Sleepover held in South Beach park to protest ‘cruel’ treatment of homeless people
A group of protesters calling for better treatment of Miami-Dade County’s homeless population shouted over the din coming from thumping bars and restaurants on Ocean Drive around 7 p.m. Saturday.
“Rent is rising all the time. Homelessness is not a crime!” the group chanted as Drake and Rihanna songs played from South Beach bars across the street.
The Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity held a “sleepover” protest in Lummus Park on Saturday night in solidarity with Miami-Dade’s homeless population. Their plan is to spend the night in the park, even as the outer bands of Tropical Storm Debby sent gusty winds and squalls over South Florida. Citing Miami Beach’s expected crackdown on unsheltered homeless people outdoors this month, David Peery, the executive director of the coalition, said he expects police to arrest protesters after the park closes at 10 p.m.
At a news conference earlier this week, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said police would be enforcing the city’s anti-camping ordinance that prohibits sleeping in public. Violating the ordinance can result in a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.
Read more: Miami Beach to crack down on homeless residents sleeping outside in August
Saturday night brought strong winds to Miami Beach. Lightning was popping in the sky within the first hour of the protest, and it started raining heavily around 9 p.m.
Jonathan Gartrelle, a Miami Beach activist, led protesters in chants as they displayed a banner to passersby on Ocean Avenue. Some walking by took up the chants, echoing that homeless people want “housekeys, not handcuffs.”
Others piped up to oppose the group’s message. “Close the border!” shouted one man driving past on a golf cart.
Addressing the more than a dozen people gathered to protest on Saturday evening, Peery called for an end to the “cruel” and “inhumane” treatment of homeless people in Miami Beach and throughout Miami-Dade County.
“We want [people] to know that what Miami Beach is doing is outrageous,” Peery said.
Peery and his organization say Miami Beach’s anti-camping ordinance criminalizes homelessness. Instead of jailing people for sleeping outside, Peery said he supports a housing-first approach that would provide unconditional, permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness.
Peery called the anti-camping ordinance “racist” and said it is reminiscent of Miami Beach’s history as a “sundown town.” A sundown town refers to a place where Black people were historically required to leave before nightfall or risk being arrested or threats of violence.
He said policies like the anti-camping ordinance make the city “hostile to Black people and people of color.”
Gartrelle said he hoped Saturday’s protest would show both locals and tourists that homelessness is a serious problem in Miami Beach. He said he hoped it would help people “get their heads out of the sand.”
Miami Beach officials have defended their approach to homelessness while arrests have increased in recent months. The mayor and commissioners have framed their policies as tough-on-crime and necessary for public safety.
