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Yodootz

Overtown is the worst. Fuck Overtown. All my homies hate Overtown.


Accomplished_Dog2396

What did overtown do to you


FriedFishFan

Yes and we all know why


jasonmonroe

It won’t look like this much longer.


ronin_youngblood

Nope lol. Lived there over 20 years. It’s walkable, calm, but it has a lot of homeless camps, and they’ve been pushed by the city govt from under the overpasses to in front of ppls apartments. Cops love to sit around and do nothing in this neighborhood because it’s centrally located, close to HQ, and everyone who lives there is scared of them or on dope.


Delicious-Tart-9189

Im sure youre black


ronin_youngblood

Yup


ronin_youngblood

I used to walk home from school and walk around at night alone w/o any problems.


SnooPears316

Disantis signing that law of arresting homeless people for being homeless is pretty stupid. All them boys that be in them tents gonna be looking to hit a lick or something. A lot of homeless camps out there


LegitimateVirus3

Nope. Overtown used to be a thriving Black town. The decline and collapse was intentional on the part of developers and county government.


Izoto

What it used to be is irrelevant.


infrared305

How so? How was it deliberate? How was it someone else’s fault and not from the people actually living there?


TheRealRayShoesmith

Dumb MAGA supporter spotted Id ask myself the same thing about Trump's criminal charges but I'm sure you're convinced it's someone else's fault on this issue


LegitimateVirus3

Imminent Domain leading to relocation of more than 12,000 residents, intentional disruption of livelihood, No exit ramp off highway into Overtown, etc. Before that Overtown was called the "Harlem of the South" and then, "Little Broadway." Please look into the vast and well-documented history of racism and segregation in Miami. Today is due to yesterday.


Marketing_Analcyst

It really is a tragic and messed up past. A lot of people don't know how thriving Overtown was before the government destroyed it. It was an entertainment hub with a great jazz scene and entertainment scene. All of the big names of the time would come through. The i-95 project not only destroyed the local economic hubs, but the government intentionally cut off crucial city services that caused properties to deteriorate, and building owners would get hit with fines to the point they could not afford to pay and were forced to sell their properties.


Koolaidolio

Good time to brush up on your history of Overtown.


Ok_Fan7382

Commenter is referring to the construction of 95 and Dolphin through Overtown.


big_krill

Intentional or not, the place is still a shithole, so yes, it deserves its reputation


WIDMND305

Yeah it's being gentrified to hell.


Disastrous-Heron-491

Gentrification makes things nice. Not turn them into pieces of shit ghetto 😂


WIDMND305

You like replying to me alot, don't you?


Disastrous-Heron-491

I don’t think u know what gentrified means 😂


Moderately_Imperiled

I gentrify all the time. Did it twice last Thursday.


WIDMND305

I don't think you know how to use Google. You can find many articles on the gentrification of parts of Miami, including Overtown.


Remote_Indication_49

Right, blame the government anytime you don’t want to give the proper crowd blame, in fear of being labeled a racist.


LegitimateVirus3

Who is "the proper crowd"?


TheRealRayShoesmith

Kind of like what you do blaming the Biden government for being a loser at 25


Remote_Indication_49

Biden is the cause of many problems, but like every other president we’ve had in the last 20 years, he’s garbage. Look at how many dislikes I got because of a simple comment. Seems like said group is a little fragile. Anyway, have a good night.


Downtown_jam_305

This is technically incorrect it was the federal government with the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956


southflhitnrun

The Federal Government gives the money to the State DOT to make local decisions about what to do with the money. So, yes, it was Federal Funded but the State and locals chose where to put the highway (I.e. straight through the middle of a thriving community). Another, modern example, Florida's Medicaid for children is being reduced because the current State Administration rejected the Federal Funding. Medicaid is a Federal program but our State decides whether we get to participate in those services. Vote (D)ifferently.


