After Beckham Announcement, Fake Eviction Notices Pop Up At Public Housing Community
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Just hours after David Beckham announced soccer would be coming to a new stadium in Overtown, eviction notices appeared at the public housing community right across the street from the stadium site.
Thaddeus Napper, a Culmer Place resident, quickly figured out the notice was not real.
"It was somewhat alarming in the sense of eviction. So how can you have no control over where you stay," he said.
The county quickly produced a notice on everyone's door to calm fears.
"Its dangerous because people lose hope," Napper said.
However, just who was behind the fake eviction notices?
Bishop James Adams of John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, said "It wasn't a real eviction notice but it was designed to get the attention of people."
Posted on 100 plus doors in Culmer Place, Adams was actually advertising for a community meeting Thursday night on the stadium. He explained, "Who is really going to be the beneficiary of this stadium? It's certainly isn't going to be the people - $250 million dollars and 50 jobs."
Adams believes the county has plans to wipe out Culmer to bring the area up. He points to a two-year-old proposal to redevelop the site and a statement he says he overheard a commissioner say last year.
"We don't want the blimp to take pictures of dilapidated buildings. I think that's very telling," Adams told CBS4.
The Miami-Dade's Mayor's office called the whole stunt shameful. The county provided an email in which the county's public housing director explained Culmer is on a list of 32 sites in need of repair. The email details the list is a federal requirement should funds be allocated for renovations.
"These sites have been part of the 'Plan' for the past two years and been approved by the Board of County Commissioners. It is nothing new," Director Michael Liu wrote.
Napper, understands it as politics. Still, he fully expects the eviction notice to one day be real.
"Without a reasonable doubt," he said.
As he looked at the stadium site began to chuckle, he pondered why they needed another stadium in the first place. He pointed east to the American Airlines Arena, roughly a mile away, and shouted," a stadium." He then pointed the opposite direction to Marlins Ballpark, exactly a mile away. Again, he shouted,"a stadium". He then looked straight ahead off his doorstep, where soccer may soon be played. He again shouted, "a stadium". He shrugged his shoulders.
"For what? There are not enough rock and roll concerts or Lady Gaga in the world," he said.
The Miami-Dade's Mayor's office said they do not plan to demolish or renovate Culmer as of right now. Still the meeting will go on Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the Reeves Park Building. The Mayor's office told CBS4 they were considering sending someone to help explain the difference between fact and fiction.
The Miami Herald contributed to this report.