MIAMI (WSVN) - A community event to address an increase in crime in downtown Miami brought out dozens of people who wanted to voiced their concerns.
Wednesday night’s meeting with City of Miami Police officers focused on homelessness and crime.
Residents said they’ve had to call police multiple times in the past month due to problems with homeless people.
“In the last month, three times we’ve called the police,” said a male resident.
“People defecating on the street, stuff thrown across the way, peeing on the sidewalks, what happens? We call the non-emergency number,” said another male resident.
The meeting took place days after two women were approached by two men in Miami’s Brickell section.
“I just got assaulted while walking into Brickell Key,” said Savanna Guerra.
The women said the men stalked them and then chased them down as they were minding their own business.
“He kept waiting for me to come over,” said Hanna. “And the next thing I know, I turn around, and I notice he’s come out from under the scaffolding and he’s exposed himself,” said Cindy Hanna.
The two men were arrested by Miami Police.
However, residents said they’re afraid of walking in the city and have seen the living conditions deteriorate.
“What I’ve seen is a decay, a decay in your ability to walk down the street and feel comfortable,” said resident Carmen Rodriguez. “You used to be able to walk at 11 o’clock or 10 o’clock in Brickell, and it’s not the same thing.”
Officials told 7News that some types of crime, but not all, have gone up. They have also noticed that the anxieties of residents in the downtown area have also increased.
“The community is asking for this, to reach out to the mayor’s office and everyone else involved for additional resources for these communities,” said James Torres with the Downtown Neighbors Alliance. “We see our residents that are afraid. We see residents that are concerned for their safety, their families and their children.”
Though Miami Police told residents homeless people aren’t committing most of the crimes reported, they assured them they are still trying to address these issues.
“This section here is covered by the Flagler beat. We’ve got the Biscayne Boulevard beat,” said an officer.
Miami Police has assigned a five-person problem solving team to the downtown area and two additional beat officers to the Miami Worldcenter area.
Representatives from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust were also present at the meeting.
They said they’re working on long-term solutions, such as facilities like the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, also known as the Liefman Center, to help get people with severe mental health issues off the street and into treatment.
However, whether or not that idea gets funded won’t be decided until June.
As residents wait for those long-term solutions, they suggested a policy solution they want to see in the coming days and weeks.
“More police. Much more police,” said Rodriguez.
The commander who was at the meeting told 7News that they currently have more officers working overtime, and they stressed that residents should report incidents instead of just recording them, so that officers can follow up with them.
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