| Liberty City (miami) |
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The area comprises of more than half of . Liberty City is named for the Liberty Square Housing Project built in the late 1930s for Miami's low-income African-Americans, the second of its kind in The South at the time. The neighborhood has produced rap stars like Luke of 2 Live Crew , Trick Daddy , Trina , (who later moved to Pembroke Isles in Pembroke Pines, Florida ), Jacki-O , and Fred from Da Band and is home to Miami Northwestern High School . Liberty City also produced actor Mickey Rourke . In 1980, the infamous Liberty City Riots broke out after an unpopular verdict in a 1979 case of white-on-black police brutality. The acquittal of five white police officers that beat a black motorist to death sparked the violence. By the time the rioting ceased the following morning, over 850 people had been arrested and 18 people lost their lives, including eight whites and ten blacks. Police officers had pursued motorcyclist, Arthur McDuffie, in a high-speed chase. The officers claimed that the chase ended when McDuffie crashed his motorcycle and died. The coroner's report concluded otherwise. One of the officers testified that McDuffie fell off of his bike on a i-95 on ramp. When the police reached him he was injured but okay. The officers proceeded to remove his helmet, beat him to death with their batons, put his helmet back on, and called an ambulance claiming there had been a motorcycle accident. These actions were later admitted to by one of the officers while on trial. An all-white jury acquitted the officers after brief deliberation. Liberty City was the focal point of the infamous drug wars of 1998 , where Anthony "Little Bo" Fail feuded with fellow John Does gang members. This feud began when the leader Corey Smith was taken down by Miami Police, which Fail saw as an opportunity to take control of the gang and reclaim revenue from drug sales. Liberty City is also home to the Miami Workers Center . A strategy and organizing center for low-income communities and low-wage workers in Miami-Dade County. Initiated in March 1999, the Center’s mission is to work to end poverty and oppression. The Center’s most significant achievement has been the initiation and development of Low Income Families Fighting Together (LIFFT) – a grassroots membership organization of and for current and former welfare recipients, low-wage workers, and public housing residents that has become a growing force in Miami-Dade County. In these efforts the Miami Workers’ Center joins arms with South Florida’s low-income people to address issues of poverty and oppression within the region’s most oppressed communities. |
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