SITE OVERVIEW ♦ MIAMI-DADE | FLORIDA
Target Area: Miami-Dade Northside District • Population: 90,200
Fiscal Agent: Miami-Dade County Office of Management & Budget
Research Partner: Dr. Stewart D’Alessio, Professor at Florida International University
Crime Concerns: Homicides, forcible rapes, aggravated assaults, robbery, and burglary
BCJI Funding Year: 2014 Planning & Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The Miami-Dade Northside District is a 15 square mile area that includes the Census Designated Places (CDPs) of Pinewood, Brownsville, Gladeview, West Little River, and Westview. A majority of residents in the target area are either Hispanic/Latino or African American and more than 50 percent of residents were born outside of the United States. The median household income is under $30,000 and the poverty rate is almost double that of the State’s rate.
Crime, particularly violent crime, is an almost every day occurrence in the target area. Out of the five municipalities in north Miami-Dade County, the target area leads in the number of homicides, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, larcenies, and auto-thefts committed and it ranks second in the number of reported burglaries. From a numerical perspective, 42 homicides, 127 forcible rapes, and 1,224 aggravated assaults occurred in the area alone in 2013. The fear of crime is also entrenched in the community – parents are hesitant to let their children walk to school alone or play in neighborhood playgrounds and the elderly often avoid public places altogether.
Planning Process
The BCJI project, Project PEACE: People Engaged and Advocating for Community Empowerment, aims to engender a community that is empowered and capable of taking ownership of strategies to reduce crime and deter further criminal activity. BCJI partners are now developing a comprehensive plan to carry out the following objectives:
- Improve community safety by reducing violent crime
- Enhance community awareness of crime issues, crime-based services, and crime prevention
- Improve coordination and delivery of crime-based services
BCJI partners are also examining a variety of implementation strategies including:
- Foot Patrols
- Hot Spot Policing
- Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Meetings
- Residential Empowerment Neighborhood Enforcement Walks (RENEW)
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
Other Key Partners
Miami-Dade Police Department, Advocate Program, Empower “U”, Florida Department of Health, Glory Temple Family Worship Center, New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church, The Family Christian Association of America, 93rd Street Community Development Corporation, Alhambra Heights Residential Force, Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade, Girl Power, Helping Hands Youth Center, Mahogany Youth Corporation, Miami Children’s Initiative, Miami Northside Optimist Club, Restoring Hope Community Development, Victim Response/The Lodge, Women’s Association Against Injustice & Violence for Empowerment, Lindsey Hopkins Technical Education Center, Institute for Child & Family Health and New Horizons Community Mental Health Center, Citizens Advisory Committee, LEASA Industries, Black Economic Development Coalition, and Citizen’s Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County
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