Spotlight 192-260320

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars
The Grove’s Latest Crime Stats
Closed Sidewalks and Public Safety
Where We’ll Be: A Guide to Local Events

On the move: Waymo Swarms the Grove

Waymo’s self-driving cars are suddenly everywhere in Coconut Grove. But are they safe? Our intrepid reporter arrived alive, if a little late, after booking a ride home in one of the white robotaxis now cruising village streets.

By Erik Bojnansky

Before I took my first ride in a self-driving Waymo car, I prepared myself for the possibility that I would die in some stupid fashion.

I feared the self-driving car would suddenly become self-aware, decide it hated humans, and careen into an oncoming bus or a nearby cluster of pedestrians.

I worried it would get stuck on railroad tracks where I would be killed by a speeding Brightline train, or get confused and stall on a causeway (something that has happened in Miami twice before).

But none of that happened.

Assaults, a GoPro Dispute and a Shooting — A Month of Crime in Coconut Grove

A Feb. 22 shooting ended a six-month lull in violent crime, but most of the 56 incidents reported over the past month involved theft, disputes and other nonviolent offenses.

By Jenny Jacoby

A burst of gunfire on Douglas Road — the first shooting in more than six months — punctuated an otherwise steady pattern of mostly nonviolent crime in Coconut Grove over the past month.

Police records show 56 reported incidents during that period, dominated by thefts, vehicle break-ins and domestic disputes.

While the Grove remains one of the city’s lowest-crime neighborhoods, the incidents offer a snapshot of the everyday offenses that continue to shape safety concerns for Grove residents.

Opinion: Sidewalk Closures – Private Profit, Public Tragedy

When construction projects close sidewalks, pedestrians are pushed into traffic — often with deadly consequences.

By Paris Wallace

Last month in Miami Beach, a pedestrian was killed after a construction sidewalk closure forced her into a bike lane where she was struck by a motorized scooter.

When sidewalks disappear, pedestrians do not disappear with them. They are pushed into traffic — and sometimes the consequences are deadly.

Which is why the reopening last week of the sidewalk at South Bayshore Drive and SW 27th Avenue in Coconut Grove matters.

Where We’ll Be – A Grovite’s Calendar

Put Away Your Umbrella

Last week everyone stayed out of the rain, but this weekend the sidewalks have dried off and it’s time to get out. Wolverines set an appropriately leisurely pace in Kennedy Park, and the rest of the week follows that cue with music, conversations, and a few reasons to leave the house without overthinking it. So don’t. Just go. Your friends will meet you there.

The week’s big theme is get back outside, see and be seen. Concerts, community meetings, theaters and workshops dominate the calendar. Some of it is quiet, some of it isn’t, but none of it asks for much more than showing up and seeing where it leads. And don’t mind the Wolverines, they’re harmless.