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Cuban Americans have been successful in adjusting to the life in Miami. The Cuban influx was greatly affecting the city, driving its natives to emigrate up north, in search for a more familiar cultural setting. This success in assimilation has led to friction between Cubans and African Americans, many of whom felt politically marginalized and economically disabled. This friction led to the 1980 Overtown riot. Overtown, also known as Harlem in the South, was the center of thriving black community in Miami. However due to police brutality that reflected police mistreatment as well as neglect of black community by Miami’s political leaders, who were predominantly Cuban Americans, riots exploded in Overtown. [1] [2]
The McDuffie riot killed 18 people and changed the whole neighborhood. Hundreds were injured and a thousand were arrested. It also destroyed about 280 businesses that generated thousands of jobs in Miami. These jobs never came back according to Marvin Dunn, a professor at Florida International University and co-author of The Miami Riot of 1980: Crossing the Bounds. Most of the federal funds that were allotted to deal with the riot were given to white and Hispanic business owners who ended up leaving Overtown. [3] Overtown’s fall continued as the 1956 plan for the Florida State Road Department was enacted. The new expressway, I-95, took up twenty square blocks of densely settled land. This expressway ripped through the center of Overtown dislocating about 10,000 people. T. William Fair, director of the Greater Miami Urban League says that the urban renewal and the building of the expressway helped destroy the community. Reverend Bryan Walsh, director of the Catholic Services Bureau in Miami stated in a 1981 interview that many of the problems faced by the city at that time can be traced to the construction of I-95. The expressway’s construction shows how the planners had little understanding for the community’s needs. [3] Efforts in reviving the community have been constant in the last three decades. Although success has been sporadic, the community is revitalizing slowly. Banks have returned in seventh, 27th, 54th, and 62nd Street. New supermarkets and shopping centers have also been reopened with multimillion-dollar investments. The local government also has an effort in encouraging small businesses through the distribution of grants. Regular bus tours are given to potential investors to entice them with building new housing to attract more investors. [4] |
Sources:
[1] Portes, A., & Stepick, A. (1993). City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami. Berkeley: University of California Press.
[2] Cuban Immigrants. 2015. Immigration to the United States. Retrieved 12:37, August 27, 2015, from http://immigrationtounitedstates.org.
[3] Mohl, A. R. (1989). Shadows in the Sunshine: Race and Ethnicity in Miami. Tequesta: The Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida, vol. 49, pages 63-80. http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu
[4] McDuffie riot memories fade in Liberty City, but neighborhood still bears deep scars. May 16, 2010. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 12:52, August 27, 2015, from http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Media:
(2008, October 23). Liberty City Riots.Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/libertycityriots/about
[1] Portes, A., & Stepick, A. (1993). City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami. Berkeley: University of California Press.
[2] Cuban Immigrants. 2015. Immigration to the United States. Retrieved 12:37, August 27, 2015, from http://immigrationtounitedstates.org.
[3] Mohl, A. R. (1989). Shadows in the Sunshine: Race and Ethnicity in Miami. Tequesta: The Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida, vol. 49, pages 63-80. http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu
[4] McDuffie riot memories fade in Liberty City, but neighborhood still bears deep scars. May 16, 2010. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 12:52, August 27, 2015, from http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Media:
(2008, October 23). Liberty City Riots.Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/libertycityriots/about