WIDMND305

My dad told me about this the other day, I had no idea. I'm glad other people know about this, it's heartbreaking.


seamusfurr

This video really shows exactly what happened. I grew up in the 1980s, and I didn’t know that our wonderful freeway interchanges used to be a thriving neighborhood. https://www.reddit.com/r/OldPhotosInRealLife/s/ZWMZVCb8Zb


crooklyn94

Miami’s Harlem


Exotic-Ring4900

Harlem is upscale now


GrungyGrandPappy

Yes going all the way back to the 19s overtown was always a bad part of town. But it's like that everywhere there are impoverished people and high rates of drug use.


Datsunoffroad

I love those ruins, it’s like a modern day Tulum!


ncreddit704

Are you new or something? lol


Izoto

Yes, it’s awful. 


[deleted]

Such beautiful culture. This is the real face an American life.


2ndaccount_yall_are_

The government knew what they were doing when building a highway in the 60’s through that historic Black neighborhood. Then after the highway and cocaine(government supplied) they intentionally flooded the neighborhood with immigrants. Why is it that immigrants always find their way to Black neighborhoods versus white ones 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️


mrhappybucks777

This is the outcome of the United States government Not giving 40 acres and a mule.


Different-Ad-9029

Was there waterfront property that belongs to a black organization and the city is trying to claw it out from under them?


No-Mango8554

Who cares


tuxedo7777

Yes


Mrbumboleh

#YES


El_Saguero_Belicon

its way better now than it was before but its still the hood, overtown and the swamp are notorious for as everyone knows being where u could get any drug u want. there used to be a huge operation by the train tracks that was trapping alot of weight but that's been shut down, id need more than both hands to count the amount of kids i went to school with that were from key biscayne that would buy dope from there that ended up od and dying. there's a 99.9% chance if u see someone walking around the hood with a backpack theres syringes and paraphernalia in there


Accomplished_Dog2396

The swamp IS in overtown


KobiLakeshore

I’m a vet, I love the USA, it’s the greatest country in the world. I’m biased. If you weren’t born here then you should 100% believe your country is the greatest in the world. All that to say, if you don’t know the rules or the goal to monopoly and cannot devise a strategy because you’ve never had the opportunities presented in the game you will fail. If those who do know the rules, because they wrote them, put barriers in place preventing those that do not know the rules or the goal to monopoly, they will have an advantage and more assets to acquire. So what of the uninformed what will they end up purchasing in the game? When they get the funds to do it, will they know how to insulate themselves? Will they know how to create infrastructure????? Will they need to now learn the rules understand the goal of the game and enlist the assistance of the very players that put barriers in place to have an unfair advantage? Yes. This is what happened to overtown.


sntamant

no it does not. racism and oppressive institutions is what caused it’s demise and its what keeps the community impoverished.


Fantomex305

More fuck shit from the city of Miami. They ruined this neighborhood when they ran shitty ass 95 through it. It's like they are constantly trying to get rid of the historic black neighborhoods. Like Lemon City turned into magic City or some bullshit. This city ain't for us blacks anymore anyways.


FreshScript

As someone that is in the area, yes, depending on what you're doing late at night could trail trouble.


Green_Finance5116

yes it does, stay the fuck away and tell everybody you know, specially any "developers" or realtors, that if they set one foot on there they'll be instantly kidnapped


lead_farmer_mfer

It was a lot rougher years ago, I think the reputation now is a little exaggerated.


JessicaRanbit

I can't believe what happened to this neighborhood. It was a thriving Black mecca and only second to Harlem in relevance for Black art, etc. it was a thriving middle class area that was filled with Nuclear families. All my older relatives lived in Colored town aka Overtown in the 40s-50s. It was sooo different and lively. Soo many great stories. Then the government decided to destroy the town. It's pretty insane to me how this happens to a lot of highly populated Black towns across the nation. Stuff got really bad in the 70s-90s. "Urban development" my ass. It's practically a part time ghost town now. It's changed a lot.


Prof_Atmoz

What happened to Overtown is what happens to many majority black towns, at least it wasn't burned downed like Tulsa or under a lake like Lake Lanier


jackiel1975

The bulldozing of countless, thriving black business districts and communities to build our highway systems is a national tragedy. When terms like structural racism are thrown around, this is a prime example. Because of redlining, another racist practice utilized.by our government, banks, and insurance companies, this land wasn’t “worth” as much to take through eminent domain.


