Emotions flared at an informational meeting Tuesday night over a proposal for Hialeah to annex a part of Miami-Dade's historically Black neighborhood Brownsville.
Hialeah proposed annexing neighboring Brownsville to increase revenue and fill a budget shortfall — but residents of the unincorporated community showed up to the meeting Tuesday to shoot it down.
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WATCH HERE"Go back Cuba," one man yelled during the meeting. "All of y'all need to go back to Cuba ... you guys trying to take my land. You’re gonna take our land and tell us what we are gonna do. You all need to go back to Cuba."
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Community leaders said ahead of the meeting that the industrial area Hialeah is targeting is crucial to the future of the Brownsville community.
"Please do not let anybody take your heritage, because they're not going to be in sympathy with your heritage and they're not going to be in sympathy with your culture and the legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation in this community," said Dr. Enid Pinkney, the founder of Brownsville's Historic Hampton House.
Hialeah officials say they want to do the most to ease any burden while still preserving the neighborhood’s heritage.
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"I respect their opinion. I think they're proud of where they're from — I'm proud of my city as well, so I relate to them, and I want to make sure that whatever we do we honor their city and we don't change and repurpose what they feel comfortable in," Councilwoman Monica Perez said.
The process is still in its beginning stages — there still needs to be a formal analysis that will then be presented to the city council.
Leaders and organizations including the Brownsville Civic Neighborhood Association have been encouraging residents to sign an online petition started by the NAACP Miami-Dade Branch opposing annexation.
