IT MAY BE A WHILE BEFORE THIS
IS WHAT PEOPLE FIRST THINK
ABOUT GETTING WHEN SOMEONE
MENTIONS SOUTH BEACH.
KEITH JONES, CBS 4 NEWS.
>>> ALL RIGHT.
LET'S BRING IN JIM DEFEDDE TO
JOIN US IN THIS DISCUSSION.
THE FOUR OF US HAVE LIVED IN
SOUTH FLORIDA A LONG, LONG
TIME.
TO ADD IT ALL UP, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT 131 YEARS.
WE'LL LET YOU FIGURE OUT HOW
ALL OF THAT DIVVIES UP.
LET ME START, AND AS A SPORTS
ANCHOR I HAVE COVERED SIX SUPER
BOWLS HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA IN
THE PAST 32 YEARS, AND BEING AT
EVENTS THAT DRAW HUGE CROWDS
NOT NEW TO ME AND ATTENDING VIE
ERRANTS ATTRACTING LARGELY
BLACK AUDIENCES IS NOT NEW TO
ME, I'M THINKING OF THE JAZZ
AND ARTS IN MIAMI GARDENS, BUT
I DON'T RECALL AN EVENT WHERE
IT SEEMED TO ME THERE WAS SUCH
AN ANTAGONISTIC APPROACH TO
CONTROLLING THE CROWD.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY CROWD
CONTROL HAS TO FEEL THAT WAY.
OBVIOUSLY YOU LOOK AT SOME OF
THE STORIES THAT WE SEE, IT
SEEMS TO ME THAT ALL OF THE
BLACK VISITORS HERE ARE PAINTED
WITH THE SAME BROAD BRUSH, EVEN
IF THERE ARE JUST A SMIDGEON OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE CAUSING ALL OF
THE PROBLEMS.
>> LET ME SAY IN LAUREN'S
DEFENSE, THE 132 YEARS MOSTLY
MYSELF AND THE TWO JIMS AND
THAT IS FOR LAUREN.
>> I HAVE BEEN AROUND THIS TOWN
FOR A LONG TIME AND I KNOW THAT
SPRING BREAK IS NOTHING NEW.
I WAS A REPORTER WHEN SPRING
BREAK WAS BIG IN FORT
LAUDERDALE.
I CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I
COVERED THE SAME STORY A YOUNG
PERSON WOULD GAMP OFF THE
BALCONY OF A BUILD POINT GUARD
INTO A SWIMMING POOL, MISS THE
SWIMMING POOL AND DIE.
I COVERED THAT STORY MORE THAN
ONCE THAT WAS CRAZINESS.
NOT JUST IN SOUTH FLORIDA, BUT
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
I THINK WHAT YOU HAD THIS TIME
AROUND WAS A PERFECT STORM FOR
A DISASTER.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE A
PANDEMIC.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COVID
FATIGUE COMING FROM PLACES UP
NORTH WHERE THE WEATHER IS NOT
SO NICE.
WE HAVE FANTASTIC WEATHER HERE
IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL BEACHES YOU CAN FIND.
THERE ARE LOW-COST AIR FARES
RIGHT NOW.
THE HOTEL ROOMS NEED THE
REVENUE.
THE CLUBS AND THE RESTAURANTS
NEED THE REVENUE, SO IT
ATTRACTED THESE BIG CROWDS THAT
HAVE THIS' PENT UP FEELING TO
PARTY AND THEY'RE HERE TO
PARTY.
MANY OF THEM MISBEHAVING.
THEY ALSO GOT A SIGNAL FROM THE
GOVERNOR OF THIS STATE THAT
FLORIDA IS OPEN.
DESPITE THE PANDEMIC, COME ON
DOWN AND PARTY IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
IT ADDED UP TO THE PERFECT
STORM AND IT HAS LEFT MIAMI
BEACH THAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY
AND THE WORLD CAN SEE.
>> I THINK SOME OF THAT MESSAGE
FROM THE GOVERNOR HAS ALSO
TRICKLED DOWN TO SOME OF US WHO
LIVE HERE.
IF FLORIDA IS OPEN FOR
BUSINESS, DOES THAT MEAN THAT
OTHER STATES ARE NOT OPEN FOR
BUSINESS?
