Week ending October 3, 2025: Another Week of Meh
Table of Contents
Introduction
Republican strategist turned Miami Herald Columnist Mary Ann Mancuso has another great piece in the paper of record for South Florida entitled, The 'third place' hasn't vanished. Miamians just forgot how to use it. The last sentences summarize her argument neatly: "[I]t’s hard to meet people in Miami. But the problem isn’t that third places are gone — it’s because we’ve stopped using them. If we want our communities to thrive, we’ll have to show up in person."
Mancuso rightly spends much time chastising the reader for not putting our phones down or looking up from our laptops, even in third places. Unfamiliar with the term? Mancuso defines them thusly:
The term “third place” was coined by the late sociologist Ray Oldenburg to describe places where people meet outside of their home — first place — and work — second place. Coffee shops, bars, bookstores and community centers once served as third places where people gathered to exchange ideas and build relationships. For generations, these spaces served as America’s town square, pillars of civic life where neighbors became friends.
You may recall Miamians self report being literally the worst city in the United States for cell phone etiquette from the 27 July Miami New Times story with this banger of a sentence combo, "A new survey corroborates what you’ve probably been thinking – Miami has the worst phone etiquette in the country. It’s another undesirable claim to fame for our humble city, right alongside our top ranking for sales of monster dildos."
Yet, I'd argue that while the use of third places as places to gather to "exchange ideas and build relationships," has shifted to an unhealthy extension of our personal and private bubbles, a possible solution to meeting people might be to get more socially active.
I don't mean that in the third place sense, though that too.
I've thought long and hard over the last several months about my fascination with social movements like prayer vigils, town halls and protests and I think it is directly related to what Mancuso is exploring here.
I got involved with the Miami-Dade interfaith social justice direct action network called People Acting for Community Together because I appreciated the sort of work they did– such as pressuring the city to plant more trees, eliminating out of school suspensions in county schools and reducing unnecessary arrests, and yes, prayer vigils in front of immigration detention centers– but mostly because I was just plain lonely.
The desire to be with people doing something together, even when I disagree with them, drives me to cover protests and the prayer vigils (though, admittedly, I'm on board with the prayer vigils).
Philip Cardella
I love this community and experiencing our commonalities within the differences in our cultures, our faiths, our foods, our ways of unwinding, and yes, even our politics, makes me feel more deeply connected and, indeed, has helped me make new friends. 10/10 recommend.
On to this week.
But first, check out Mancuso's newsletter.
Finite
Disappointment
The abomination on US 41 known by its racist nickname, Alligator Alcatraz (yes, it's racist, that's not wokism, it's just reality) persists, at least for now. While a judge whose husband has close ties to the governor stopped the shutdown previously ordered of the site, ruling that as the Federal government was not involved Federal environmental regulations did not apply, the Federal Government via the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now set to reimburse the state for over 600 million dollars. The state claims that as it has not yet accepted the money it should not change the court ruling.
Meanwhile, the South Florida housing market bubble is now expected to burst soon. Historically, housing market collapses in South Florida contributed, perhaps in no small part caused, the Great Depression, but also the Great Recession. It's more than a little disappointing to think that the housing crisis here is only likely to get worse and many of us may be under water in more ways than one.
B. Scott McLendon
Florida
Gonna Florida
Florida Man Cop Terrified of Gas Nozzle
If that sounds ridiculous and bad just watch the video. Or even the first minute of the video. But the video is by a civil rights lawyer helping people understand how to interact with the police. Full disclosure, I don't know this Youtube channel other than this vidoe, which I think is worth a look.
Robo Cop Car now in Miami because...Miami
The Miami New Times story appears to be a few hours older than the Miami Herald story on this one as the MNT doesn't know where the money for the vehicle came from and the story opens with a hypothetical the sheriff of Miami Dade county says wouldn't happen. That said, the Herald story mentions some interesting possibilities for abuse by this thing.
