Miami Beach residents protest outside City Hall over chaos caused by spring breakers
Miami Beach residents have had enough with spring break partiers taking over their town.
Local demonstrators gathered outside City Hall Saturday to protest against the chaos that another year of spring break partying has brought to the city.
More than 100 people participated in the "Take Back the City" protest, ABC Miami affiliate WPLG reported.
The mayhem has been so bad that the city of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency and enacted an 8 p.m. curfew to keep the spring break crowds from gathering late at night.
The spring break partying has persisted despite the fact that many colleges around the country canceled the traditional week-long holiday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thousands have been flocking to Miami's beaches, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said on "Good Morning America" last week.
On March 12 pepper balls were used on a crowd after two officers were injured. Days later, on March 20, they were again used to control crowds as police tried to enforce the curfew.
Dozens of people have been arrested as a result of the revelry.
The protestors this weekend demanded that Gelber and other officials stop the partying ahead of Memorial Day weekend, when more crowds are expected.
Miami Beach resident David McKinney told WPLG the city needs to treat the situation as a public safety issue.
Another demonstrator, political activist Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, told the station that she has been "screaming" about the situation for some time.
"When we get this horrible PR it affects everyone, because people are afraid to come here," said Gonzalez. "We welcome everyone to Miami Beach, but we want people to stop trashing our city."
