Social media was abuzz today as a video, posted on Facebook, showed a man face down on the ground being handcuffed by a City of Miami cop. As other cops gather, one officer, from a running position, kicks the suspect in the head.  As clear as day, a compliant, handcuffed person is on the ground and kicked in the head. The officer obviously didn't know he was being recorded on video. Don't they wear body cams? The fact that the officer felt comfortable enough to inflict brutality on the suspect is quite disturbing. This incident occurred this morning at the Culmer Place Apartments in Overtown.

As quickly as that video circulated, City of Miami Chief of Police, Jorge Colina posted a tweet indicating the video had been reviewed and the officer had been relieved of duty. Before we have a Kumbaya moment, understand that the police union is involved and they will protect their members. The State Attorney's Office has been contacted about this incident and the case must take its course. The video is so clear that it's challenging to even think of a defense. Hopefully, the suspect gets a great lawyer and sues the City and that officer.

We are still awaiting details on everyone involved. A lot of things happen behind the scene so #STAYwoke.

New Washington Heights Community Development Corporation presents FolkLife Friday Open Air Market Festival every first Friday along the 9th Street Pedestrian Mall located adjacent to the Historic Lyric Theater in Miami’s Overtown community. Powered by The Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency, the festival is Overtown’s longest running and most consistent festival, celebrating over a decade of success highlighting South Florida’s movers and shakers, rhythms and vendors offering arts and crafts, foods and more.

FolkLife Friday returns Friday, May 4, with a new look, new sound and over 30 vendors offering custom created products from delicious Caribbean bites, freshly squeezed juices, skin oil and soaps, jewelry, artwork and so much more. Civil Rights Foot soldiers will also be honored by New Washington Heights President Jackie Bell and School Board Member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall.

Bell, the matriarch of Overtown and founder/creator of the FolkLife Friday festival is a walking talking community treasure. Having lived most of her life in Overtown, her love for the community and desire to maintain and share its glorious history is paramount. One vehicle to accomplish that goal is this festival she founded nine years ago.

Revamped with new hours, 11 am to 8pm, it precedes the Lyric Live Talent Showcase at the Historic Lyric Theater, and will now include a Happy Hour from 5 pm to 8 pm, complete with full bars, appetizer samples, “Sip n Paint” with MUCE Art and live music featuring the “Larry Dogg Band”. Songstress Maryel Epps will kick off the day’s entertainment at 11:30 a.m.

If you go:
Friday, May 4, 2018
11 am – 8 pm
9th Street Pedestrian Mall
NW 9th Street, Miami FL 33136
(Adjacent to the Lyric Theater)

From left, Nicole Gates, owner of Lil Greenhouse Grill in Overtown and community matriarch, FolkLife Friday founder/creator Jackie Bell.

On December 3 - 7, 2014. The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida will feature art from local visual artists in the lobby of The Historic Lyric Theater as a part of Historic Overtown Soul Basel and Art of Black Miami, an initiative of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Works from the following visual artists will be featured:

o   Bennie Osborne

o   George Gadson

o   JaFleu

o   Johanne Rahaman

o   Mariah Fox

o   Michael McLaren

o   Shernett Muhammad

o   Sim Malden

If You Go:

Overtown Soul Basel and Art in Black Miami
December 3 – 7, 2014
9 am to 9 pm
The Historic Lyric Theater
819 NW 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33136

President Clinton campaigns for Gov. Charlie Crist in Miami-Dade County. FILE photo: Florida Politics

This is the weekend after Labor Day, school has started and one would think our schedules allowed us more breathing room but that is not the case. This is a super busy weekend and that can be measured by the number of places Gov. Charlie Crist visits as he continues to unleash his historic re-election campaign. Crist, a Republican turned Independent and now Democrat could become the first person to hold the top elected position in the State of Florida as a Republican and a Democrat. The Crist Campaign has brought out the really big guns in the person of President William Jefferson Clinton so let’s hope that motivates eligible voters to register and registered voters to get out and vote.  

