Fighting Namelessness: A Cause Worthy of Public Support

We can’t afford to lose “Hope in Miami Beach,” as “Hope” offers crucial services to many people who are trying to improve their lives [Murmurs, “Hope Sinks?” published March 1]. Have you ever tried getting a job, or doing anything without ID papers, like a Social Security card, a picture ID, a mailing address? The ID papers help individuals get jobs, cash checks, get housing and food stamps, and other services, like medical care. But more importantly, these papers give back an identity to these individuals, and a sense of dignity. They become persons with names, and addresses; they are no longer just one more homeless person. They now have the potential to apply for jobs, to become useful members of society. And many of them do go back to work.

How much does it cost to get ID papers? In part, it depends on the cost of getting a birth certificate, which varies from state to state. But without the birth certificate, a person cannot get any of the other papers, and is literally doomed to remaining nameless, and often, on the streets. The social cost of homelessness is much greater than the cost of providing the documentation that will enable homeless persons to become productive members of society.

To continue the priceless services Hope in Miami Beach provides, some funding must be found. My suggestions: Instead of reimbursing Miami Beach homeowners $200, as the city of Miami Beach did last year, how about using those monies to support Hope? Alternatively, reallocate some funds from other programs, like Art in Public Places (who needs a $500,000 sculpture of an iceberg in South Pointe Park?). Or allocate a small percentage of the hotel and visitor tax toward getting people proper ID papers, thus alleviating the problem of homelessness, joblessness and hopelessness. Faith, hope and charity are fundamental beliefs shared by many faiths. Let’s not change hope into hopelessness or despair.

S. Ospina, Miami Beach

The CRA: Killing Us With Promises

Dear Editor,

I read Erik Bojnansky’s article about the Community Redevelopment Agency and what’s going on in our area and I feel like selling my properties and businesses and moving elsewhere [“What Revitalization?” published March 1].

We are a group of property and business owners around the Omni and Park West, and we have been waiting for the CRA to do something in the area for the last seven years. We have been promised that the CRA will spend the money of our taxes back into the neighborhood and improve it, as is required by city guidelines.

First it was Margaret Pace [Park], and a lot of CRA money went there. The CRA said after the park they would put the money into the area west of Biscayne Boulevard. Then it was the performing arts center and again we have been asked to wait, and now they are talking about the stadium!

The city of Miami and the CRA are killing the area and killing us. They are doing nothing to improve the area as they promised! Only investing in light, signage, landscaping, etc. will change the area and give the people the secure feeling they need to be able to walk the streets of downtown.

Unfortunately the Miami politicians are only proving they do not have any vision and all they care about is big-scale developers. When it comes down to the business owners and property owners, they do nothing. All they are doing is raising taxes every year and taking the money to other big, money-consuming projects. For the last seven years they did not put one sign, one plant or new light poles in our area.

Shame on them.

Gil Terem, Miami

The CRA: Not Quite as Important as a Water Main Break

Dear Erik,

Thank you for a very informative, complete and well-written article [“What Revitalization?” published March 1]. I am especially appreciative as I had planned to attend the meeting; however, I live on Avocado Avenue. All my neighbors called Commissioner Marc Sarnoff’s office regarding the water main break. I called the fire department. Unfortunately, I think he missed an important vote.

Nina West, Coconut Grove

The CRA: Should Really Concentrate on Getting Rid of Trees, Weeds, Litter, Barbed Wire and Questionable Hotels

I enjoyed your article “What Revitalization?” [published March 1]. I think that the best way to reduce littering and panhandling in the Performing Arts District is to improve visibility by completely eliminating the tree-like weeds that line the Carnival Center's parking lots. People are less likely to litter and panhandle when they can be clearly seen from blocks away.

The most critical areas for possible vegetation reduction are the adjoining lots bounded by 14th and 13th streets, Northeast First Court and Second Avenue, and the lot where the construction trailers used to be between 12th and 13th streets. Large trees in these lots could also be removed.

Vegetation reduction in these areas could induce the next logical step toward neighborhood improvement: removal of the barbed wire atop the fences along Northeast First Court and Northeast 13th Street.

The ultimate visibility measure would be to remove the parking-lot fences entirely, although the neighborhood may not yet be safe enough for such action.

I worked at the Carnival Center for more than two years as a day laborer, and, as it neared completion, I offered my services as a parking lots litter-remover and weed-trimmer to Johnson Controls, the Carnival Center’s Weston-based facility-management firm.

Johnson Controls didn’t respond to my phone messages, but I did notice that some weed trimming has occurred. As I mentioned earlier, these weeds, which often get enmeshed in the fences, should be completely removed.

A good example of improved visibility in this neighborhood is the lot at the northeast corner of Northeast First Avenue and Northeast 14th Street. Tall weeds that were growing through the fence and over the sidewalk were cut back and derooted. Unfortunately, the adjacent lot, which lies between Dependable Temps, Inc., at 119 NE 14th St., and the corner property, has not been similarly improved.

