We need to clean the Grove up from scammers
Picture it, Saturday night, about 8:30 pm. Prime time of the weekend has arrived. The restaurants and bars are full, CocoWalk is buzzing with families going to the movies. Shaun/Spider-man is racing people around the Grove in his rickshaw.
A car pulls up near the post office, out pops half a dozen kids, the oldest is about 12. A big man gets out from behind the wheel and proceeds to berate the kids yelling thing like, "Now get out there and WORK, that's my m------f---ing money!"
The kids then proceed down the block, all dressed in the same color shirts. The hit Jaguar first. They harass the patrons eating outside with their basketball team scam. The tallest kid is maybe five feet in height, the rest are maybe four feet. This is the basketball team from some made up school.
They wave their fake charity paper in the patrons faces as they try to eat. They then move on to their next target -- CocoWalk. About four of them sit at the fountain out front, the other two buzz around the area. To the side, about 15 feet away are about six security guards -- some from the BID, some from CocoWalk, they are having their coffee klatch, ignoring the kids who are now harassing all the families who show up for a night out.
When we ask one security guard why he is allowing this, he shrugs his shoulders. When we ask business owners why they allow it they say they are afraid to say anything to the kids.
And so it goes, another Saturday night in Coconut Grove. And then people ask why visitors won't return for another round next weekend. Try and picture this scene in South Miami or Brickell or even Lincoln Road. You can't because they don't allow it to happen, it's a matter of dollars and cents to them.
One prime night for these scammers is Gallery Walk night, when lots of people come out to enjoy the Grove. They are perfect targets for the visitors in town that night. Is this the impression we want people to take away from the Grove?
PS, the police informed us that a few of the kids were arrested and that their scam is just that, they are not connected with any park or school and they are breaking the law. The police cannot go after the guy sending the kids out because he is not breaking the law, but the kids are every time they tell people they are collecting for a non-existant charity. It makes more sense for them to stand with hat in hand and just beg for money, then it isn't a scam.
A car pulls up near the post office, out pops half a dozen kids, the oldest is about 12. A big man gets out from behind the wheel and proceeds to berate the kids yelling thing like, "Now get out there and WORK, that's my m------f---ing money!"
The kids then proceed down the block, all dressed in the same color shirts. The hit Jaguar first. They harass the patrons eating outside with their basketball team scam. The tallest kid is maybe five feet in height, the rest are maybe four feet. This is the basketball team from some made up school.
They wave their fake charity paper in the patrons faces as they try to eat. They then move on to their next target -- CocoWalk. About four of them sit at the fountain out front, the other two buzz around the area. To the side, about 15 feet away are about six security guards -- some from the BID, some from CocoWalk, they are having their coffee klatch, ignoring the kids who are now harassing all the families who show up for a night out.
When we ask one security guard why he is allowing this, he shrugs his shoulders. When we ask business owners why they allow it they say they are afraid to say anything to the kids.
And so it goes, another Saturday night in Coconut Grove. And then people ask why visitors won't return for another round next weekend. Try and picture this scene in South Miami or Brickell or even Lincoln Road. You can't because they don't allow it to happen, it's a matter of dollars and cents to them.
One prime night for these scammers is Gallery Walk night, when lots of people come out to enjoy the Grove. They are perfect targets for the visitors in town that night. Is this the impression we want people to take away from the Grove?
PS, the police informed us that a few of the kids were arrested and that their scam is just that, they are not connected with any park or school and they are breaking the law. The police cannot go after the guy sending the kids out because he is not breaking the law, but the kids are every time they tell people they are collecting for a non-existant charity. It makes more sense for them to stand with hat in hand and just beg for money, then it isn't a scam.
posted by Tom Falco at 1:30 PM
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