SHOULD WE STAY HERE INSTEAD OF
TRAVELING ELSEWHERE BECAUSE, OF
COURSE, THE PANDEMIC IS STILL
ONGOING SO PEOPLE WHO MAY
NORMALLY HAVE NOT GONE TO SOUTH
BEACH OR MIAMI BEACH FOR SPRING
BREAK BECAUSE THEY'RE FROM HERE
ARE DECIDING TO STAY HOME.
WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAY THIS IS TOURISTS, OUT OF
TOWNERS, AND OF THE ARRESTS
MADE, 52% WERE OUT OF TOWNERS,
BUT THAT MEANS THE OTHER 48%
WERE HERE FROM THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
I IMAGINE THAT ALSO INCLUDES
SEVERAL FROM SOUTH FLORIDA AS
WELL.
IT IS NOT JUST THE OUT OF
TOWNERS GOING TO THE BEACH, BUT
IT IS ALSO THE PEOPLE FROM
SOUTH FLORIDA WHO ARE DECIDING
TO TRY THINGS A LITTLE DISHLY
THAN WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE
IN YEARS PGA.
I THINK A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN
FROM THE GOVERNOR THAT FLORIDA
IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
I'M WONDERING IF THE MESSAGE
MAYBE WASN'T LOUD ENOUGH THAT
WAIT, MIAMI BEACH IS NOT REALLY
AS OPEN AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT.
JIM, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IT WASN'T JUST THAT FLORIDA WAS
OPEN.
IT WAS THAT A LOT OF OTHER
PLACES WERE CLOSED.
ONE OF THE BIG SPRING BREAK
PLACES TO GO TO IS THE
CARIBBEAN, THE BAHAMAS, THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS, ALL SHUT DOWN,
MEXICO, THE RESORTS THERE SHUT
DOWN SO YOU COULDN'T ACTUALLY
SEE THIS.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO A POINT
JIM BERRY WAS MAKING WHICH IS,
YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE
TROUBLED BY WHAT I HEARD FROM
THE MAYOR WHEN HE STARTED
TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU
HAVE TO PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WHO
BRING GUNS INTO THE BEACH.
NO.
THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, AND YOU HAVE TO BE
CAREFUL ABOUT PAINTING ALL OF
THE FOLK WHOSE ARE COMING TO
MIAMI BEACH AS, QUOTE, UNQUOTE,
THUGS, AND THAT IS NOT HIS
WORD, BUT THAT IS THE ESSENCE
OF WHAT IS BEING CONVEYED.
I ALSO HEARD THE MAYOR SAY THAT
ESSENTIALLY, BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC, WE WEREN'T GOING TO
DO ANYTHING TO ACCOMMODATE THE
PEOPLE WHO WERE COMING.
WELL, THAT IS GREAT IF YOU HAVE
THE POW TORE SAY DON'T COME.
BUT AS YOU'LL HEAR IN A FEW
MINUTES IN THE INTERVIEW I HAVE
WITH LUTHER CAMPBELL, THESE
PEOPLE WERE COMING.
FOLKS WERE COMING TO MIAMI
BEACH.
THEY COULD TELL MY HOTEL
RESERVATIONS, AIR FARES, TRAVEL
AGENTS THAT WERE PACKAGING
MIAMI BEACH.
THE QUESTION WASN'T SHOULD WE
HAVE SOMETHING OR NOT.
THE REAL QUESTION IS IF PEOPLE
ARE COMING HERE, WHAT DO WE DO
WITH THEM AND IT DOESN'T SEEM
AS IF MIAMI BEACH HAD AN
ADEQUATE PLAN.
>>> OUR FINAL THOUGHT, THE
THING THAT TROUBLED ME MOST
ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN ON THE
BEACH, ALL OF THE BLACK FOLK
WHOSE ARE HERE, THE YOUNG
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WHOSE ARE
HERE, NOBODY WEARING A MASKER
AND WE ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE
POPULATION WHEN IT COME DOSS
COMES TO COVID.
AND IT FURTHER EXACERBATING
THIS PANDEMIC WHICH WE ARE NOT
OUT OF.
JIM, THANK YOU.
>>> YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT FROM
THE SCENES OF SOUTH BEEP, BUT,