SPRING Break cops have been accused of racism for using pepper balls and sound cannon to control crowds of black revellers. As authorities extended the 8 pm curfew for spring breakers, a SWAT team tried to break up rowdy revellers by using pepper spray balls, a move that was branded “unnecessary force.” “I was very disappointed,” […]
SPRING Break cops have been accused of racism for using pepper balls and sound cannon to control crowds of black revellers.
As authorities extended the 8 pm curfew for spring breakers, a SWAT team tried to break up rowdy revellers by using pepper spray balls, a move that was branded “unnecessary force.”
“I was very disappointed,” Stephen Hunter Johnson, chairman of Miami-Dade’s Black Affairs Advisory Committee, told the Miami Herald.
“I think when they’re young Black people [on South Beach], the response is, ‘Oh my God, we have to do something.’”
He continued by likening the city’s tactics to a “war on spring break”, adding that the Saturday night’s show of “unnecessary force” was “performative” for residents who’ve been calling City Hall to complain.
He also noted that police gave only a few hours’ notice about the curfew and started firing pepper balls before 10 p.m.
He said police’s handling of the matter reminded him of how Miami police handled Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer.
Meanwhile, Daniella Pierre, president of the NAACP’s Miami-Dade chapter, tweeted “#SpringBreakingWhileBlack” on Saturday night and added, “Unacceptable to say the least.”
After weeks of partying on the South Beach by spring breakers, city officials voted to extend the 8 pm curfew for another week during an emergency meeting on Sunday.
The curfew from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m., was decided in response to large crowds of spring breakers and will be possibly extended into April if needed.
Restaurants were forced to halt outdoor dining while local businesses were advised to shut down.
But officials emphasised this wasn’t the typical spring break crowd; adults looking to let loose rather than college students.
Commenting on the decision to declare a state of emergency, Miami City Manager Raul Aguila said, “As we hit the peak of the peak of spring break, we are quite simply overwhelmed.”
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber declared the state of emergency saying the crowds that have descended on the city recently are “more than we can handle”.
“Too many are coming, really, without the intention of following the rules, and the result has been a level of chaos and disorder that is just something more than we can endure,” Gelber told CNN.
Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements told the Miami Herald on Sunday that his officers only fired tear gas as the crowd began to surge toward them.
He added that police wouldn’t fire the pepper balls simply to break up a crowd of people and that the incident would be reviewed internally.
“I think officers felt threatened at the time,” the chief said. “There has to be an element thereof either the crowd fighting or coming at officers.”
A SWAT team vehicle was filmed moving down Ocean Drive on Saturday, telling people that they need to disperse.
After authorities began firing pepper balls into the crowd, revellers started fleeing the scene.
Miami Beach police said on Sunday afternoon they have made more than 50 arrests and confiscated at least eight firearms since Friday.
Just days ago 150 people were arrested in Miami after brawls broke out.
