Mobile homes, I guess.

Though the term seems woefully inadequate for the decades-old cramped metal structures along the narrow lanes of the River Park trailer community, so decrepit and so beset with jerry-rigged repairs, sagging awnings and plywood additions, that they hardly resemble their original incarnations. A row of tiny, sad, stucco cottages that lined the southern perimeter seems no more substantial.

I'm not sure what to call the little community at 2260 NW 27th Avenue -- other than wretched.

``We're poor,'' said Johnny Tapia. ``Why else would they put them here?''

``Them'' refers to sex offenders whose housing options have been so severely limited by local residency restrictions that they were forced to find refuge under the Julia Tuttle. The big news Wednesday was that the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, using federal stimulus dollars, was finally finding some legal housing for homeless offenders.

River Park residents were a little stunned to learn that their little trailer community just outside the Miami city limits was among the solutions to the causeway conundrum. A fluke of geography left River Park as one of the few legal addresses available for sex offenders.

SO CLOSE

If the trailer park had been across the street, on the east side of NW 27th Avenue, the city of Miami's prohibitions against residency within 2,500 feet of a park would have kicked in. River Park's located about 1,500 feet from Miami River Rapids Park.

Instead, the vagaries of Miami-Dade's insane hodgepodge of residency restrictions created this little residential pocket, jammed among warehouses, way off the Tuttle. And the clustering effect has begun. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement tracking website indicated nine sex offenders were residing at 2260 NW 27th Avenue. One relocated offender told me that the Homeless Trust paid his first month's $400 rent and put up the deposit. He said the trust was helping other Tuttle dwellers find their way to River Park.

KIDS ALL OVER

``But I've got nieces and nephews living here,'' said Johnny Tapia, 24. ``Kids run all over this trailer park.''

The woman manning the park office insisted that the FDLE website was wrong.

``No. They can't put sex offenders here,'' she insisted. ``This place is full of children.''

Indeed, until a burst of rain sent them scattering, pre-school children, most of them from immigrant families, played amid the tiny trailers. In 2001, the Herald covered a county commissioner's Christmas charity visit to River Park and described more than 100 children clamoring for gifts.

``Why won't they let them live with the rich kids,'' asked Juan Oliva, 22.

``Let them live in the efficiencies behind their mansions.''

`WE'LL KILL THEM'

These poor trailer folk just can't grasp the complex logic at play here. After driving sex offenders out of Miami and Miami Beach and Coral Gables and other cities, and creating the Tuttle homeless camp, something had to be done. But instead of rescinding the ill-considered city and county ordinances, purportedly passed to protect children, local leaders would rather spend public money and herd sex offenders into a trailer park packed with children. Just not very important children.

``We'll kill them,'' said Oliva. ``You got to know that was the plan from the beginning.''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@