Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But those old hotels were refurbished during the cocaine rush of the 1980's.
Right, but NOT by cocaine money, sorry. I won't suggest that not 1 cocaine $ passed through SoBe, but Tony Goldman is one of the premier developers in this country, has done quite a few great projects all around the east coast and deserves the respect he gets (for a developer anyway).
Last edited by planetsurf; 12-03-2008 at 06:16 PM..
Did Cubans & Haitians ruin Miami? Who knows? All I know is that during my 5 years of living here, I've never encountered so many rude, arrogant, self-serving, disrespectful a--holes as I have here in Miami Dade County, many of whom wave their Cuban (and other) flags from their cars and homes instead of the US flag.
I'm an immigrant too and even though English is my first language, I do my best to "assimilate" and not "rock the boat", so to speak of. However, it doesn't seem like the majority of people in Miami think that way -- they're here for the $$$, there's no sense of community here, nor does this feel like the rest of the United States.
I haven't been here long enough to blame Cubans per se, but I've experienced a lot of negative treatment from Miami Cubans. My wife is actually part Cuban herself and even she regularly expresses her disgust with the wave of Cuban immigrants that have hit Miami over the last couple of decades. Castro sure as hell flushed his jails and the US allows undocumented, unvetted immigrants to have a free pass, just because they happen to be Cuban -- BIG mistake. I say "big mistake" because when you've personally witnessed, first-hand how many of these people are and how they act, you'll wonder 1) why they're allowed a free pass into the US in the first place and 2) how much "worse" they are than even the illegal Mexicans in California. Again, trust me -- my Venezuelan mother-in-law (US citizen for 40 years) shares an apartment complex with some of these Cubans and I can honestly tell you that they are by far the worst elements of the human race that I have EVER encountered, having lived in 3 countries and traveled extensively.
Of course, not all Cubans should be tarnished with the same brush. I've also witnessed the "hard working" element of the Cuban population who have achieved success through their own efforts. The more recent wave of Cuban immigrants though -- not good. Living in Miami, I'm very much afraid of a repeat of the horror experienced by many during the 70's and 80's.
A few of you have pointed out the issue of reckless drivers down here --- it's all true. Again, in all of the cities I've visited, I have never encountered so many reckless drivers as there are here in Dade County. There are so many "hit and run" type accidents here, drivers who drive so recklessly that they put lives in danger on a daily basis and law enforcement agencies that do nothing to solve the problem. Sorry if this sounds racist, but you have to look at Miami's demographics --- I mean, does this happen so regularly in other US cities that are more "diverse", such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles or Chicago? To me, it boils down to a huge lack of respect, coupled with "machismo" aggression and a complete and utter disregard for human life.
Miami would actually benefit from more diversity, i.e. a sizeable Chinese population, Italians, Irish, etc. The reality is that Miami is not a diverse city -- it's just very Hispanic (mostly Cuban). Americans left a long time ago because this became a dangerous place, filled with banana republic-style corruption and terrible politicians. Somehow, we need to bring those people back to readress the balance.
No offense to any Cubans reading, but we should also look at ending the much-failed "wet foot, dry foot" policy. It is never a good idea to allow unvetted, undocumented immigrants into your country, no matter where they're from.
Right, but NOT by cocaine money, sorry. I won't suggest that not 1 cocaine $ passed through SoBe, but Tony Goldman is one of the premier developers in this country, has done quite a few great projects all around the east coast and deserves the respect he gets (for a developer anyway).
C'mon...the whole "cocaine" era pumped billions into the local economy. Miami was basically built on drug money.
Did Cubans & Haitians ruin Miami? Who knows? All I know is that during my 5 years of living here, I've never encountered so many rude, arrogant, self-serving, disrespectful a--holes as I have here in Miami Dade County, many of whom wave their Cuban (and other) flags from their cars and homes instead of the US flag.
I'm an immigrant too and even though English is my first language, I do my best to "assimilate" and not "rock the boat", so to speak of. However, it doesn't seem like the majority of people in Miami think that way -- they're here for the $$$, there's no sense of community here, nor does this feel like the rest of the United States.
I haven't been here long enough to blame Cubans per se, but I've experienced a lot of negative treatment from Miami Cubans. My wife is actually part Cuban herself and even she regularly expresses her disgust with the wave of Cuban immigrants that have hit Miami over the last couple of decades. Castro sure as hell flushed his jails and the US allows undocumented, unvetted immigrants to have a free pass, just because they happen to be Cuban -- BIG mistake. I say "big mistake" because when you've personally witnessed, first-hand how many of these people are and how they act, you'll wonder 1) why they're allowed a free pass into the US in the first place and 2) how much "worse" they are than even the illegal Mexicans in California. Again, trust me -- my Venezuelan mother-in-law (US citizen for 40 years) shares an apartment complex with some of these Cubans and I can honestly tell you that they are by far the worst elements of the human race that I have EVER encountered, having lived in 3 countries and traveled extensively.
Of course, not all Cubans should be tarnished with the same brush. I've also witnessed the "hard working" element of the Cuban population who have achieved success through their own efforts. The more recent wave of Cuban immigrants though -- not good. Living in Miami, I'm very much afraid of a repeat of the horror experienced by many during the 70's and 80's.
