To the editor:
Imagine standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of your lungs. Your heart is racing, tears are flowing, and your fear is physically visible — yet no one moves to help. Around you, it is simply “business as usual.”
This is the daily reality for the legacy residents of Coconut Grove. I do not say “West Grove” because those who are truly from Coconut Grove have never separated. We all face similar issues – West Grove, North Grove, South Grove, Center Grove, and the Village Center.
All these “created” and labeled Groves are being changed at a dangerously rapid pace. We have allowed a separation in name that has cleared the path for a further separation in our community in plain view.
The world around us raves about the beautiful scenery and “local vibes,” yet the locals who created these vibes are no longer welcome here.
The numbers don’t lie; they are a map of our erasure. According to U.S. Census data, our Black population declined by 26% in just ten years, and in the heart of our historic neighborhood, we have lost nearly 40% of our people since the turn of the century.
Meanwhile, the white population in that same area has surged by 178%.
While we spend our time “honoring” our legacy, we are truly just burying it.
We want to honor a “day” on a calendar, yet we are not honoring the land and the character that made that day worth celebrating. We are sitting on the sidelines like fifth-string quarterbacks, watching those around us quickly build.
I would love to see those in leadership call for more than a meeting, but immediate action. We have had enough of “planning to make a plan, that will be a plan, to present to planners.”
That cycle is an attempt to stall while the world moves on without us. The blame game is strategic; while we point fingers, the room around us is still moving. Lots are still being cleared. Trees are still being dumped.
To every board member, lawmaker, and decision-maker: Stand in Your Power. Yes, you can do something. Do not close your eyes or ears; the legacy of Coconut Grove is grieving.
Grand Avenue is not getting a facelift; it has gone through an identity crisis!
You’ve taken our identity in an effort to recreate what you like. This in reality reflects what you may have come from, but you chose Here because you love it Here.
You love it so much that you’ve decided to make Coconut Grove represent everything except Coconut Grove!
I refuse to stop screaming: Who in America protects historical communities! Where are you? Where are you? Coconut Grove is standing in the middle of Miami screaming. She needs your attention.
Lastly, no we don’t need another plan. We need action.
Kimberly Davis
Coconut Grove
