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Miami News

WHAT HAPPENED MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Urban Beach Week- What exactly is Urban Beach Week? It is the largest urban festival in the world that caters toward the Hip-Hop generation from 21 and over. Around 300,000 to 350,000 people from all over the country take a trip to South Beach to enjoy a weekend full of food and entertainment. 

This weekend, smaller crowds gathered in the South Beach area. For police enforcement and some local residents, the weekend was a success because of this. 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/28/2821418/success-of-beachs-memorial-day.html

This years performances were a mix of Hip-Hop and reggae. Reggae artist Shaggy pumped up the crowd with his single "It Wasn't Me". Later, the star received a key to the city by city council commissioner Michelle Spence Jones for his humanitarian work in Haiti.

More on performances and performers: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/27/2819931/urban-beach-week-partygoers-take.html

Attack on MacArthur causeway- On Saturday, a miami local, Rudy Eugene was shot by the police because he was ripping and eating a homeless man's face. His girlfriend said that on that day, Rudy left suspiciously early from their home to meet up with a friend, and only called her once at night to say he was going to come home late. She never knew that he was on South Beach. She said Rudy had to have been drugged. 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/30/2824778/girlfriend-face-eating-man-was.html

The Miami police believe that Rudy was on "synthetic bath salts" a mix of chemicals sold as a synthetic - and in some states, legal - alternative to stimulants like LSD, PCP, cocaine, and methamphetamine. They can be snorted, smoked, or broken down and injected. Users can go into cardiac arrest, comatose, or cardiac arrest. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57443712-504083/bath-salts-drug-alleged-face-chewer-rudy-eugene-may-have-been-on-plague-police-and-doctors/

His mom describes Rudy as a "sweet loving gentleman" and somebody that was religious.

According to Miami-Dade court records, Eugene did have a troubled past and had been arrested for multiple misdemeanors, mostly marijuana-related charges.

Eugene attended North Miami Beach High school in the late 1990s and played football for his high school team.

More on Eugene and what his friends and family said about him: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/05/30/who-was-causeway-cannibal-rudy-eugene/

UPCOMING EVENTS-Courtesy of Miamiandbeaches.com

6/1-6/30 Miami Romance Month

6/1-6/17- Summer Shorts- presents the nations hottest short plays in the Adrienne Arsht Center. Performing alongside City Theatre’s award-winning ensemble of veteran favorites, Steve Trovillion, Gregg Weiner, Finnerty Steeves and Ceci Fernandez.

-written by Anabell Bernot

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Listen305 Website

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Here's one of DJ Laz's songs from his album Category 6 which was released in 2008. This single peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track features Flo Rida, Casely, and Pitbull.

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Who's DJ Laz?

Here's a little background information for those of you who are not familiar with this South Florida icon, or just need a reminder:

DJ Laz, aka Lazaro Mendez, worked for Power 96 (96.5 FM) for an astounding 22 years. In the beginning of April 2012, he left the radio station to work with "LA's #1 Party Station" KXOL 96.3 FM, where he began his new morning show on May 14th.

Not only is DJ Laz a talk show host and a DJ, but he is also rapper. He was a central figure in the boom of Miami's booty bass in the early 90's, releasing his own albums and singles, and has worked with some of the best rappers in the game, including his nephew Pitbull, as well as Flo Rida and Lil Jon. He is best known for his albums Category 6 and DJ Laz, which charted on U.S. Billboard album charts. He is also notable for singles like "Journey into the Bass" and "Move Shake Drop". 

Before working at Power 96, Laz started DJing at the age of 15 at local clubs and at Hot 105 FM. In 1991, he reached a big break when he released his single, "Mami El Negro", which made the Billboard's Top 100 (his first from many to come!). 

His new home, KXOL in Los Angeles, released a statement saying that his new morning show will "profile his unique brand and style on the microphone."

Laz also stated in the Miami Herald that he has been ready for a new professional challenge and has been looking forward to working in L.A for sometime now. Although he has made a big move, he says that he will be giving his work in Miami and L.A equal attention. 

-written by Anabell Bernot

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Miami Beach: Urban Beach Week

Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day , is a day in which people salute those who have died in our nation's services.  Celebrations generally include paying homage to the fallen soldiers at grave sites and cemeteries, and then commemorating the fallen with parades or having home-cooked barbecues. For others, however, the three-day weekend is celebrated with extravagant parties by the beach and at night-clubs. Our local hot spot, Miami Beach, has provided the ultimate getaway for all holiday plans, including Memorial Day weekend.  In the past 12 years, Miami Beach has been flooded by tourists for an event called Urban Beach Week, a celebration that brings over 250,000 people to the night clubs and beaches of Miami, where people have partied away the weekend.  

                                                                   Courtesy of Miami New Times/Ivon David Rojas 

     This year, Urban Beach Week is back in full swing, and is from May 25 - May 28, 2012.  This festival caters towards the young generation, ranging from ages 18 and up.  The event started in the late nineties and early 2000's as a fashion event for designers geared toward the African American community.  However, the event quickly sprung into a more grandiose celebration, as more people flocked toward the beach on the holiday weekend.  In 2001, the event went berserk as fights broke out onto city streets, and since then, violence has became associated with the event and the weekend.  By 2011, the festivities ended in a barrage of gunfire, as a police confrontation with a wrong-way driver turned into a shooting, leaving the driver dead and three officers injured.  Apart from the shootings, the high crowds of youth thronged on the beaches leave a lot of mess, and have caused the city of Miami Beach to spend about $1 million in cleanup and security in 2011 alone.  Many locals have started to complain about the mess, the crowds of tourists and the riots that have broken out.  

                                                                 Courtesy of Miami New Times/Ivon David Rojas 

       According to CBS4 News, even Luther Campbell, one of the co-founders of Urban Beach Week, has not made his way down to the event in several years.  According to Campbell, he states that South Beach and its night clubs can only provide space for about 7,000 people, and that limit had peaked its amount a while back.  While many businesses and restaurants find that the influx of tourists are appealing to their profit margins, others have closed down because of violence that has erupted in the past several years.  Many locals have claimed that they feel the need to leave town.  The event, also draws parallels to race and is a fuel to major controversy, as the festivities are mostly attended by African Americans.  Another major ploy in curbing the size of the event is that Urban Beach Week is a private event, leaving Miami Beach city officials little to do but to increase their security forces.  According to the Miami Herald, the city plans to direct a massive Memorial day weekend police force.  There will be little tolerance for even minor offenses, such as possessing an open container in public.  

       The city has also considered making clubs and bars close earlier during the Memorial Day weekend.  Many of the Miami Beach local residents are taking stands, and taking larger strides to put an end to Urban Beach Week.  Such efforts are organized by many active residents through the use of Facebook groups to organize rallies.  One such group is called END: Memorial/Urban Weekend in Miami Beach, which has been liked by over 6,000 people.  

With all the controversy and here-say of the highly attended event, what do you think would be a possible solution to appease both residents of Miami Beach and also the tourists that come for Memorial Day Weekend? 

Sources: 

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/06/02/uncle-luke-co-founder-of-urban-beach-week-no-longer-attends-event/

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2011/06/community-rally-planned-for-6-pm-friday-at-miami-beach-city-hall-to-protest-urban-weekend.html#storylink=misearch

http://www.facebook.com/UrbanBeachWeek

http://miamiherald.com/2011/12/08/2537371/city-plans-strict-urban-beach.html#storylink=misearch

http://www.facebook.com/pages/END-MemorialUrban-Weekend-in-Miami-Beach/214445438586958

Written by: Bijal Mehta 

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