Perhaps I’m being cynical, but I suspect that the media is being vague because they don’t like to report what demographics and area history suggest is black-on-black crime, almost certainly committed with illegally-acquired weapons by gang members with extensive criminal records.
GANG. There, I said it. That is the word that the NOLA media refuses to say and for both political and economic reasons. The same happens here in Magic City USA where the fun under the sun makes for a substantial part of the tri-county area income.
In the last several weeks, there has been a series of shootings of young people in the North West area and related to High Schools, but if you go by what appear on the press, they have no sense whatsoever as they just sprout as if by magic. The drug trade is still strong and violent in places like Miami Gardens and Liberty City, traditionally Black neighborhoods and the same for Homestead and Florida City, but this one comes in Central American immigrant flavor. In fact, there is an estimate of 70 gangs active through the Miami Dade County area (2011 numbers) with over 2,300 members but probably more.
But try to find info in the Miami Herald or in the local news and other than telling you that somebody got killed or wounded, you won’t get any other details. You see, Gangs are bad for the image of the county and the image of the politicians. The Miami Dade leadership still reels when some foreign paper mentions the attacks on Tourists in the 90s and local business groups go into panic sh*t-fit mode, afraid that they will lose hotel occupancy and the corresponding taxes that come with it. And the politicians that need poor screwed up victims, cannot admit that gangs are the problem and that the cops need to get medieval because they made their lives and careers crapping on cops. If you want to know about gangs in South Florida, you have to tune to TV shows like The First 48 or documentaries.
So what happens? If there is no “gang problem”, then there is no urgent need to attack it. That bodies keep falling and good people are hostages at the mercy of politically and economically untouchable criminals. Complain about it and you will tagged as racist or somebody wanting to rock the economic boat.
The body of a black child in a street of Miami Gardens is an acceptable way of doing business in this town as long as the lights in Miami Beach or the Art District keep shinning bright.
I watch a lot of First 48. Another thing you see often is a murder suspect in his late teens/early twenties having previous weapons charges yet they’re out on the streets killing people. It’s obvious they’re getting a slap on the wrist for being a felon in possession.
Those are not “gangs”. They are social clubs that have a long history of supporting the community economically. I know this because I read it in the MSM.
:barf:
stay safe.