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Named Best Museum 2022 by Miami New Times

Crime in Miami

February 19, 2010 - August 29, 2021
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Crime in Miami explored Miami’s past with an emphasis on the role of crime and law enforcement during the city’s development from the 1950s-1980s.

Much of Miami’s unique criminal history has been tied to its strategic location at the southern tip of the United States, close to the Caribbean and Latin America and its national popularity as a vacation destination. In the early 20th century, Miami saw a significant increase in population growth. Even though prohibition was keeping the rest of the country dry, Miami had a steady supply of alcohol due to the efforts of rumrunners bringing in booze from the Bahamas and Cuba.  In 1928, Al Capone, a notorious Chicago bootlegger known to the feds as Public Enemy Number One, purchased a home on Palm Island.  During this time of economic depression, he brought a boost to Miami’s economy with his big spending.   Capone was one of many criminals who would be attracted to Miami.  In the post-World War II period, Miami’s population continued to expand.  The 1954 murder of six-year-old Judith Ann Roberts transformed the image of the city of Miami as a sleepy, Southern town and brought the city into the international spotlight.

With Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, Miami’s population witnessed another surge with the mass influx of Cuban refugees that would continue into the 1980s, including the Mariel Boatlift.  Immigrants came not only from Cuba but also from other parts of Latin American and the Caribbean.  As a result of this population rise, residents became agitated since many of their jobs were being taken away by less expensive, immigrant labor.  The McDuffie beating and ensuing riots were the product of this civil unrest.  While the population continued to rise in the late 1970s to the 1980s, Miami’s criminal activity consisted primarily of drug-related crimes.  The Cocaine Cowboys era of the 1980s defined Miami as the murder capital of the United States because of all the drug-related deaths.

On display were artifacts, photographs, and documents from the our collection along with material from other institutions, including the Miami Dade County Clerks Office and the City of Miami Black Precinct Museum. First-hand accounts from victims, witnesses, and police investigators captured on video were displayed on monitors throughout the exhibition. These audio-visuals were supplemented by footage from the Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image archive.

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