Miami Beach struggled to control large Miami Beach spring break crowds, with many people defying COVID-19 safety precautions. Multiple videos showing the crowds went viral, and you can see some of them throughout this article.
Photos also captured the scene of large and chaotic crowds including fights that broke out in the streets. Some of the videos have had more than 600,000 views on Twitter.
The Miami Beach curfew isn’t going so well pic.twitter.com/ixkuVLqc5v
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) March 21, 2021
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CNN, “If you’re coming here to go crazy, go somewhere else. We don’t want you.” He also said, “It feels like a rock concert, wall-to-wall people over blocks and blocks.” Police tried to enforce an 8 p.m. curfew on Saturday night, March 20, 2021.
Miami Beach @MayorDanGelber's message to spring breakers: “If you’re coming here to go crazy, go somewhere else. We don’t want you.” pic.twitter.com/GGRciCxDjJ
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) March 20, 2021
Here’s what you need to know:
The City Passed Emergency Measures to Deal With the Crowds
GettyPeople enjoy themselves on the beach on March 16, 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida. College students have arrived in the South Florida area for the annual spring break ritual. City officials are concerned with large spring break crowds as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They are advising people to wear masks if they cannot social distance.
Miami Beach responded with a statement of emergency and curfew. “In response to the State of Emergency for the High Impact Period in the City of Miami Beach’s entertainment district, the Interim City Manager has implemented the following updated emergency measures, effective tonight through Monday, March 22 at 6 a.m.,” the site wrote in a statement.
The national media will tell you #MiamiBeach issued a state of emergency and shut down because of the crowds and some will lie and say it's because of Covid. That's only half the story. Here are some videos of what is really going on.
This happened TWICE at the same Resturant pic.twitter.com/n2aPnRlAHX
— Mommar (@MisterCommodity) March 21, 2021
It provided these provisions,
“Eastbound lanes on the MacArthur Causeway and Julia Tuttle Causeway shall be completely CLOSED to traffic from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m., except to City residents, guests of hotels in the City, and employees of business establishments in the City.”
Here’s Miami Beach tonight, 10 minutes after new 8 p.m. city-wide curfew.
City also declared a State of Emergency today in light of larger than expected #SpringBreak crowds. @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/D6aCjgE2cf
— Brooke Shafer (@BrookeShaferTV) March 21, 2021
“Eastbound lanes on the Venetian Causeway shall be completely CLOSED to traffic from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m., except to City residents.”
“Effective from 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. a curfew shall be imposed ONLY in the area bounded by 5 Street on the south, 16 Street on the north, Pennsylvania Avenue on the west, and Ocean Drive on the east (the “High Impact Zone”). Restaurants within the High Impact Zone shall be permitted to continue to operate for delivery services only. Pursuant to Section 26-33(a)(1) of the City Code, the curfew shall not apply to the provision of designated essential services, such as fire, police and hospital services, including the transportation of patients thereto, utility emergency repairs, emergency calls by physicians, and individuals making deliveries from restaurants.”
Ron DeSantis refused to issue a statewide mask mandate. When cities and counties did he prohibited them. This is the result last night in Miami Beach. Now Miami Beach is in lockdown. Ron DeSantis has blood all over his hands pic.twitter.com/CjgA9S9EVN
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) March 20, 2021
“From 8 p.m. through 6 a.m., Ocean Drive shall be CLOSED to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, except to City residents requiring access to or from their homes, guests of hotels requiring access to or from their hotels, and employees of business establishments. Other public roads within the High Impact Zone may be closed as deemed necessary by the Interim City Manager or Chief of Police.”
Thank goodness Governor DeSantis defeated COVID-19 before tonight’s festivities in Miami Beach pic.twitter.com/9pByzQIPjs
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) March 21, 2021
“From 7 p.m. through 6 a.m., all sidewalk café operations, including expanded outdoor restaurant seating, shall be SUSPENDED in the High Impact Zone, pursuant to the City’s High Impact Ordinance and City Commission Resolution No. 2021-31599. All sidewalk café operators are directed to stack or remove tables and chairs no later than 8 p.m. each night.”
GettyMiami Beach spring break crowds.
Miami Beach police have made arrests and confiscated firearms. “#YourMBPD is working hard to keep our community safe. Since Friday, we have made over 50 arrests and confiscated 8 firearms. We’d like to thank all of our partner law enforcement agencies for their efforts and support,” they wrote on Twitter on March 21, 2021.
Police shared this video of them disbursing crowds.
An aerial view from Ocean Drive and 8 Street after officers began dispersing crowds due to the 8PM curfew in the Miami Beach Entertainment District. #MBPDprotecting pic.twitter.com/1JDrlLVVX6
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 21, 2021
According to the Miami Herald, the police response included “Pepper-spray balls, SWAT teams and a military-style vehicle.”
A friend of mine recorded this in Miami Beach during spring break last night. pic.twitter.com/YHqjMB8eFL
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) March 19, 2021
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is well-known for his defiance against greater COVID-19 precautions.
Miami Beach spring break curfew about to start for second night. As DeSantis brags Florida is “an oasis of freedom” so come on down America. Enjoy your freedom during the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/3XNwc1leAY
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) March 22, 2021
“I think officers felt threatened at the time,” the police chief said to the Miami Herald. “There has to be an element there of either the crowd fighting or coming at officers.”
WATCH: A car burned in Miami Beach amid concerns over large spring break crowds. Authorities responded by declaring a state of emergency and setting a curfew, among other precautionary measures. https://t.co/wW8HDhKnIw pic.twitter.com/LRvuboYjFZ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 21, 2021
The chief said the officers wouldn’t use pepper spray without feeling threatened by surging crowds, according to the newspaper.
Miami Beach Police meant business❗️
SWAT enforcing 8pm Curfew earlier! pic.twitter.com/P37tp3InwJ
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) March 21, 2021
READ NEXT: Wife Shoots D.C. Police Detective Husband After Sharing Wedding Video, Police Say
No comments:
Post a Comment