The title of the Herald story sort of gives away the slant. While the MNT has a straight forward title that doesn't indicate the slant of the reporter (which the reporter certainly has once you read it) the Herald title of Meet Miami-Dade's new 'Robocop': The first self-driving police car in the nation certainly suggests the sort of uncontested glee in an announcement of a new burger joint.
B. Scott McLendon
This may or may not be a fitting time to mention a book that I recommend to someone recently about the white supremacist obsession with science fiction.
As university press books go, this is about as readable as it gets. Its short, makes a tight argument and has good prose.
Jordan S. Carroll
Historic
Interlude
October 2, 1985 Tallahassee Florida Governor Bob Graham announced his intention to appoint a woman to Florida's Supreme Court. That woman was Rosemary Barkett and she'd be Florida's first woman to sit on the Supreme Court and first woman to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Serving on Florida's Supreme Court would be just one step of many to an illustrious career that included a two year term as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, and nearly 20 years sitting on the US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. A 2021 University of Miami School of Law event listed her as an active member of "The Hague-based Iran-United States Claims Tribunal."
That same event has the following bio on her, which I doubt I can improve upon:
Born in Mexico to parents who were emigrants from Syria, she is recognized as the first woman, Arab American, and Hispanic judge on the Florida Supreme Court.
Some highlights from the Wikipedia entry on Justice Barkett:
Barkett was a long time member of the Board of Trustees for the Catholic liberal arts college in Miami, Barry University.
When appointed by Bill Clinton to the Eleventh Circuit she was accused of being soft on crime for her supposed anti-death penalty stance, she was confirmed nevertheless. The 275 times that she affirmed the death penalty while sitting on Florida's Supreme Court may have played a role in that.
Infinite
Hope
As I mentioned in the introduction to this week, I'm interested in things that bring us together as a community, particularly here in South Florida. This week's infinite hope has three stories about people doing community together and bringing out, or at least trying to bring out, the best of who we are.
Prayer Vigils and Concerts
On Sunday, I documented the 9th Sunday prayer vigil at The Abomination otherwise known as the South Florida Detention Center (or A******* A******). This time it was led by my church so I spent a lot of effort this week making a video for them. The truth is, I needed to document it, get in my car and actually go as far east as you can go in the county, to Miami Beach, for a performance my kid was in with the Miami Children's Chorus.
I was aware of the the title, Dear Everything, but knew absolutely nothing else other than the kid's choir was essentially the extras in this sort of off Broadway performance.
I was late to the performance due to my time at the prayer vigil by about 15 minutes and didn't think I could bring my cameras in so I didn't. I'm kicking myself because the best I can tell, there is no available photos and the reality is...these two things are totally connected in a way it never occurred to me.
MARK KENNEDY
Dear Everything is about listening to the younger generations about caring for our environment. It was created by the artist formerly known as Eve Ensler who now goes by V. You may be familiar with V's work as the creator of the Vagina Monologues, that "broke ground, offering to the world a piece of art like nothing it had seen before. Based on dozens of interviews V conducted with women, the play addressed women’s sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse, creating a new conversation about and with women."
V was quoted in the above AP piece about the musical, “I was trying to find a way to create a story, to create pop music, that could really generate an awakening in people. Not by pounding them over the head, but by saying, ‘Listen to the kids. Listen to young people. They really have a vision of what’s coming because they can feel it in their bodies and they want a life.’”
A five second clip from Dear Everything filmed by an unknown member of the audience. The Miami Children's Chorus is in the background dancing behind the cast member holding a mic.
What really got me was at the end when V's non-profit recognized the work of local youth activists, gave them a $5000 check for their local efforts and a few minutes to speak.
The first speaker during this post play celebration told the audience to get out into the Everglades, stand against the abomination on US 41 and talked up the weekly prayer vigils, like the very one I had covered just before the concert.
Between a national effort to recognize the power of youth, the centrality of our the planet in our lives and the emphasis on how community can make a difference, Sunday was a powerful example to me of people working in community together.
