News

News Home Riptide Strouse Luke's Gospel Letters Special Reports Archives Search New Times Flipbook Weekly Newsletter Get Mobile

Calendar Home Top Picks Submit an Event Events Newsletter Get Mobile Entertainment Ads Beer B Que

Music Home Crossfade Concert Calendar Bars and Clubs Brew at the Zoo Submit an Event Music Newsletter Get Mobile

Restaurants Home Short Order Find a Restaurant Menus Iron Fork Happy Hours Dining Deals Dining Newsletter Get Mobile Restaurant Ads

Arts Home Cultist Visual Arts Theater Welcome to the Future Skrawberry Jam Artopia Arts Newsletter Get Mobile Entertainment Ads

Film Home Showtimes Cultist Film Film Poll 2011 Film Newsletter Get Mobile Free Stuff

Best Of Home 2011 2010 2009 2008 Readers' Poll 2012 Best Of Newsletter Get Mobile Best Of Ads

Promotions Home Promotional Events Street Team Free Stuff On Sale Promotions Newsletter Get Mobile Deals

Post an Ad Jobs Real Estate Advertiser Index Deals Deals Newsletter Virtual Job Fair

Pin It

Luke's Gospel: Miami's inner-city parks need more police

A A A Comments (11) By Luther Campbell Thursday, Aug 4 2011

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls for Miami's black political caucus to stop drive-by shootings.

C. Stiles

More About

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Last week, in broad daylight, two gunmen — one carrying an AK-47 — opened fire on a crowd of people having some summer fun at West Little River Park. Four innocent children participating in football and cheerleading workouts were wounded. The incident hit close to home for me. The day before, I was at West Little River with my 2-year-old son and Miami Northwestern Senior High football players for a community outreach program. I remember when I was growing up in Liberty City, you never saw the level of gang activity out on the streets today.

Making sure police are patrolling our parks during the summer, when there are larger congregations of people hanging out, is a no-brainer.

The City of Miami and Miami-Dade County police departments also have to take on a greater role in participating in the youth programs offered at the parks. Off-duty officers used to coach little-league football, including the Liberty City Optimist Club that I have supported for many years. Doing so helps the cops gain the community's trust while giving them the ability to distinguish between the criminals and the innocent bystanders. I'm talking about fighting crime in a proactive manner, instead of reacting to an incident after it happens. At least that's how it used to be.

This is why Miami's African-American politicians need to band together like the Cuban-American delegation does to solve the community's problems. Let's face it — the shootings in the inner city are not a problem for Cuban-American politicians. You see only black leaders come out after the shootings, holding news conferences to denounce the No Snitching culture or the police departments.

Well, if the African-American politicians, with their fancy hats and fashionable suits, would come down from their thrones and work with the community, we can stop the innocent person from getting shot. I suggest Miami-Dade's black congressional leaders, state legislators, and county and city commissioners get together at least once a month to discuss solutions to the violence and poverty that have destroyed neighborhoods such as Little River, Liberty City, and Overtown.

Their first order of business should be ensuring that parks are safe for our kids.

Check out this week's featured ad for News

Pilates Miami

View Ad View Website

More Ads >>

Get the Weekly Newsletter

Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Email
to Friend

Write to
Editor

Print
Article

08/08/2011 8:28:00 PM

Hey radcliff,NEWSFLASH!! Coconut Grove is 2 city blocks from a black hood. Whats your next argumentive question?

08/08/2011 8:24:00 PM

Soupcooler central.

OhGee Mack 08/07/2011 12:27:00 PM

These animals in Liberty City are out of control.... Even the family and friends of most of the victims are sometime involved with some of the crime that goes on in LC. How are you gonna cry for a shooting victim on one hand but walk around with "Free Nuk Nuk" t-shirts on (made up name) when Nuk Nuk them in jail on a murder charge....? We support the foolishness on one hand by supporting these criminals when they're in jail. These criminals are not hiding it either. They're on Facebook with the choppers and the pistols posing. Liberty City won't change until all the riff-raff are moved out to Miami Gardens or Miramar and the Hispanics/Anglos come in and take over. S/N: Cameras, cameras, cameras, cameras. Schools, parks, churches, day care and anywhere children are should be monitored by cameras.

08/07/2011 12:25:00 AM

Luke, I don't think that Commissioner Dunn would take kindly to you requesting more police at the parks. After all it was the police that shot all those guys who were allegdly up to no good.

08/07/2011 12:24:00 AM

Might be because he lives in the groove so he doesn't want any of that crazy behavior at all hours of the night while he sleeps in his mansion.

08/06/2011 3:29:00 PM

You are the one that can prevent the crimes from happening. Tell the buddies that you hang out with to stop committing crimes. Inform the police about the illegal activities you see on the street every day and assist them in being proactive. Get the a...holes off the street and out of your neighborhood. When this happens, the reputation of your neighborhood will change from a "bad" one to one that won't tolerate the druggies and hoods hanging around looking for a place to rip off. Become a part of the solution.

08/06/2011 3:24:00 PM

How about taking some responsibility for your own neighborhoods and raising your own children. Stop looking for the police and the government to solve all your parenting problems. Start "Snitching" on the crapheads that are running around your neighborhood in plain sight and get them off the street. The common statement that is quoted by the mother, father, sister, brother, family member after one of their relatives is killed in the commission of a crime is" he was such a good kid, turning his life around." Right, an arrest sheet pages long that started when the kid was 9 and continued with the fact that he was on probation or awaiting trial on another charge. Parent these children yourselves and stop enabling their criminal activities.

08/05/2011 12:10:00 AM

Luke, the police are very busy policing night clubs that are open 24 hours a day. The police make huge overtime policing the 24hr clubs. Ask Commissioner Sarnoff why he closed bars at 2pm in Coconut Grove but allows them open 24hours a day near black neighborhoods.

08/03/2011 5:54:00 PM

People kill people, not guns right? These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics. I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18? And, how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father? BILL COSBY

08/03/2011 10:47:00 AM

When the police are there, the black communities complain that the police are too prevalent. When the police aren't there, the black communities complain about the lack of police. Luke, you are a perfect role model for the inner city ghettos... Useless and playing both sides of the fence.

Rafaelp305 08/02/2011 9:14:00 PM

I am a latino male and I agree with everything Luke said in this article. I think the law enforcement in the black neighborhoods are comfortable with just handeling a crime after it has been committed than preventing it from happening!! I believe that no matter how bad a communities reputation is when it comes to crime is no excuse to feel like nothing can change so let's just take care of the situation once it occurs!