The 44 Percent: 2023, migrants in the Florida Keys & Trick Daddy
2023, is that you, playa?
Well if that’s a speaker-less House, the “Trump of the Tropics” casually wandering around Publix and near-death experiences on the football field I see, it just might be.
If this year already feels just as gloomy as the last, don’t worry. You’re definitely not alone. That said, all we can do is try to make the best of it.
Enter the 44 Percent.
We got a lot of amazing stuff coming for you this year so be sure to keep it locked and tell a friend to tell a friend to subscribe. Before we get into today’s stories, I just want to let you know that we got some great writers stepping in to do the intros over the next couple of weeks. I can’t wait to see what they’re going to say.
But without further ado, let’s start the show.
INSIDE THE 305
Who holds Miami police accountable? This Army reservist is stepping up to the job:
Meet the man tasked with leading the department that investigates civilian complaints against Miami police.
Philadelphia native Rodney Jacobs, 33, is the new director of the City Investigative Panel, a department aimed at helping to curb Miami police misconduct. Jacobs, who has worked for the CIP for five years, told the Miami Herald that he wants the “department to expand its analysis of police data and research of best practices in policing.”
The CIP’s advocacy has led the department to retain footage from body-worn cameras for longer and improve policies for strip searching to respect gender identities. He said the strip search change was coordinated with help from community LGBTQ advocates, an example of the CIP’s fostering relationships between residents and police.
“I really feel as though we can do a lot more with issue-based reporting from our department, whether it relates to homelessness and how that interacts with policing, or interactions with medical workers and how that impacts policing,” Jacobs later told the Herald’s Joey Flechas.
OUTSIDE THE 305
Black family that owns Bruce’s Beach to sell it back to LA County:
Less than six months after Los Angeles County officials returned Bruce’s Beach back to the family of its original owners, the descendants have agreed to sell the land back for nearly $20 million.
“This fight has always been about what is best for the family, and they feel what is best for them is selling this property back to the County for nearly $20 million,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn, as the plan was revealed on Tuesday.
The sale, Hahn said, will help the Bruce family in “finally rebuilding the generational wealth they were denied for nearly a century.”
Back in 1924, the city of Manhattan Beach seized Bruce’s Beach, a bustling resort for Black families owned by Willa and Charles Bruce. The resort was growing too fast and nearby white landowners worried about an “invasion” of Black people, according to records compiled in a 2021 report that led to the land’s return to Bruce’s descendants.
With the land back in the county’s hands, it’s unclear what will happen next.
Migrant landings in the Florida Keys show no signs of slowing:
More than 100 Haitian migrants have arrived in the Florida Keys since last week. They, along with more hundreds from Cuba, are part of a large maritime migration wave that has rapidly increased since Christmas.
The situation has become so severe that the federal government on Sunday closed the Dry Tortugas National Park because hundreds of Cuban migrants arrived there since last week, overwhelming the sparse staff of park rangers stationed there.
Also overwhelmed are U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Keys. Typically, they arrive within the hour to respond to a migrant landing. Since last week, the response time ballooned to hours to a whole day, according to Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, who’s become frustrated with the situation because it’s tying up his deputies.
Both the Coast Guard and U.S. Border Patrol have experienced an uptick in “encounters” with migrants, with the latter agency reporting a 400% increase since Oct. 1 compared to the same period last fiscal year .
HIGH CULTURE
De La Soul finally coming to streaming services:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall/Tell me, mirror, what is wrong?”
Well not much anymore in the world of De La Soul after the legendary hip-hop trio announced they now have control of their masters. And on March 3, the group’s classic albums will be making their streaming service debut.
“It’s been 20 plus years overdue, but finally, we are here,” band member Maseo said in a press release.
The albums to be released via streaming include “3 Feet High and Rising,” “De La Soul Is Dead,” “Buhloone Mindstate,” “Stakes Is High,” “Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump” and “AOI: Bionix.”
Stars, steak and scrimps: Trick Daddy’s cooking show has Miami all over it:
Trick Daddy’s rise from the streets to hip-hop legend is improbable. And so is his latest endeavor: a cooking show.
“B**** I Got My Pots” finds Trick at his most comfortable self: opinionated, cooking and surrounded by friends. It’s also as Miami as the man who once rapped “Could it be my baggy jeans, or my gold teeth that make me different from y’all.”
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
