Every year, thousands of American students flock to Miami in connection with the annual American spring holiday, Spring Break.
This year it has ended in chaos and has forced the city to take drastic measures.
Because at the same time that young people in a festive mood have poured into the city this weekend, there have also been two fatal shootings. On Friday night, one man was killed and another injured after a shooting on Ocean Drive. On the night of Sunday, a man was shot and killed in the same area.
The police call the incidents unrelated, but Friday’s shooting in particular led to panic and chaos in the crowds in the area.
PLACE: The police at the scene where Friday’s shooting took place. Photo: AP/NTB
sea view
Introduces curfew
Now the authorities are introducing a curfew in the South Beach area from midnight to 06:00 on Monday morning. The same restrictions are expected from Thursday until next weekend as well, writes CBS Miami.
The curfew does not apply to residents, emergency services, hotel guests and anyone going to and from work.
The city also closes the sale of alcohol in shops from 6pm on Sunday in the area where the curfew applies.
– Due to the two shooting incidents, the excessively large and uncontrollable crowds and to reduce dangerous and illegal behavior, we have declared a state of emergency and a curfew that will come into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, the city writes in a press release.
They have also set up a meeting on Monday where they will consider further measures, it says.
– Pushed Putin on a PR trip
– Don’t want it
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber came down hard on the Spring Break tourists in one video message Sunday.
– We don’t ask for Spring Break in our city. We don’t want Spring Break in our town. There is too much noise, there is too much disorder and it is too difficult to keep control, says Gelber and continues:
– Although most people who come here do so to enjoy Miami beach, there are the few who come with bad intentions and the volume of weapons creates a completely unsustainable situation.
There was also trouble in Miami in 2021:
This is far from the first time the city has had to resort to such measures to gain control during the Spring Break period.
Last year, they introduced a similar curfew after two shooting incidents. In 2021, they also declared a state of emergency and introduced a curfew. Then because very few maintained the corona restrictions during the pandemic.
At the time, more than 1,000 people were arrested.