One of the largest high school football games will be played tonight at Traz Powell Stadium as the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes take on the Miami Central Rockets. Traz Powell is far too small a venue for a game with such a large fan base; SunLife Stadium is too large and FIU Stadium is too far in distance. Too bad that wasn’t considered prior to the demolition of the Orange Bowl or perhaps it was and the powers that be didn’t give a hoot about how inner-city black communities would be impacted.

By the way, the football game tickets with Miami misspelled, really should not have been sold. Mistakes can happen but that’s why there should be quality control procedures in place to catch items are made available for the public. I could go on and on about how this mistake results in derogatory comments about black schools but I think you get my point. One little misspelled might not seem like a big deal but it is.   

The Florida A&M University Rattlers play the University of Miami Hurricanes Saturday night at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. Since FAMU no longer presents the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami, when the team is here to play, the game results in a big celebration by local FAMU alumni and supporters. Several FAMU students from the Miami area will travel back home for the experience.  

There are several activities included on the list of official list of Florida A&M University-sanctioned events for this weekend: 

Friday, September 5

8PM - Set Fridays II - An evening of networking and music with DJ and FAMU alum “Ed the World Famous,” Fate Lounge - Gulfstream Park, 601 Silks Run, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009. Admission - $20. Presented by the Miami-Dade Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association. 

Scholarship Gala featuring FAMU President Dr. Elmira Mangum, Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 Southeast Second Avenue, Miami, FL 33131, Admission - $85. Presented by the Gold Coast Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association.

Saturday, September 6

9AM - Scholarship & Recruitment Workshop, Featuring Florida A&M University President Dr. Elmira Mangum, the famous performing troup, FAMU Connection, and FAMU student leaders. Scholarships will be awarded on the spot! The Historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, Admission - FREE. Presented by Florida A&M University in partnership with the Miami-Dade Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association. 

Noon - Rattlers Strike in the Gardens - Join the Rattlers before the FAMU/UM football game for an afternoon of music, food and fun featuring health and wellness presentations and local vendors. Betty T. Ferguson Recreational complex, 3000 NW 199th Street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056, Admission - FREE or VIP $30. Presented by the City of Miami Gardens and the Miami-Dade Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association.  

7PM - Football Game - Florida A&M Rattlers vs. University of Miami Hurricanes, featuring the halftime performance of the Marching 100. Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL and ESP3. 

Except for the football game, profits from these events will fund scholarships for deserving students at Florida A&M so please support events that support FAMU.  

Journalist, commentator, motivational speaker and author Jeff Johnson and several hundred youth will invade Florida Memorial University on Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6, for a South Florida #HacktotheFuture Youth Summit YouthTown Hall Meeting and tech workshops. This is an excellent event for your teen.

Have an awesome and safe weekend! 

The FAMU Strikers Dance Troupe featuring Mahogany Dance Theatre presents Living Legends, Celebrating 25 Years in Dance on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 8 p.m. hosted at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater, South Florida’s oldest performing arts venue.

The Black Archives proudly presents the FAMU Strikers and Mahogany Dance Troupe as part of the organization’s efforts to work with local and national partners to revitalize Overtown through the arts, preservation of culture and by empowering our neighbors through employment opportunities created by events at the Lyric Theater. The famed dance company performs diverse dance styles including Hip-Hop, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap and African works. The group has been featured on television’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” “America’s Best Dance Crew,” “Showtime at the Apollo,” “BET’s Spring Bling” and others.

The Black Archives, sponsored by the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency and Miami-Dade County, present the FAMU Strikers and Mahogany Dance Theatre for a one-night only presentation of the dance group’s traveling anniversary performance, “Living Legends, Celebrating 25 Years of Dance.” To purchase tickets, visit www.famustrikers.eventbrite.com.

The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater is located at 819 NW 2^nd Avenue, Miami FL 33136 in Historic Overtown. Parking is located in the lot on NW 2^nd Avenue on the north side of the Theater.

"Lyric Live," Miami's version of the famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in New York, is scheduled to debut next month. Auditions will be held TOMORROW, Saturday, January 4, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Historic Ward Cultural Tourist Gallery, 249 NW 9th Street, Miami, FL 33136. 

