Former Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez Calling For End To Party-Like Atmosphere
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – South Beach was once again relatively calm Thursday as the city implemented another state of emergency. Residents who CBS4's Bobeth Yates spoke to said they want it to stay that way.
"I'm just a mom at this point who's almost going out after a house party and saying party over," said former Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez.
Rosen-Gonzalez is calling for the end to party-like atmosphere on the beach. This weekend she's organizing a community protest to stop the parties. The protest will also pay tribute to Christine Englehardt, a Pennsylvania tourist found dead in her hotel room last Friday.
"This protest is coming from a place of tough love," she said. "And I would love for every single mother out there to think of this young woman, Christine Englehardt, this young girl who was drugged and left in her room to die."
Her death is just one of several horrific incidents that occurred in the past few weeks.
"An elderly woman was followed. She made it into her building got into her elevator. Unfortunately, the subject went in there with her, got off on the same floor, he then proceeded to attack her, he lowered her mask and began to kiss her, began to grab her and put her up against the wall," said Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez.
That suspect, Marvin Bravo, was taken into custody, but there are even more tragic situations that have taken place since the large crowds began flocking to the beach this spring break.
CBS4 News got the surveillance video South Beach Liquor, which shows the March 15 shooting that occurred right outside of the business.
The video shows the suspect firing his weapon and people running to safety. Unfortunately, the victim died.
Then there was the scene at Social on March 18 after a fight over a $20,000 unpaid bill. The incident prompted the iconic Clevelander to temporarily shut its doors for a week.
"This area has become a tinder and we cannot have a policy of simply hoping that it's not late. We have to act before one of those incidents happens. We cannot act in the wake of something, that's why I preemptively we are taking action," said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
That action included increase patrols, implementing an 8 p.m. curfew, and causeway closures.
"We have had over thousand arrest more than 100 guns taken off the streets, and more than 11,000 citations," added Rodriguez.
Fifty-two percent of those arrests were people from out of the state, and officials say they will continue the causeway closures this weekend.
"We have to treat Miami Beach as a stadium we are in Island they are only so many seeds within our stadium when we sell out the doors need to close," said Rodriguez.
The curfew runs from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday to Sunday until April 12.