Wildlife photography
Wildlife photographer George McKenzie Jr. grew up in Brooklyn but decided he wanted to be a wildlife photographer in the Everglades. He said he knew about photographing pigeons but alligators? Well, he responded the way many of us do when we first meet one in the wild, by nearly jumping in the arms of the driver of the car he was in.
McKenzie told legendary wildlife photographer and featured part of the outstanding documentary (my favorite of all time) Path of the Panther, Carlton Ward Jr., that he wanted to get Black folks into places like the Everglades and Ward said, "cool" and off they went.
I'm not going to lie, Carlton Ward Jr. is a hero of mine (if I have any heroes but that's for a different post) so I'm super jealous.
The story of McKenzie's journey is the topic of one of three films on the Florida Wildlife Corridor that debuted this week. I haven't seen them yet, but I will because the Path of the Panther, which is about that corridor, did more to fill me with infinite hope than just about any other film I've ever seen.
Steve Newborn
This seems as good a place as any to promote my wildlife photography, though my mission is to make pretty pictures and this guy's mission is to build a community.
Philip Cardella
Caring for our neighbors
It's awful to throw shade while addressing such an important topic, but while Florida's governor likes to claim there isn't a homelessness problem in Florida– at least one that can't be swept under the rug by laws– there absolutely is a growing crisis in Florida for our unhoused neighbors.
Enter the doctors from Miami Street Medicine to help address some of that crisis.
“We’re out there to meet the needs of our patients,” founder Dr. Dan Bergholz told the Associated Press in the story below. “And if that’s a cough drop, we’ve got you. We are happy to help you with that cough drop. But really the mission is so much greater. It’s showing that we care, and we’re there for them. So when that cough becomes pneumonia, they’ll let us listen to their lungs and maybe trust us to take them to the hospital.”
The article is amazing, inspiring and gives me hope. Please read it!
DAVID FISCHER
The power of forgiveness
The last month has been full of horrific political violence and my heart breaks for the victims. While Charlie Kirk was assassinated, violence broke out at a Mormon Church in Minnesota and at a Synagogue in the United Kingdom. I am neither Mormon, nor Jewish and I'm not a fan of Charlie Kirk's work but I'm heartbroken and sickened by these acts.
Schools should be safe places for people to disagree, even strongly. Places of worship should be safe places for people to gather together in community, even if I'm not necessarily in the in crowd in those spaces. Snipers are cowards and people who attack places of worship are somehow even worse. Ugh. That doesn't belong in infinite hope!
But the responses of some people do, starting with Erika Kirk saying she forgives the man who killed her husband and the father of her children at her husband's memorial service last week. We need more of this and none of the violence. Her choosing that moment to make that statement fills me with hope.
After the horrific attack that not only saw four human beings murdered but saw their place of worship burned to the ground, members of the Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) put together a crowd funding drive for the shooter's family.
, USA TODAY
This is, in my opinion, what religion should be for: bringing community together especially when its hard. The USA Today article points out that the crowd funding drive vastly exceeded the goal and I therefore will not link to it. I will praise it and thank "a Utah-based writer and Mormon" David Butler for creating it. This fills me with hope.
This second article lists several different ways people can support the church that was attacked and the families who lost their loved ones.
, USA TODAY
Bear
The History Hound Finds
Local politics
The City of Miami, the largest of the county's 34 municipalities is having an election this November for the position of mayor, known locally as "Little Mayor" as the county mayor wields vastly more power.
That said, the city of Miami is growing quickly into a city with a billion dollar budget and international reach in its own right (as opposed to as one part of a county that's had incredible reach since the early 1900s). The local NPR station, which is a service of the local community college, has an interesting discussion about the mayoral debate this week and how it is emblematic of Miami politics.
That was followed by a fascinating interview with the former President of Turning Point USA at Florida International University and her views on Charlie Kirk, the organization and the efforts to name the street outside of FIU after the slain founder of the organization.
Dog Health Pupdate
Bear is still wrestling with doggy pneumonia. Early this week he had a major setback but is on the mend again. If that sounds scary and expensive that's exactly what it is.
Also scary and expensive is children in college. Please consider supporting this work with a one time donation.