Miami imposes curfew after two shootings over the weekend

While for many, Miami is a picturesque party destination, full of pumping house music, beautiful people, endless nightlife, and glorious beaches, it also has a dark side that unfortunately shines through too often during busy periods.  As Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival prepare to return to south Florida for another edition of rhythm and celebrations, the city is recovering from a weekend of violence that rocked the South Beach section of the area.

This past weekend, March 17th through 19th, saw spring breakers descend upon the South Beach section of Miami for annual celebrations, as young adults from all over come together to shake off the winter blues and unwind during the spring semesters of their college work.  Unfortunately, this year’s gathering has been marred by not one but two separate fatal shootings, one occurring Friday night, and another on Sunday amidst the ongoing partying.  This is not the first time that the city has had to resort to strict measures to curb violence and raucous behavior in the South Beach sector, as the 2021 season saw over 1,000 arrests during the same period.

After the second shooting over the weekend, police caught 24-year-old suspect, Dontavious Leonard Polk, and recovered two weapons.  The second shooting prompted city officials to enforce a curfew starting at 11:59 pm Sunday night and extending until 6 am Monday morning.  The curfew is expected to be implemented this upcoming weekend as well, beginning on Thursday night and again lasting through the weekend.  While the curfew is being put in place in the name of safety for the large number of individuals descending upon the popular vacation region, it is prompting negative responses from business owners who generally operate into the late hours of the night:

“Quite frankly, I’m pretty pissed off,” said Mitch Novick, owner of Sherbrooke Hotel. “I have a lot of international guests here, and it would be no surprise to me when they tell me they’re going to be leaving early because they can’t do anything at night.”

With the Ultra Music Festival set to start this Friday, March 24th, we encourage all attendees to be safe and be aware of local curfews and laws in place for the safety of all.

Image credit: Rudgr.com