A contributing factor to the seediness of this neighborhood is the poorly managed Willard Garden Hotel at 124 NE 14th St. The mostly absentee owner should rent a large Dumpster or pickup truck to haul away the old mattresses and other hotel detritus that sit in the alley on the west side of the hotel. In addition, the smell of pot is common, and some people do not enjoy the “contact high” of secondhand pot smoke.

Chris Evans, Miami

Embrace Ye a Good Attorney, Prince Hilliard

We’re perplexed. Is this The Darkness formerly known as Prince? The erstwhile handler of the failed “Hank” Sopher for Commissioner campaign? The one that’s lately been all over the news? [Murmurs, “Hell Hath No Fury,” published Feb. 8.]

Listen, better get yourself a real lawyer, not one of those grandstanding “activist” types that’ll mire you in shenanigans. After all, you’re handling, what? Three Miami Beach political candidates this go-round? Good Lord! Politics does make strange bedfellows … great theater, too.

“Public relations” sounds like a really good gig, though. Say, you got any room for a devil-in-training? Part-time, I mean. Anyway, I have to go. There’s a whiff of brimstone about the back door, and I got Daniel Webster on the line. Best of luck.

Signed, the King of Pain

Jeffrey Bradley, Miami Beach

Guilt Trip Hospital: Not Showing the Grove Any Mercy

I graduated from Monsignor Edward Pace High School. So I do appreciate a good Catholic education (with the exception of corporal punishment, disciplining with a patel or belt or the occasional sexual molestation). But I do not approve of taxpayers having to bail out a business that has been subsidized for these past 60 years, like Mercy Hospital has been [Wakefield, “Have Mercy on Coconut Grove,” published Feb. 1].

I do not approve of Mercy trying to “guilt” us into helping them. I do not approve of city commissioners agreeing to change zoning for a brief period in time just to help make this deal happen. I do not approve of “pay-offs” to neighborhood associations and to commissioners that want more affordable housing for their districts.

Let’s make a list of all those in favor of changing the zoning and building these totally out-of-scale buildings. How many of those folks are being financially compensated? Attorneys, lobbyists, consultants, neighborhood associations and commissioners that will receive affordable housing relief.

I do hope that our community and three out of five Miami city commissioners arrive at the most logical conclusion. They must realize that changing the zoning for Mercy Hospital, Related Group, neighborhood associations that wish the lesser of two evils and desire less traffic, and those commissioners that stand to gain more affordable housing money in their district is not in our community’s best interest. They need to advise Mercy Hospital to find another solution to its financial problems. Mercy Hospital needs to understand that as much as we appreciate its 60 years of service to our community, we expect Mercy to continue to respect our community and its future.

There are many things we require to help improve the quality of life, but more luxury condominiums are just not needed when there are more than 40,000 empty ones available during this housing glut.

If the Related Group really needs to build this project then let them select another site, since there are many projects that have been permitted and placed on hold due to the building glut and lackluster sales.

Harry Emilio Gottlieb, Coconut Grove

There Won’t Be Much of a Park in Museum Park

Omar and Editor,

In regards to your coverage of the lecture by MAM architect, Jacques Herzog, I meant to respond earlier but I was out of town [“Museum Talk,” published Jan. 25].

During his lecture, Mr. Herzog mentioned how his company interacts with the community on public and private projects to develop a project that is reflective of the location and the needs of the community and client. After his presentation, I spoke to him and he was surprised to learn there had already been a huge public charrette on Bicentennial Park. He was more surprised to learn that there is huge public sentiment against museums consuming the park. It did seem, however, he had been prepped for my information, as he immediately responded, “That is not my problem, speak to my client.” His company has designed several museums; however, as far as I can tell from their Web site, only one has been placed in a park and that controversial museum is in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, a park of about 300 acres, 10 times the size of Bicentennial.

It seems MAM is now joined by its hired design firm to continue the deception to railroad this project into Bicentennial Park, disregarding the wishes of 75 percent of the 300-plus people who participated in the very public charrette. Let me remind the readers that even the 25 percent of the charrette participants who wanted museums in the park drew them as one- to one-and-a-half-acre buildings and described them as “modest,” while the City Commission gave them four acres each in a separate resolution that was not reflective of the original Dover Kohl drawings for a “cultural” park.

The museums have been assisted by the Diaz administration, which started the deception by taking this project behind closed doors right after the public expressed their wishes and by further conning the voters into approving $275 million of construction subsidy to the museums.

Will the residents of Miami and Miami-Dade County ever see any honesty concerning this special-interest project that goes against the wishes of not just current residents, but also against the desires of the residents of the past who voted funds to create a green park open to all people?

We must remember these past residents, encouraged by the late Commissioner Athalie Range and parks advocates Charles Hadley and Dan Paul, voted to tax themselves $27.9 million to purchase this land to be preserved as a park. That public again spoke up to keep it as a park when special interests in 1974 tried to build a convention center, a museum and luxury hotel on the site. 

Readers who care about respecting history and preserving our scarce park land that has been entrusted to us, can be kept informed by writing to KeepParksGreen@aol.com and by speaking to their commissioners.

Steve Hagen, Co-chair
Parks and Public Space Committee of Miami Neighborhoods United

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