for university students from the United States, who usually arrive in huge waves from all over the world. the country to that corner of Florida to go to the beach, drink alcohol and have fun.
The drama is that this flood
usually gets out of control and explodes tragically
, like this weekend, when two young people were murdered in one of the busiest streets and one of them died.
Students are simply not welcome anymore.
"It is time for the Spring Break party to end in Miami Beach," the
Miami Herald
newspaper claimed in an editorial on Monday
and wondered how to discourage the arrival of young people to the city en masse in this period that extends from mid-March to early April, because spring break is a different week in each state and university.
Student parties tend to be concentrated in South Beach, particularly on Ocean Drive, a promenade lined with bars, restaurants, and places to dance, but also in and around Lincoln Center.
These places are also very frequented by tourists.
Dance on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.
AP Photo
excesses
But
the excesses do not only happen at night
because young people go to the beaches during the day en masse with refrigerators full of alcohol (although it is prohibited) and fights often break out.
Not to mention the tons of trash they leave on the sand.
Early Sunday morning there were shots fired on Eleventh Street and Ocean Drive and people stampeded.
When the police arrived they found a man lying on the floor who died hours later.
According to the footage from the security cameras, the perpetrator of the attack would have targeted that particular person.
There is a detainee who is "cooperating" and
four weapons were found in the area
.
On Friday, two other youths had been shot at Ocean Drive and Sixth Street, one of whom was killed and another wounded.
Jocelyn Castillo, a 30-year-old influencer who lives in Midtown Miami, told Clarín
:
“We are tired of this.
I don't know of any Miami native who wants to go out and enjoy the beach on Spring break dates
because of how dangerous South Beach is right now
.
Every year it is always the same and we do not see changes.
Also the people who work in the shops on the beach are fed up”.
People on the streets of Miami Beach.
AP Photo
“This week South Beach is too unsafe,” he adds.
“Worst of all, we see no movement from our leaders.
Something has to change."
He proposes, for example, that hotel rates be raised for those dates or that bars close earlier.
The complaints
After the attack on Sunday,
the authorities immediately decreed a curfew
in that area from midnight to 6 in the morning and planned to renew it this Monday for the entire week.
The limit time for the sale of alcohol could also be lowered to 2 in the morning, which until now is 5. In the United States, the consumption of alcohol by persons under 21 years of age is prohibited.
Laura Blas, from turistaenmiami.com, a site with tourist information for Miami, told
Clarín
that “as locals we know that student trips are chaotic and there is a lot of lack of control.
So we avoided the tourist area.
Luckily we have a beautiful state where we can go, both on the east and west coasts.”
"Two deaths on the weekend, a lot of alcohol and surely some substance generate violence every year,
the police cannot cope
," he added.
“I advise tourists to avoid South Beach and take advantage of other areas, we have miles of public beaches,” she added.
The city leaders have tried to control the excesses, but nothing seems to achieve.
“There are too many people, too much alcohol
, too many weapons – at least 70 have been confiscated so far.
Every night, Ocean Drive becomes an explosive place no matter how many police officers are on the ground,” warns the Miami Herald.
“Some say the late-night sale of alcoholic beverages is to blame;
others say that all the excesses occur in the streets.
Thank God there were no more casualties, given the packed crowd and stampede after the shooting on Sunday,” he added.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said: "We've never wanted spring break.
Who wants thousands of young people visiting their city to act lawless for some rite of passage?"
.
bp
look too
Miami Beach: state of emergency declared after two shootings with fatalities
The terrible video that shows the execution of a man on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach