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NOW 24/7
“Don’t turn right on Grand,” insists the passenger as the car hits the intersection of Grand Avenue and McDonald Street in Coconut Grove. To the left are the drunks and the din of CocoWalk. To the right lies that amorphous entity known as the West Grove. The Black Grove. The runty twin that the Johnny Rockets and Borders bookstore crowds seldom talk about. “My friend got carjacked over there. Shot him right in the eye.” A strong association with crime has haunted the West Grove, long eyed by the developers who have turned the rest of the Grove into a concrete amusement park. Despite its tantalizing proximity to the extremely rich, more than a quarter of the West Grove population lives below the federal poverty line. The neighborhood’s bad rep scares off potential shop patrons, even though the crime rate has plummeted by some 25 percent, according to city police officials.
Some memories, like a bullet through an eye, are hard to forget.
Efforts to develop, including a 10-year city-funded project, have floundered. New ones are more promising. An ongoing collaboration of federal, county, and city governments along with bright minds from the University of Miami and the Knight Foundation are trying to ensure that West Grove development not only protects the 80 percent black population, but honors the area’s Bahamian heritage in ways that are more than token.
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Signs are encouraging. Sure, that new CVS pharmacy is menacingly modern and upscale. And, yes, there are still more barbershops along Grand Avenue than sushi restaurants on Lincoln Road. But some newer stores show welcome local character. In a small strip mall near the west end of Grand, a new restaurant is about to open. A banner over the door advertises “31 flavors of chicken,” all of them, presumably, tasting like chicken. Next door the Book Addiction Bookstore and Café (3805 Grand Ave.) serves Miami’s fans of modern black literature.
The West Grove has a ways to go but it’s getting there. As it stands, it’s worth turning right on Grand to check it out. — By Robert Andrew Powell
NOW 24/7
Living History
Conservation coup
FRI 9/19
Wheeling and Dealing
Barring the possibility that Hurricane Isabel might spoil the party, motorcyclists will be roaring from Miami to Key West in a freewheeling, card dealing/fundraising event for the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. The Phil Peterson Poker Run is a 2-day event that brings thousands of bikers to the Conch Republic. Here’s how it works — registered participants play a hand of 5-card stud at 5 secret locations. To play you must ante $10, which goes to charity. If you draw 3 of a kind or better, you get an opportunity to roll dice, which could win you a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle or $20,000. Win or draw, there are no losers (unless Isabel hits). You will end up on Duval Street, where a motorcycle Mardi Gras will be taking place. The Poker Run runs from today through Sunday, September 21. Register at Peterson’s Harley-Davidson, 17631 S. Dixie Hwy. Call 305-235-4023. — By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
SAT 9/20
Do-Good Decadence
Benefit battles hunger with chocolate