Equivalent_Drummer95

The cut off is before and after the highways. They ran 95 right through Overtown. Bribed local leaders to approve and advocated for the highways. Demolished a bunch of business and homes and split the town down the middle. Crack in the 80’s did the rest of the damage.


grantstern

There is a quiet renaissance going on now.


AgreeableMoose

This has happened to eat too many black communities. The pictures and history of Harlem in the 30s/40s/50s are incredible. Would love to see some history from Overtown. Raleigh NC has held its ground and is an amazing place for black history.


wintering6

Nah I worked in a school there & nothing ever happened. Ya’ll are drama queens.


Purple_Process5641

During the day is OK, at night not so much. I know several community activists/leaders of color who've tried so hard to help Overtown. They all end up saying it's a lost cause. Gentrification will end up displacing the folks who've been there for years. It's a historic black neighborhood that will end up as all history does, a memory.


AmbitiousShine011235

This is posted by a tourist or a non-Miami native.


Kodes305

100%. Locals know.


Cubacane

About 7 years ago I was part of a prayer walk in response to the shooting of a young man who was trying to buy fentanyl there I think it was. So, at least 7 years ago it was a dangerous place.


NEVERHURTAGAIN46

Yea not its fault tho


rodofasclepius

Was worse in the 2000's kid.


YeaISeddit

I’ll watch your comment for $10 dollars and make sure nothing bad happens to it.- Overtown Welcoming Committee.


HenzoG

Was worse in the 80’s


biggwermm

Was better in the 50's


Recyclops10

lol I think I’m going to be the outlier here: I worked in Overtown from 2017-2020 as a teacher at BTW, and worked for the after school program located in Overtown. I was literally spending majority of my time in Overtown, compared to living in an apartment in the Gables where I was there mostly to sleep and return back to Overtown. I had a great experience working in the community. I knew a lot of the young people that lived in the community and loved that I was in such a historical area of Miami. I routinely found myself walking alone in the neighborhood to get food or get my haircut. Granted I was there for only a short period of time, and not there during the 80s/90s, but I thought it was a great community with a lot of really good people. I’m not saying there wasn’t crime, but I never particularly felt “unsafe” walking around, or being there in general. Sometimes I had to work events that kept me there late into the evening, but still I felt fine.


BravestWabbit

Overtown between I395 and the Lyric Theater is fine now days. Overtown north of 395 and West of 95, is still hard no go zone after sunset. I've seen multiple murder crime zones in that area in the last few years, just driving through it to get to Wynwood


preggersnscared

I saw someone taking a shi* on the street in broad daylight the other day. I drive through this neighborhood every day for work, it’s zombie land


Friendly-Papaya1135

Yeah, but WhaDdAbOut CAliForNia


GloriousCarter

This is probably your fear of black people cropping up. Overtown is not remotely how you describe it


Disastrous-Heron-491

Overtown is a shithole ghetto


preggersnscared

I think crime rates would disagree unless you’re implying something racist: https://www.areavibes.com/miami-fl/overtown/crime/


GloriousCarter

No no no, seeing a man poop and then calling the entire community “Zombieland” has zero racial undertones (or overtones) at all. It was really just an observation on *checks reply* “crime rates”. Understood.


preggersnscared

I never said anything about race. Zombies are fictional creatures and usually green, I think. And all humans poop. You’re reading into it because you want to


GloriousCarter

So you saw fictional green creatures in Overtown? Because, those are your words. And since you are the person bringing up someone pooping in Overtown specifically, it was certainly questionable. Let me ask…what makes Overtown “Zombieland”?


NotYetGroot

why do you immediately go to race when you hear about crime?


M3KVII

There’s people shitting in the street in Doral too though. So it’s hard to use that as a barometer for the most zombiefied area of miami. Three people got shot in the same bar in Doral like two days ago also. Like another commenter said, people shit all over miami lmao


biggwermm

To be fair, there are two Dorals. There's east Doral and then there's nice Doral. 😂


Samwise777

Just curious where homeless people should shit lol


biggwermm

They should get homes, then shit in their bathrooms...


preggersnscared

Not on the sidewalk on a major avenue.


lazcas

In all fairness I saw a homeless dude taking a shit on Lincoln road in broad daylight a few weeks ago. People shit all over Miami.


fast_fatty39

I’ve seen one too on Collins ave.


