The Miami Sound, Diversity Hitting the Fan

Caught On Tape: Miami Beach Shooting - Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Police, gunmen open fire on South Beach; two officers injured - MiamiHerald.com expands on what's happening in this video.

We could say that diversity, i.e. less White people, isn't "our" strength, it's their strength. But that would be "racist". When the diverse question how much diversity is good for themselves, that's another story.

Gay activist Herb Sosa: South Beach a 'war zone;' demands end to Urban Weekend:

It shows our city as nothing short of a warzone - Filthy streets, a drive by shooting, multiple cars crashed in the process, and total chaos on the streets. This is unacceptable and must be controlled before we totally lose our city, tourism & residents. It is not limited to Ocean Drive or Collins - there isn't a residential street in South Beach not affected by tons of garbage, crime to our vehicles, excessive noise 24 hours a day, and simply a lack of respect for our community, citizens & property. THIS is the image the world see of our "American Riviera".

When did perceived political or social correctness override the safety & well-being of a community? This is not a race, economic or ethnic issue, it is an issue of visitors who have a total lack of respect for our community, its property & citizens. I know hotel rooms are filled, but at what price and for how long?

If Whites were involved in violence of this sort in any significant way the media would no doubt be filled with outraged non-White voices directing fear and loathing at the ugly, stupid, greedy, lazy people involved. Heck, that's how they talk about the Tea Party, even when there is no criminality or violence they can point at.

But in this case, if you hadn't already guessed, the criminality and violence associated with Miami's Urban Weekend is ineffably black. So very circumspect odecay-eakspay is the rule.

Miami Beach Memorial Day parties still polarizing - MiamiHerald.com:

A decade after Internet buzz, radio DJs and word of mouth spawned the first Urban Beach Week — turning a typically busy but low-key holiday weekend into a hip-hop fueled street party that drew an estimated 250,000 people — the annual, unofficial bash still draws mixed reviews.

Hoteliers rejoice at booked rooms, while some restaurateurs and retailers lament that the often-rowdy crowds drive off locals.

Fans and performers say the parties have evolved, attracting older fans and even families. Yet some neighbors gripe about young people drinking and dancing in front of their homes. And then there’s the cost of policing the event, expected to reach roughly $1 million this weekend.

While the event draws a largely black crowd, David Kelsey, president of the South Beach Hotel & Restaurant Association, says friction over the holiday weekend has been less about race than the conflict between the young party crowd and the luxury tourist clientele Miami Beach actively courts.

“There’s still a gulf between the crowd we’re attracting and the crowd we really want to attract and need for future business,” Kelsey said.

Between the fact that the crowd is overwhelmingly black and its behavior is being criticized, you might think it's a slam dunk to paint "racism" as the problem.

As we've been told for decades now, "racism" is a White thing, and there just aren't many Whites involved here, except in running away. The people being imposed upon by diversity are diverse. Thus the story gets the "it's really really complicated" treatment. Like Miami's black/hispanic political squabble, this isn't about race - definitely not - it's about, well, stay tuned they're feverishly working on the narrative that ties it all to "racism".

Carlene Sawyer, former president of the Greater Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said she has seen more mature visitors recently.

“You hear all this rhetoric,” said Sawyer, who as in other years will be on South Beach to monitor the city’s policing of the crowds. “But the people who are coming are buying plane tickets and hotel rooms. And they’re not 18 anymore. They’re 25, 30 and 35 years old.”

Hip hop artists like Ludacris and Busta Rhymes have helped draw crowds typically estimated between 200,000 and 300,000 each year — rivaling even Super Bowl throngs.

“This is the best time of year for us,” said Monika Olimpiew, general manager of SoBe Live, a club that this weekend is featuring acts like rap group Travis Porter and R&B singer Keri Hilson.

People on scooters weave around the Lamborghinis and bass-thumping Cadillacs that crawl down Ocean Drive — which will be closed to traffic this year. The street scene has been good to Prestige Luxury Auto Rentals in Miami, which had rented out 80 percent of its stock by Tuesday, including all its $2,000-a-day Lamborghinis and even pricier Ferraris.

So much for the disingenuous suggestion in the quote above that the conflict is between "the young party crowd" and "the luxury tourist clientele". On Urban Beach Week these groups are one and the same.

Perception of crime and violence has been one of Urban Beach Week’s biggest issues.

Miami Beach Commissioner Ed Tobin said last year he rode with police to see what officers deal with, including gun confiscations — 24 last year, down from a peak of 73 in 2006.

“I would not want anyone that I know, a friend or visitor, to be outside on South Beach after 11 p.m. on this weekend because it is dangerous despite what seemed like thousands of police officers at every corner,” he said.

Perceptions are only taken seriously when they come from non-Whites. Perceptions are only taken as problematic when they reflect badly on non-Whites. In Miami we see both, and therein lies the media's conundrum in covering (literally) what's happening during Urban Beach Week.

For Police Chief Carlos Noriega, dealing with the crowds has been tricky. On one hand, his department has been criticized as being too lax. On the other, they were accused of racial profiling by the ACLU and NAACP in 2006 after arresting more than 1,000 people.

Now, police typically meet with ACLU representatives and the U.S. Department of Justice to go over enforcement plans. Noriega said police now overlook minor offenses and focus more on major crimes and crowd control.

“This is something we’ve become accustomed to,” he said.

Don't worry, the ACLU and NAACP are in control.

We long ago became accustomed to seeing violence in our cities. The same pattern of violent behavior repeats itself whenever and wherever a critical mass of non-Whites collect. Today a related pattern is associated with the critical mass of non-Whites in media and non-White activist organizations. They make excuses and redirect blame to protect the fragile egos of non-Whites. What's good for non-Whites is regarded as an important and interesting debate. The question of what's good for Whites is regarded as a sign of insane evil. In Miami, where so few Whites remain (82.4% diverse and quickly approaching perfection), the question doesn't even come up.

UPDATE 1 Jun 2011: The original video was withdrawn. Replaced it with another version.