NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Weeks after a spate of shootings that shocked Miami-Dade County and the nation, county Police Director Freddy Ramirez united with dozens of law enforcement leaders at Wednesday’s Community Relations Board meeting.
“The gun violence you’re seeing now is not typical to what you saw in the 80s and 90s,” Ramirez said. “This is something different. This is social media.”
The topic of the meeting was especially relevant as Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava visited Washington on Wednesday for the unveiling of President Joe Biden’s gun violence prevention plan.
The mayor called into the CRB meeting via FaceTime, saying “I had a chance to review the plan that the Biden administration put out this morning.”
“I like to see that we’re a part of a national response, because it’s not just Miami-Dade County, it’s our whole nation,” Ramirez said of the problem.
The police director reviewed county efforts like the Peace & Prosperity Plan and Operation Summer Heat. Community Relations Board Director Shirley Plantin said residents want more clarity about what those plans actually mean in practice.
Ramirez also spoke about the motive behind recent high-profile tragedies, like the banquet hall and hookah lounge shootings.
“I can tell you that it’s not about tangible things. Let’s put it that way,” he said. “I can’t get into the details but I will tell you I was very disturbed as to what was the motive of those heinous crimes. How foolish, that people lost their lives or were seriously injured over foolishness.”