Welcome to Miami?

This morning, MIA was very backed up due to a suspicious package that was found at a security checkpoint. Thankfully it turned out to only be a novelty lighter that looked like a grenade. I am glad the security workers are being diligent during these tough times for our country.

I wish I was more surprised that a towing company and parking lot in South Beach were running a scam that led to many towed cards. Parking in South Beach is impossible to find. And once you find a city lot, you assume you can pay at any meter. However, that is not the case. This lot is privately owned and does not display visible signs indicating that you must pay at the one machine inside the lot in order to avoid having your car towed.

Violence is everywhere in our society. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been effected by these terrible events.

Owners of a grocery store have been arrested for alleged fraud. It is believed that they were using their businesses to launder and hide drug money. The investigation is ongoing. Fraud seems to be another common theme in Miami.

A car randomly drove through a crime scene while police were investigating a robbery. The police officers grazed the driver's thumb with a bullet and the driver has been arrested. They are unsure if these two incidents are related.

Yet another story of violence in South Florida. This altercation was between people who knew each other. During an argument in a car, allegedly knives and guns were drawn. A suspect is in custody and the victim of the gunshot is now dead.

There is so much violence in our world. It is so upsetting that a 20 year-old is now dead. The investigation should uncover more details soon.

This is a follow-up to a story I posted last week. This story shows that the Miami Police Department is choosing to defend the police officers who fought with family members that pushed past crime scene tape in order to see their family member who had been killed. The police officers claim they needed to keep the civilians from disrupting the crime scene.

This story offers more details about the children who were abducted by their own parents and taken to Cuba. The parents are now facing charges of kidnapping, child neglect, and interfering with custody. This story further clarifies that it is much more common for children to go missing as a result of a family member than by a stranger. Thankfully the children and the parents have been returned to the U.S. The parents are now in jail awaiting their trials.

This story relates directly to the research I have conducted regarding missing children. It is common to have children taken by family members or people they know. This story in particular involves the parents of the children kidnapping the children and taking them to Cuba.

Obviously the natural thing to do when anything goes wrong is to blame it on voodoo...

I found this article very interesting. Throughout the past few months, stories regarding the police department have been very common. However, this is the first article I have seen that has focussed on an attempt to make the police department more effective. Although this decision is currently being debated, I still found the issue interesting.

A study has shown that more than 450,000 people buy cars that have rolled back odometers EACH YEAR. This article is about one woman who tried to trade in a preowned car she had purchased a year prior. However, the dealership discovered that the odometer had been rolled back and would no longer consider the trade-in. She is claiming fraud while the first dealership refuses to take blame. 

Only in Miami does a homicide scene turn into a fight zone between police and citizens. Apparently friends and family of the victim rushed past the crime scene tape in an attempt to see their loved one. However, this began contaminating the crime scene. The contamination led the police to try to keep the civilians away. And the result was a fight.

This story has been ongoing for the past few months. It seems like a deal has finally been reached between Miami and the Dolphins regarding the funding of stadium renovations. 

A new bill would allow epipens in school. This would let teachers and administrators administer epipens to students who experience allergic reactions. Many students are not aware that they have certain allergies so allowing epipens should help students with unknown allergies.