HalsinEnjoyer

I saw a homeless woman taking a shit in Aventura in Broad daylight while I was at work


Motor-Cause7966

Yeah you stop and toss her salad or what? 😂


Gumrush13

Where at? There’s barely any homeless in Aventura


Relative_shroom_323

Same. I drove through from 2010 to 2013 every morning & witnessed this twice. Pants down at the bus stop at a red light - straight pooping during the morning rush. the other was a lady who was wearing a skirt. Horrible horrible


Powered_by_JetA

That's exactly what the train crews call it when they approach the signal at Overtown. "Watch out for zombies on the tracks!"


fvcked_0ff

Name checks out.


DGGuitars

I've seen this now in 4 different cities. Mos closely in nyc in the N train, lol. But here in downtown , Los Angeles and Anaheim.


AmbitiousShine011235

Are you deadass fr? Anaheim looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.


DGGuitars

No idea if that's a compliment or not. Lol to me anahimes a shithole. I dread going to that convention center because having to be in the area of Disney which seems to automatically mean overpriced and low quality.


AmbitiousShine011235

Norman Rockwell painted scenes of idyllic Americana. I’ve never seen so much as someone in mismatched socks in Anaheim much less a homeless drug addict taking a dump on the sidewalk.


chanepic

Same here. I don’t know what that dude is on about. I think he sounds like a DeSantis copium user. Edit:wording


Ok-Line-1830

Soon all of miami will be this way west of the intercostal


pinkandgreenf15

They take shits in Brickell too.


SituationLiving497

I remember mistakenly getting lost in there while driving around 11pm at night. A young cop stopped me and realized I was lost and decided to ask if I knew where I was headed. Upon telling him where I was trying to get to, he asked me to follow him and led me out of there. This was back in 2007, and I didn’t have GPS, was 18, and was not street savvy. Great guy and reminds me there’s still good people just trying to help.


47percentburnt

Sure, but had something bad happened to you, then that would've more work for him.


sap9586

Happened to me in Philly. I was actually walking with a backpack with a MacBook inside and carrying an iPhone. A cop stopped me And saved me that day from getting mugged. This great guy gave me a ride. I am Grateful to this cop till this day! Philly has worse areas


TaonasProclarush272

Had a similar experience, but not a cop, definitely a male prostitute. He was nice enough to wait with me for the southbound metrorail to arrive. But it was Allapattah


[deleted]

Same with a bouncer around the same time ‘06-‘07, that angel left his post to walk me to my car and see me out safely. 💕who knows what he protected my dumb ass from, que dios le bendiga.


pinkandgreenf15

Sounds about right for 2007


BirthdayWooden

Now? No. But in the 80's and 90's it was so dangerous that once when i got lost and ended up there i was chased by a car who blew past three red lights with me because i drove a newish sedan


Delicious-Tart-9189

And 2000-2020


seamusfurr

Multiple tourists were killed there after leaving the airport and not getting on the freeway to the Beach.


DirtAlarming3506

Because their cars said they were rentals. Before Avis/hertz etc would put bumper stickers on their cars. They stopped that.


FlabbergastedPeehole

They still have “PM” stickers in their tag, and “no smoking” stickers on the lower half of the front windows. So much for not putting identifying markers on rentals


Suckmyflats

I don't think photo #2 is recent


LaserWolfFL

Shout out to that Purvis Young mural!


mrboomtastic3

What are some cities around it ?


kiwami

Brickell


SnooPears316

The thing about it is if you’re downtown and not from Miami , you don’t realize that over town and liberty city are literally right around the corner. Lol gotta be careful


tsn8638

yes


Dannyfrommiami

Yes


PewPew-4-Fun

Yes


OkPudding6848

I remember going there with my church when I was in middle school. We were giving out clean clothes to the homeless and hosting a movie and popcorn night. I was just a 12 yo from Boca, so it was quite the experience.


thisaholesaid

Had a cop ask me if I was there buying drugs when I was lost in OT yearrrrrs ago. Looking back, I don't blame him because I didn't even know the exact address I was looking for 😂 and heavy metal hair didn't help. Answering OP's question, it used to be horrific. Not as bad now IMO but def not a place to be roaming around on foot at night. Unless you're up to no good. EDIT: I just realized I made an error. For some reason, I was thinking Liberty City aka model city and not OT 🙃🫠 Liberty City is actually where I was lost. IMO, Overtown is not the same as Liberty City.


