The 44 Percent: Miami gun violence, Spanish radio and Naomi Osaka
I feel defeated.
Miami-Dade just wrapped up one of the most violent weekends in recent memory. At least six people died and more than 30 were injured in a string of shootings that began Friday in Wynwood and ended Monday in South Beach. Rarely do my views align with police but Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was speaking facts on “Face the Nation” when he described the recent bout of gun violence as a “public health epidemic.”
That, however, is only one reason I feel defeated. The other lies in the comment section of these Miami lifestyle Instagram accounts in the aftermath of the shooting. Between the obvious dog whistles and flat-out racism in reactions to footage of the violence, it was very clear what type of people the commenters want in their Miami.
What hurt the most was the lack of empathy. When a bullet hits, relatives of the victim and the triggerman lose somebody. And, for better or worse, all are my people. Were the shooters wrong? 100% yes. Should the victims still be here? 100% yes. But instead of demonizing the shooters, we should be asking ourselves what sort of conditions motivate somebody to shoot into a crowd. Then and only then will we find the true source of our ire.
INSIDE THE 305
Report examines misinformation on Miami Spanish talk radio:
“We are talking about a completely different, parallel universe where up is down and down is up.”
Those words, courtesy of communication firm ProsperoLatino founder Jose Parra, sum up a new report that spotlighted the prevalence of misinformation in Miami Spanish-language talk radio around the time of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Produced by progressive-leaning advocacy groups Florida Rising and Miami Freedom Project, as well as communication firms ProsperoLatino and Latina Comunica, the report found that a group of hosts mischaracterized the riots during a week’s worth of pre-recorded programming on Radio Mambi and Actualidad Radio, two popular local AM stations. Their unfounded claims ranged from thousands of dead people voting in the 2020 presidential election to Black Lives Matter and Antifa being behind the storming of the Capitol.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Parra said. “We are not looking to switch points of views on the airwaves. What we are looking for is a facts-grounded reality. It’s not about subtracting information from the airwaves. It’s about adding more.”
Personalities criticized in the report either denied its findings or ignored them. One host in particular, Agustin Acosta, denied that his statements linking BLM to the Capitol riots were false, saying that the report itself was proof enough.
Trailblazing entrepreneur and civic activist Albert Dotson Sr. dies at age 83:
First Black president of the Orange Bowl Committee. First Black store manager at Sears Roebuck & Company. Active in civic groups like United Way and the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce.
Black Miami-Dade lost a community pillar in Al Dotson Sr., who passed away Saturday at the age of 83. If there’s one aspect of his life that deserves to be replicated (and there are quite a few), it’s his belief in serving his community to make it better in the long run:
“I found out that if you reach out and get involved, and people find you are sincere, they will include you,” Dotson Sr. said in an August 2020 interview. “We live by the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Miami is a great city. But we have an obligation to think how to make it better.
“I love Miami. I love living in Miami. I love the people in Miami. If we all come together and realize we’re all the same, we will have the same goal to make this the best place to live work and play and hold each other accountable for our actions.”
OUTSIDE THE 305
Here are some more race massacres you may have never learned about:
With the renewed attention around the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, it’s important to note that Greenwood isn’t the only site where African Americans were killed with impunity. America’s history is far, far more sinister than that. Knowing this, the Washington Post compiled a list of six other race massacres that were probably missing from your history class.
Thank you Naomi Osaka for your courage:
I normally don’t include sports in this thing, but this definitely deserved to be spotlighted. A little background: Naomi Osaka, one of the top tennis players on the planet, dropped out of the French Open recently, a decision influenced in part by what she deemed “depression” in a heartfelt Twitter post.
Any show of vulnerability on the topic of mental health – especially within the Black community – is a win in my book. Bouts of depression and anxiety hit all of us at some point. It’s about time we normalize it. Kudos to you, Ms. Osaka.
HIGH CULTURE
It’s just something about that first “WHAT” that makes my heart smile.
DMX’s posthumous album, entitled “Exodus,” dropped last Friday and has been on repeat ever since. From the grizzly, haunting bars on “Money Money Money” to the Marvin Gaye sample that’s destined to make “Take Control” a cookout classic, the project showcases the very diversity that endeared X to generations of hip-hop fans. While the frequent guest appearances might detract from X’s grandeur at times, bangers like “Hood Blues” and the Snoop Dogg-assisted “Take Control” make it all worthwhile.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
