On this Tuesday, June 2, episode of Sundial:
The Third Day Of Protests In South Florida
Protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of white officers continued in parts of South Florida on Monday for the third day in a row. There were no arrests that day and curfews remain in effect for Miami-Dade, Broward and West Palm Beach counties.
A Fort Lauderdale police officer has been relieved of duty after he was seen on video pushing a kneeling woman to the ground during the demonstrations on Sunday.
Officer Steven Pohorence's actions are being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
"Not only do I believe this is an adequate punishment," said Democratic State Rep. Shevrin Jones about the officer's actions. "I believe that we need to look at what direction we're going when these issues are happening with police and how they treat community members."
We spoke with Jones about the protests and any actions that could be taken in the Florida Legislature.
Miami Dade College Reopens
Some students are back on campus this week after Miami Dade College reopened for summer courses under a phase one reopening plan. Only a small number of classes, about five percent, that require in-person lessons are back — with strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Miami Dade College is one of the largest community colleges in the country, serving over 160,000 students. The majority are considered low-income by the Department of Education.
"The students that the universities may be losing are actually selecting community colleges as an alternative because of the price," says the college's Interim President Rolando Montoya. "They are local and they don't have to pay dormitories or meal plans because they remain at home."
We spoke with Montoya about what the phase one reopening looks like and how the pandemic has impacted the school’s finances.
Ultra Music Festival Faces Lawsuit Over Ticket Refunds
Thousands of electronic music lovers from around the globe were scheduled to visit Miami for the Ultra Music Festival in Bayfront Park back in March. Just two weeks before the festival’s scheduled start, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez postponed Ultra because of the global pandemic. Now fans are out hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars for tickets.
The music festival organizers refuse to refund the tickets claiming the event is postponed, not canceled, even though there is no guarantee that an event will happen in the future. Ticket holders have filed a class-action lawsuit to get their money back.
"They [the Ultra organizers] have been really quiet," said Miami Herald reporter Joey Flechas. "They've been only communicating in whatever you see in the public really or directly to ticket holders which obviously has been pretty upsetting for many of them."
We spoke with Flechas about the lawsuit and the future of large events like this one in South Florida.
Future of Pro Sports During COVID
Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have all been in discussions over the past two months about how to start or restart their seasons. One thing that is certain, live sports events will dramatically change.
The NHL decided to end the regular season and go straight into the postseason with an expanded playoff field, which includes the Florida Panthers.
The Miami Heat have begun voluntary practices but no word on when the season will restart. The proposal now is for all teams to play at the Walt Disney Sports Complex in Orlando but no fans will be allowed in the stadiums and players will be regularly tested for COVID-19.
"We’re not even worried about fans in seats right now at games. We just want to see live sports," said sports radio host and former professional athlete, Joe Rose. "I know fans really want to get back to some winning football."
We spoke with Rose, a former Miami Dolphins tight end and the host of the Joe Rose Show with Zach Krantz, about what fans can and shouldn't expect.