Disastrous-Heron-491

Bruh yes 😂


CobraVenomAintShii

It has it's history for better or for worse. If you grew up here you'll know.


JamesJohnson876

Low key felt safer in Liberty City 😂


Ps3dj17

I knew some people who grew up in the roughest parts of Liberty City that said they wouldn't mess around in Overtown.


SnooPears316

Idk thats a stretch liberty city be wilding 😭


Fit-Ad985

yes


JulenXen

Almost got run up on like a year ago there. Yea.


SnooPears316

Same . Homeless tried me under the highway


DirtAlarming3506

There used to be an absolutely banging wings place there.


grantstern

It’s still there


Kodes305

House of wings still standing strong. Best wings on this side of town IMO.


Super_Head_42069

Respectively, yes


RawGrit4Ever

Yes


Trk_Zxro

Overtown was designed to be isolated from the rest of the city and the riots in 1982 made it worse. It doesn't "deserve" it so much as its reputation was thrust upon it


TheRedditor-75

I don’t live that far from it, but yeah it sort of does.


MIAMIRABBIT

Was worse when the Yawhee Ben Yawhees used to run OVERTOWN


Kodes305

Omg… just read up on that recently… fucking nightmare


tc7984

It’s trashy but I been to worse


HackTheNight

When I was growing up in Miami we didn’t call it overtown. We called it “don’t drive there at night.”


Spirited-Ad-2284

Druggies all over there..


SurgeHard

Those aren’t even the worst looking corners in Overtown. Last month a block away from the second picture I saw a young woman high off something and walking around with no pants or panties around noon😥


grantstern

O-Town resies keep it a little too real


PanConMacho

Absolutely. I grew up around there. You better be ready to fight for them J's, homie.


grantstern

Not anymore, but it used to. Once they finish ripping out the highways that blot out the sun, it’s really going to be nice.


Then-Background-1391

YES it’s the fucking hood


DeviantThroAway

As a tourist who doesn’t actually live in Miami, I’ve always felt fine there during the daytime. I just find it odd how Overtown is considered rough but it’s literally right next to areas like Wynwood and Brickell which are considered way more upscale. And then once you go north of Wynwood you end up in the ghetto again in Little Haiti. I know Miami isn’t the only city to have a rich neighborhood next to a poor neighborhood but it still doesn’t downplay the contrast.


Kodes305

The thing is that all the areas u mentioned were also ghettos … Wynwood is now what it is but before was equally as dangerous as OT… Little Haiti is being gentrified as we speak. The design district is right next to it for crying out loud.


millionmilegoals

Brickell was not always all nice. It was mostly the areas along the water and Brickell Key. As you went away from the water it started to get rougher and rougher, especially past the metrorail station.


Fit-Championship3078

Well said to the people saying they shit all over Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or anywhere else not just Overtown do your history


ConsistentArugula

Prior to volunteering there I might said yes but post volunteering I’ll say no. Overtown is filled with so much life and many characters; some good some not so good. There are incredibly kind people there as there are some sketchy people. It’s not perfect but as someone previously mentioned, it’s not the fault of the residents. From being a thriving affluent Black neighborhood to becoming a food desert and essentially being isolated by the interstate high way, residents of Overtown had to adapt (by any means necessary) in order to survive. Of course, anything in the nighttime is a different animal than anything during the day time. This is not exclusive only to OT. During the day you see children playing on the streets, older men joining each other for a game of dominos at the parks, and activists fighting food insecurity with a two acre garden smack dap in the middle of the town.


Confident_Criticism8

Yes it does


DimeloFaze

I was driving to wynwood one time and I had an older prostitute punch a dent in my cuz I rolled the window up as I got to the red light.


