Images circulated on Nextdoor, Facebook and Instagram Sunday morning, showed a large amount of graffiti from Miracle Mile to the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center.
The graffiti included homophobic terms, anti-police phrases, “covid is fake” and possible tags by the author.
The city spent nearly $1,000,000 on closed circuit cameras all along Miracle Mile with a live feed to the police department and other key areas throughout the city. There is no word yet on whether the cameras captured the culprit or culprits in action, but Coral Gables Police is following up on leads.
In a statement the Mayor of Coral Gables, Raul Valdes Fauli said, “This is a heinous destruction of property and we will not tolerate the defacement of our buildings.”
“The Coral Gables Police Department is investigating and they have some leads that they are following up at this time,” said Coral Gables Communications Director Martha Pantin.
If you have any information on these incidents on Saturday night, you are asked to call the Coral Gables Police Department at 305-442-1600.
The City wastes money on its “Art in Public Places” program. For example, the City borrowed over $1.2 million to erect the metal sunflower sculpture in Segovia circle. Yet, the City gives no attention to policing. Whenever I ask City Commissioners to increase funding of the police to that there will be a more visible police presence, they look at me like police is of no concern to them.
After my home was burglarized twice, I asked the Mayor why I never see police patrolling the streets. The Mayor told me they are too busy responding to calls to police the streets. We need more police and need to raise their salaries to attract the best.
No cameras around the Water Tower area. No cameras at Fewell Park. $1,000,000 for cameras on Miracle Mile with zero results. Need a refund on $1,000,000.
The idiots who did this need to be prosecuted.We all have had enough w these hoodlums. Pay a hefty fine and spend a few weeks in jail.
Make no mistake call it what you want, this CRAP stops now! If the little darlings are apprehend, prosecute them to the full extent of the law.
Sorry, 4 officers per THOUSAND residents
Why can’t our vaunted police dept prevent sprees of vandalism such as this one? 200 strong, giving it an unheard of nearly 4 officers per resident. Cameras, public safety aides everywhere. Similarly, we continue to be victimized in our own homes by midnight car hoppers breaking into our cars, in spite of a 10pm curfew! Not to mention the porch pirates stealing packages in broad daylight. Is our police department hierarchy still taking a knee to political correctness? What is preventing the department from doing a better job of policing?
Miracle Mile fortunately is slowly coming to life as we try to support our our local restaurants and businesses. However there no police enforcement for speeding, running red lights etc despite throngs of pedestrians. You can drive all the way though the Gables on a busy Saturday night and not see any police presence now that Miller’s Ale House has closed and there is no longer a policeman moonlighting there. The hooligans responsible for the graffiti obviously realize this too. Cameras are of limited value without visible enforcement.
The city spent $1 million in cameras? Wow. That is an expensive big brother. Also, in terms of the guy commenting that “they” should be expelled from the university — why are you so sure that they are university students?
This is our community and we must preserve it. I am sure that our professional police force will apprehend the persons who did this and Kathy Fernandez Rundle will prosecute them. However we should do more! There must be a way, even with the pandemic, for us to assist cleaning up the mess. I will be first to volunteer if the authorities can make it safe.
What do the cameras say? Where is the city on the Water Tower incident? (I may have missed the report)I hope our city leaders aren’t viewing these acts as “one offs” products of stress from Covid 19 lockdowns or civil unrest. Having grown up in NYC and lived through the mess of the 70s it spreads like a cancer. Defacing property is not an expression of activism, it is vandalism. And if these culprits are found, the penalty should be cleaning up the mess they made and making a public apology, including an explanation of what social/political purpose they hoped to achieve by defacing property other than a “joyride”. I have a feeling that it’s all it was. If they are underage, their parents should join in the penalty.
Our police are fantastic! I know they will catch the vandals. Then we need officials with the guts to prosecute them. The business owners on Miracle Mile have put up with construction mess for 2 years, rents being raised due to increased taxes, being closed down for Covid, and now this. How would you like your life’s work and livelihood destroyed by vandals? Do we want to be like New York, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle?
If identified, they should be expelled from the University!
Wow.
Strange to realize there are cameras everywhere!
But in this case, Good News!
Big Brother repels shoppers?!