If you can sing, dance, tell jokes or do anything else you think is entertaining and shows you have talent, come on out. Folks have talked about missing the talent shows from back in the day, so this is a welcome addition to the entertainment scene in Miami.

MIAMI, FL—The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. kicks off its second season of “Expressions” on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at The Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery, 249 NW 9th Street in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood.

Hosted by international poet and spoken word artist Rebecca “Butterfly” Vaughns, “Expressions” includes featured sets from local spoken word artists Rachel “Flow Diva” Finley, Kimani Trapp and Poet Tampa. The evening consists of open mic (poets must pre-register) and live music by Ed the World Famous and Jody Hill and the Deep Fried Funk Band. Local food vendor, Keith the Conch Man will also be there with fresh, delicious conch salad for purchase.

“The start of this second season is very important as we approach the opening of the historic Lyric Theater,” said Timothy A. Barber, Executive Director at The Black Archives. “We are developing our ‘Expressions’ spoken word and live music showcase to be a nationally-recognized event, which will soon be hosted in the completed theater. As we move the programming to the theater, we are honoring our future by honoring our past.”

Until the upcoming official opening of the newly remodeled historic Lyric Theater, “Expressions” is being presented at the neighboring Historic Ward Cultural Tourist Gallery.  “The Ward” undergoes a complete transformation from historic rooming house to a chic poetry lounge under-the-stars, styled by local event production company, The Design Group, Miami.  Sound and lighting by Drummerboy Sound provide the performers with arena-quality audiovisual support.

“What The Black Archives is doing, through Expressions and our future programming at the historic Lyric Theater, is providing Miami residents a place to come and enjoy arts and culture in an area of town that has a historical reputation of being the main hub for black culture in its heyday,” said Kamila Pritchett, Development Coordinator at The Black Archives. “The Black Archives is set to bring that atmosphere back to Overtown.”

Admission for “Expressions” is $10. Tickets can be purchased online via Paypal at www.theblackarchives.org. For more information call 305-636-2390.

A grand exhibition tent next to the historic Lyric Theatre in Overtown will be the setting for the second annual Art Africa Miami Arts Fair. This year’s exhibition will host over 50 contemporary artists from the Global African Diaspora in a tent/container hybrid model pavilion. Fair goers and exhibitors will have the opportunity to experience an unparalleled body of work selected by a jury of art professionals whose contributions to the art world are extensive and of critical importance to both seasoned and emerging artists alike.

Schedule of Events:

TUESDAY DEC 4 

OPENING RECEPTION 

TheUrbanCollective, 6:00 -10:00 pm By Invitation

at TheUrbanCollective, Midtown 

Performances by The Miami Jazz Society

*Special tribute to Mambo King, Cachao by Oriente feat.  Frederico Britos

Next Level Barbershop presents: Cutting Edge Designs by celebrity barbers 

THURSDAY DEC 6 

City of Miami VIP/ Press Luncheon 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Evening First Look (By invitation) 6:00 pm -10:00 pm

Black Art in America: Mobile Media Lounge 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm 

Art Africa Miami 2012 After Hours Speakeasy at Avenue D 10:30 - UNTIL 

FRIDAY DEC 7 

Art Africa Miami Arts Fair Exhibition General Admission 11:00 am - 9:00 pm 

SATURDAY DEC 8 

Art Africa Miami Exhibition 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Diaspora Dialogue 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Live Music by Rockaz Mvmt 7:00 pm -11:00 pm 

SUNDAY DEC 9

Art Africa Miami Arts Fair Exhibition 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Closing Reception 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Closing Mixer at Soyka 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm 

VENUE ADDRESS

919 NW 2^nd  Ave 

Overtown, Miami

For more information on Art Africa Miami and Art Africa Miami programming visit www.artafricamiami.com and follow on Twitter @ArtAfricaMiami. 

Just as things were looking up for Overtown, a shooting last night, the opening of the Pop-Warner youth football league injures three people. Hundreds of children were present but none were injured; all of the injured were adults. At this time it’s not known if the victims were targeted or if this was a random shooting.

People who commit crimes such as this, fail to understand or to care that the entire community is harmed when these incidents occur in Overtown and other economically distressed areas.