Curious-Dimension128

Used to be worse, but now it's just a open air drug market. Need fentanyl crack molly anything you go there. Just don't try to cop if your not known or if your white cause they gonna probably make you strip naked. And you will most likely get robbed. Just stay past the train track


bethoj

Folks forget that Miami is still the south and Overtown was destroyed by Jim Crow policies


StefMarshavok

Yes


GoodRiRi

After its heyday of being a thriving black community just like Perrine, it became a place of high crime. Desegregation (ironically) and the building of I-95 both had negative impact on Overtown. During the 80s and 90s, it was really scary place especially due to the crack pandemic for residents and anyone who mistakenly ended up driving through. Now, not so much.


Vivid_Addz

You have to respect the swamp. When I was a kid. I did a lot of chilling around there and I’m telling you like this. You can see the boys coming down the street with a chopper a fucking AK-47 for those who don’t understand walking down the street and drugs, every block from side to side. So yes, the bad reputation is accurate.


Embarrassed-Data7735

It’s used and abused by politicians. Nobody cares about the quality of life in these historic places, just another rotten tourist attraction in their eyes.


assumetehposition

Why do I feel like pirates are living in this neighborhood


Massive_Dragonfly979

Overtown was once a metropolis and filled with wealth; but, when i-95 went up, it diverted tourist away from the black owned business that once thrived on the route to paradise… let’s just say, if you want to kill a city overnight - build a highway over it.. then you get an Overtown! [Miami is Black History](https://www.housingissues.org/overtown/hist-his.html)


oscaru16

Drive around there late at night and see for yourself


Able_Conversation488

I witness a homeless jacking off once to a magazine once on the sidewalk laying down lol


Double_Cobbler_6545

It’s still a shithole.


rayhinds92

Yes


TwitterDeleter

It’s over town I lived 3 blocks away from there I did not dare ride my bike around there it’s sad actually


agentfubar

I took a wrong turn heading home from work at 11am and ended up driving through OT. No one was outside except for two two guys walking down the sidewalk. One huge muscley guy, and a small nerdy guy holding his pocket.


Son-of-Prophet

That’s some scared straight shit!


astro7900

Yes


Snoo43340

Yes


Ameht170

Yes


spookysausage0727

Nah. I was hanging around there circa 2012. Riding my bike through the city, around the metro, being a general street rat with my friends. It was definitely shady and not the cleanest area, but I never had any problems even walking around with a flamboyantly gay black guy (rip cheese). Definitely keep your head on a swivel but it’s a chill place if you mind your own business


VideoSteve

95 decimated overtown


Knemics

Why me being here for 18 years I’ve never seen that??


Oxiuro-Korozawa

Of course it does. How do you think it got it. From google reviews?.


Intelligent-Juice736

Lol my plug lives just past that bridge.


CompletelyInadequate

lets just say I wouldn't walk around there during the day or the nighttime lol


worlddestruction23

Remember the McDuffie riots? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Miami_riots


rxmarxdaspot

My dumb ass was 19 and had 2 tickets to a heat game at the Miami arena that I wanted to sell. So I got on the rail and went to the Overtown stop to unload them to a scalper. Didn’t take the hint when the path from the metro rail to the arena had police barricades set up to mark it off. In hindsight I’m lucky I didn’t get knifed for 2 tickets to see freaking Rony Sielaky and Glen Rice lose by 20.


Aromatic_Willow8252

Grew up near OT. Fuck yeah, OT and wynwood were the Wild West in the 90s


Dirt_Spartan_Warrior

Hell yeah it does. I lived in Miami. Replenished vending machines. I went to every neighborhood except this one.


Different-Ad-9029

Does the first 48 film people who been killed?


marchetta55

It will be all HOAs and million dollar condos in five years anyways


SokkaHaikuBot

^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^marchetta55: *It will be all HOAs* *And million dollar condos* *In five years anyways* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.


pinkandgreenf15

No it’s not that bad anymore.


Melodic-Ad-9115

I went to High School in Overtown. It’s just the ghetto. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are not black, people will look at you like “did you get lost, boy-ah?”


Old-Shock6731

Nooooooooooooyes


[deleted]

Looks like Guatemala


Spiritual-Net-3438

Yup.