Liberty City entrepreneur who championed Black businesses killed in 8-car crash on I-95
Prominent Liberty City business owner and activist Danny Agnew was killed in an eight-car crash Thursday morning on Interstate 95, sources told the Miami Herald.
Around 2:10 a.m., a Tesla driver, believed to be Agnew, crashed into a concrete barrier and came to a stop in the middle of the highway. Shortly after, a Dodge sedan smashed into the Tesla, ejecting its driver, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Camacho said. A driver of a white Nissan slowed down as to not run over the Tesla driver but was hit by a Chevrolet SUV.
“As a result of the collision, the Nissan was projected forward and ran over the victim,” Camacho said.
After that, “a series of minor crashes occurred” involving other vehicles, including a tow truck.
Agnew was the co-founder of The Roots Collective, an organization which sells Black empowerment apparel and provides spaces for businesses through the Roots Black House.
Since the collective formed in 2015, they have prioritized amplifying Black ownership and building wealth with a social conscience.
Its mission — to stay firmly entrenched in communities of color — was partly championed by Agnew as he worked with other like-minded organizations to grow an activist enclave around Northwest 54th Street and Seventh Avenue.
In an interview with Shoutout Miami, he described The Roots Collective as “an organization of ambitious visionaries dedicated to the economic growth, social awareness, and self-sufficiency of black and brown communities nationwide.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 5:18 AM.
