Raw Hatin'
He's a criminal: It's crazy to see DJ Raw on the cover of New Times ("Raw Returns," by Esther Park, August 9). I'm glad he is out of jail, but as a member of the Wynwood community at the time of his arrest, I was very angry at this man. He represented himself in a false manner, saying he had rehabilitated himself from the very thing he was arrested for. I looked up to him as a neighborhood hero, and I was let down when he was arrested. I was angry because he lied. I respect truth. Be yourself!
By the way, the best hip-hop event that I ever attended in Miami was Hip-Hop Elements, which was organized by Speedy Legs and Zulu Gremlin. I enjoyed meeting DJ Kool Herc and seeing my childhood friends, Ken Swift, Frosty Freeze, and Airborn-FBA. My street name in New York is Sphinx, and I am an original member of the Salsoul Brothers of the Upper West Side. My street name in Wynwood is Bodyguard. Peace!
Alex Martinez
Miami
He's all wet: I was impressed with DJ Raw's credentials and bling. With any luck, he will run into Scott Storch at a megayacht cocktail party to discuss a new promotional event. One of them will slip and pull the other overboard. Then they'll go straight to DJ Neptune's Blingland Bar Below. Who knows? Maybe in 100 years they'll be salvaged and mistaken for an old Spanish galleon. Then the discoverers will realize it's all gold-plated tin — just like them.
Natalie Longirl
Miami
History Lovin'
Bananas!: Reading Isaiah Thompson's article "Give to the Rich, Take from the Poor" (August 9) made me miss the old bait shop and Casablanca Fish Market on Watson Island. With all the commission scandals, suspicious money paid to so-called developers, et cetera, nothing comes as a surprise anymore.
Didn't the U.S. representative from Colorado, Tom Tancredo, call Miami a Third-World country? All of this justifies his statement. The only people he offended were the local politicians, who fear exposure. Miami is definitely a Banana Republic, and I don't mean the clothing store.
Woon Lee
Via Web Commentary
Kids woulda loved it!: After reading "Give to the Rich, Take from the Poor," I have to say a huge cross section of the boating population misses the fuel dock, the bait shop, the fish markets, the boats, and the park that Watson Island once was. Children and their families once fished there; parking was free; thousands gathered for fireworks July 4; and workers on Fisher, Palm, and Hibiscus islands stopped in for a beer after work. They all miss the magic, magnetic zone that served locals but also drew visitors from as far away as Australia.
Real people miss the touch of old Miami, which is almost entirely gone and will be when the city has its way with Jimbo's. Last time I parked my car along Government Cut, the police asked me to move it.
I feel sorry for the multitude of youths who will never know their fathers had a place to fish and kick back. What is Miami if it isn't the people in it, rather than a commission that seems concerned only with big bucks? I once lived on a trimaran on Watson and met people who enjoyed the magic of the place.
There's a slim chance of any of us ever having a megayacht to dock, but of course I'll be dead and buried by the time that project is more than a commissioner's dream. Yes, I miss the magic, magnetic zone that gave so much to so many, but it's even worse for the youngsters who will never know it.
Jeff Fernando
Via Web commentary
Remember the locals? They pay the taxes: The saddest fact of the city's closures on Watson Island is not so much the loss of business for Marty Tritt or the many fine seafood markets, but the loss of a haven for the public. Watson Island was willed to the city as a public park, and no matter how successful the Miami Children's Museum or how lavish Jungle Island, there is no resemblance to the former park.
Big thanks to Isaiah Thompson for reminding readers what they have lost. And if Jungle Island is the "Rich," I have a question: Is this the kind of tourist attraction the city needs? That prime hunk of waterfront real estate seems to have become more of a debt hole than a drawing card.
I suppose a convenient place to fuel boats, buy fresh fish and snacks, and watch dolphins leaping had to go. Surely the megayacht marina will ease the pain of our loss and make us feel so much more welcome in our own park. A small morsel of old Miami just had to give way to glitz and glamour.
Who really cares about the locals anyway?
Barbara Kiers
Doral
Rudy Goes Both Ways
Some like him: The past scandals and continued ineptitude within Miami-Dade County Public Schools illustrated in Francisco Alvarado's article "Bad Apple" (August 2) will affect our children for years to come. They carry the trace of unqualified and uncaring teachers and unprofessional administrators and personnel. It will be a long time before we can fix the damage. Rome was not built in a day! Give Rudy Crew a chance, please.
Alicia Banuchi
Pinecrest
Some don't: There are all sorts of problems with Rudy Crew's administration. Last year a new school, Norma Butler Bossard Elementary, opened in West Kendall. Because of poor planning, it is already overcrowded. The place was built too small. Some children who live in the vicinity have to take a bus many miles away to other schools. Across the street, Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School will see havoc when it opens in a few weeks, because it will be taking Hammocks Middle School students, who live far away. Town hall meetings and regular citizens' attempts to make changes have done nothing.
New homes keep getting built in the area, but Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials cannot figure out what to do. Who suffers? The kids having to be herded across town — past new, shiny schools they cannot attend. I hold the entire MDCPS administration responsible for this oppression of innocent children.
G. Padron
Via Web commentary
