Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) is a grossly overfunded institution that has a history of using excessive force to brutalize the community. According to the FY 2020 operating budget, Miami Beach pours over $115 million into its police department while little is afforded to other vital community functions. There is no justifiable reason that the MBPD receives more than 2x the funding of our parks and recreational programs, 10x more than transportation services, 31x more than housing funding, and 71x more than sustainability initiatives.

While our city has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the plague of institutional racism has been deteriorating Miami Beach for decades. Thanks to the current policies of mayors past and present, gentrification has increasingly been on the rise causing vulnerable families to be pushed into homelessness. As Miami Beach feels the intense threat of climate change, more has been done to build high-end developments that often go unoccupied than to build low-income and affordable public housing or investing in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. As the costs of housing and health services in Miami continue to rise above the national average, much more investment is needed for the expansion of our transportation and community health systems which would serve to promote mobility, job growth, health, and disposable income. While all of this is happening, our youth is neglected and forced to go to schools that are underfunded and overcapacity. The militarization of the MBPD and the harm that they cause is unacceptable.

Instead of listening to the real estate developers and big corporations, the government of Miami Beach must listen to the voices of our community. We, as members of the Miami Beach community, call for the following:

1. Reallocate MBPD funds towards building and maintaining affordable, low-income housing while halting further sales of property to private developers.
2. Reallocate MBPD funds for investment in resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
3. Reallocate MBPD funds for increasing the accessibility of free public transportation.
4. Reallocate MBPD funds for increasing the accessibility of community health services.
5. Reallocate MBPD funds to increase the amount of free recreational and educational programs/facilities for the youth.