How would Miami be different today if the McDuffie riots and Mariel had never occurred? (Jacksonville: crime rate, house)

[kevinkagy]

Don't forget the Asians, they make up 3% of Miami!

[tallrick]

If it was not for the Castro exodus, it would have been up to the Saudis and Northeasterners to ruin Miami. I think it would have taken longer without the mass-immigration we had.

[rogerbacon]

Originally Posted by tallrick

If it was not for the Castro exodus, it would have been up to the Saudis and Northeasterners to ruin Miami. I think it would have taken longer without the mass-immigration we had.

The Saudis? Wow, you just made me feel greatful for the Cuban invasion. I'd rather live in a rude Spanish-speaking place than live as a dhimmi any day.

[jcblanco22]

Originally Posted by tallrick

If it was not for the Castro exodus, it would have been up to the Saudis and Northeasterners to ruin Miami. I think it would have taken longer without the mass-immigration we had.

I'm glad you in particular weighed in here, since I know you were a long-time Dade resident and still have parents in the area.

What was Miami considered from the service perspective and from the "American town" feel perspective in the 1970s, right before the tumultous events that I mentioned? I was alive then but as a child was not really focused on such issues.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by jcblanco22

I'm glad you in particular weighed in here, since I know you were a long-time Dade resident and still have parents in the area.

What was Miami considered from the service perspective and from the "American town" feel perspective in the 1970s, right before the tumultous events that I mentioned? I was alive then but as a child was not really focused on such issues.

It is hard to say, as long as I can remember back, Miami has been known as a "slacker city". The thing that stood out was that it was very segregated as to cultural groups. When I was in elementary school I had never met a "hispanic" and knew of only one black girl in the school. The different areas had different levels of service. Most of the western suburbs and much of south dade was "american" and the stores, resaurants and bowling alleys were friendly and welcomming. Strangely enough I remember a lot of bad comments about "the Cubans" being low-class, noisy people who were poor. The area of little Havana, all the way down 17 ave-Coral way was a deterriorating area, and had a lot of run-down businesses that the Cubans turned into profit. The really poor black areas north of the river were known as high crime and caused a lot of white flight from places like Carol City. I am convinced that if not for the illegal drug trade the city would have never gotten its current attitude, and the tidal wave of immigration established the cultural climate in place today. The only thing that it did prevent was a movement of poor blacks to the 8'th street and "roads" area. If hot for the Cuban invasion, that area would be a decaying slum like Opa-Locka or liberty city right now.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by tallrick

The thing that stood out was that it was very segregated as to cultural groups. When I was in elementary school I had never met a "hispanic" and knew of only one black girl in the school.

This is interesting. My mother grew up in Opa Locka. She has always told me stories of her and her best friends from high school, who were Cuban. She went to a private school for high school, in the late '60s. I don't know much about her pre-high school experience in public school, though.

[noland123]

I think we need to go back even further and say what if Batista had not been overthrown in 1959 by the Castro regime and then move ahead forward and say what if Hurricane Andrew had never occurred. I think history is a culmination of events that changes the fate of a city,not just one isolated incident.

[jcblanco22]

Originally Posted by tallrick

It is hard to say, as long as I can remember back, Miami has been known as a "slacker city". The thing that stood out was that it was very segregated as to cultural groups. When I was in elementary school I had never met a "hispanic" and knew of only one black girl in the school. The different areas had different levels of service. Most of the western suburbs and much of south dade was "american" and the stores, resaurants and bowling alleys were friendly and welcomming. Strangely enough I remember a lot of bad comments about "the Cubans" being low-class, noisy people who were poor. The area of little Havana, all the way down 17 ave-Coral way was a deterriorating area, and had a lot of run-down businesses that the Cubans turned into profit. The really poor black areas north of the river were known as high crime and caused a lot of white flight from places like Carol City. I am convinced that if not for the illegal drug trade the city would have never gotten its current attitude, and the tidal wave of immigration established the cultural climate in place today. The only thing that it did prevent was a movement of poor blacks to the 8'th street and "roads" area. If hot for the Cuban invasion, that area would be a decaying slum like Opa-Locka or liberty city right now.

I found the tail end of your post particulary interesting, as I'd never heard or read that point of view espoused before. However, I'm not sure that what you're saying would have come to pass exactly in that fashion (the deterioration of what is now Little Havana and the Roads area) because you did have the 60s-era Cubans already firmly entrenched in those areas in the 70s. Remember, my question wasn't if there hadn't been any Cuban immigration, just if there hadn't been any major waves ala Mariel and the mid-90s rafters.

[Marlin Darlin']

Watch Scarface ...lol. Probably a lot less white flight would have taken place. But hey, if it weren't for the riots and the Cuban exodus in Miami, Broward would not have doubled in size the last 20 years!

[Desdemona25]

I remember all the stories my grandmother told me. To say that she didn't like Hispanics (Cubans in particular) would be a severe understatement.

She watched her neighborhood (57th/Flagler) go downhill. I think she about cried when Pantry Pride on NW 7th St/57th Ave went out of business and then had a Veradero (whatever it is--wasn't Sedanos) move in. I think in the '70s it was a working class neighborhood that she was in. When some African-American individuals were starting to move in, one of her neighbors kept proclaiming, "Stand tall! Don't give up and move!" But when the Cuban population started to move in, this guy was one of the first to leave. Go figure. At the time of her death in 1996, she was probably one of the few (if only) Caucasians living in that area.

She also had strong opinions on stores in their area and what is now Mall of the Americas (used to be Midway Mall).

I lived the first 8 months of my life in North Miami Beach. My parents moved to Broward because of the African American population moving into the area. Perfect example of white flight into Broward.

I'm not sure how much the McDuffie riots affected the population (I was only 6 year old when those happened). To me, any changes that happened weren't *as* visible to me. Now when you talk about Mariel...that definitely shakes up the situation quite a bit. If it had not been for Mariel, then the changes in Miami wouldn't have been as quick.