A few of you have pointed out the issue of reckless drivers down here --- it's all true. Again, in all of the cities I've visited, I have never encountered so many reckless drivers as there are here in Dade County. There are so many "hit and run" type accidents here, drivers who drive so recklessly that they put lives in danger on a daily basis and law enforcement agencies that do nothing to solve the problem. Sorry if this sounds racist, but you have to look at Miami's demographics --- I mean, does this happen so regularly in other US cities that are more "diverse", such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles or Chicago? To me, it boils down to a huge lack of respect, coupled with "machismo" aggression and a complete and utter disregard for human life.
Miami would actually benefit from more diversity, i.e. a sizeable Chinese population, Italians, Irish, etc. The reality is that Miami is not a diverse city -- it's just very Hispanic (mostly Cuban). Americans left a long time ago because this became a dangerous place, filled with banana republic-style corruption and terrible politicians. Somehow, we need to bring those people back to readress the balance.
No offense to any Cubans reading, but we should also look at ending the much-failed "wet foot, dry foot" policy. It is never a good idea to allow unvetted, undocumented immigrants into your country, no matter where they're from.
I totally agree with everything you said, and about the ''hit and run'' accidents on the law enforcement not doing anything, they basicaly don't care 3 cr*ps about accidents nor the people, all they care about is getting the pay check.
No, um, see, those of us in the "real world" who aren't bothered by political correct nonsense can easily spot a Haitian amongst a crowd of African Americans or black Cubans. It's actually one of the benefits of living in a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse area. You get to know your neighbors.
First of all, Haitians, because they threw off their European overlords years before others, tend to be darker than African Americans by a lot. Very African looking. They're also the prime buyers of late 80s and early 90s Hondas and Toyota Corollas, make up a huge segment of the taxi driving population, and, oh yeah, they go to the Haitian church. Their mannerisms and dress, if they are recent immigrants, also tend to be different than African Americans or second generation Haitians.
Don't worry, I can usually spot a Brit in Orlando vs. a German as well. It's a "look" lol.
I SWEAR, the pure idiocy in this forum is exhausting! don't know why I subject myself to it.
this has got to be the most ridiculous post I've seen in a log time. I'm a Haitian American and my skin is lighter than my Dominican friend's skin and lighter than my Mexican neighbor's skin. I have relatives that are SUPER light skinned, more light skinned than most biracial (black and white) people.
I lived, for several years, in Mattapan, a neighborhood in Boston w/ a massive Haitian population that also has several black Americans living there. and no, unless someone speaks, you can't tell who's black American and who's Haitian. I find, living in Chicago now, that many blacks here are DARKER than me (I've been asked several times if I'm biracial. I think one of my great grandparents may have been white Canadian, but not 100% sure. this is more of a family rumor). you make it sound like Haitians just got off the boat from Africa or something. ever gone to Haiti? ever seen the wide range of skin colors in Haiti? I have, and your post is pure BS
not sure what "look" you're going by, but there's very little physically different between Haitians and blacks of other races, especially those Haitians that may have some white/Dominican in their backgrounds. and, having never been to Miami, I can't speak for mannerism, but again, unless someone has a Haitian flag dangling from their rear view mirror or they speak, you can't tell. I have an accent (I've had some people think I'm from the UK and many people from France or Canada guess by my accent and name (when they see it) that I'm Haitian) but most Americans can't fully tell what it is
as for crime, maybe this is more of a Miami issue. Mattapan has it's issues, but those are caused more by black American gangs than Haitian gangs (though there are some Haitians in these gangs). granted, Miami has a larger population of Haitians, but the population in Boston is probably 3rd or 4th in the states (maybe 3rd behind Miami and NYC)
Actually, Haitians, African Americans and Black Cubans all have a different look. All three communities came from different parts of Africa and have some ethnic differences, including color of skin and head shape. I have observed that most Haitians have really dark skin, very rounded faces and are short. Cubans black are lighter and have thin slender noses. AA are tall (due to better nutrition) and have wide noses (unless they are Ethiopians, in that case they are lighter in color too). Just my two cents.
C'mon...the whole "cocaine" era pumped billions into the local economy. Miami was basically built on drug money.
Miami existed before cocaine became an issue. (That's the subtext of many of these type of threads. Miami was such a great place before the immigrants/cocaine/darkies/evil menace/etc.)
But, I didn't suggest it didn't "benefit."
By and large, South Beach, was NOT built on cocaine money.
That's all I was talking about here. Specifically South Beach.
my skin is lighter than my Dominican friend's skin and lighter than my Mexican neighbor's skin. I have relatives that are SUPER light skinned, more light skinned than most biracial (black and white) people.
just about as much as most other blacks may have (not really uncommon for slaves/former slaves to have children with whites, remember). most blacks outside of Africa do have a little white or Latino mixed into them it seems. if I did, it's several generations back. anyways, my skin color isn't that unusual and I wouldn't stick out among most Haitians. it's not like we're charcoal colored
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
