Local activists in Miami Beach are calling out the city's spring break state of emergency declaration as being based on race and not on any real threat.
The city raised the spring break crowd control alert to a community-wide state of emergency has left some confused and frustrated since the same declaration has only ever been made during a hurricane, global pandemic, and when the condo building in Surfside collapsed last year, The Miami Herald reported.
"The only emergency is that Black people are on the beach," Stephen Hunter Johnson, who is a member of the Miami-Dade Black Advisory Council, told the newspaper. "I don't understand how this town has been doing spring break for at least 25 years and can't figure it out," Johnson added.
Florida state lawmaker and former Miami Beach commissioner Michael Grieco has also come out against the city's move, stating, "The state of emergency is an abuse of governmental power, and it scares the crap out of me."
The declaration was announced to be made this week after two shootings left five people injured, the outlet reported. There would be a 12 a.m. curfew in the South Beach area to stem crowds.
Exact details about what the city plans to enforce have not been released. A copy of the emergency order has to be signed by City Manager Alina Hudak, The Herald reported.
Officials have so far hinted that they would implement a 6 a.m. curfew for prime areas including between South Pointe Drive and 23rd Street. Traffic barriers would also go up to stop nonresidents from entering certain neighborhoods, according to the report.
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