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There’s a lot being done to help fight food insecurity in Miami. Restaurants across the city are playing the role of food banks, providing meals for out-of-work employees and essential workers. While Instagram-led initiatives like Adopt a Family are providing for entire households in need. And over in Miami’s hardest-hit, low-income neighborhoods, there’s a new kind of grassroots activism emerging: community fridges.

Already a movement in New York City, these public refrigerators filled with free produce and pantry staples for at-risk neighbors have started popping up in Miami. South Florida aesthetician Sherina Jones placed the first one nearly two weeks ago in Little Haiti. It’s located in front of Roots Collective (5505 NW Seventh Ave)—a clothing store owned by her cousin Isaiah Thomas and is partner Danny Agnew—with a sign that reads “Take what you need, donate what you don’t.”

It’s filled with milk, cereal, bread, fruit juices, and eggs, among other essential items. There are also turkey sandwiches packed in Ziplock bags, which Jones makes herself reported the Miami Herald. According to the paper, Jones is keeping her fridge stocked with donations she’s receiving on CashApp at $villagepantry as well as through her GoFundMe site. Down the road in Overtown, Buddy System Miami set up its own community fridge at Harbo convenience store, where people can both donate healthy groceries and collect items to bring home for their families.

“At Buddy System, we’re all about connecting people to sustainable resources and fighting food insecurity, and these community fridges are the next step in providing for our Miami home,” says Eric Trope, vice president of the volunteer-run nonprofit.

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Members are responsible for monitoring the fridge, taking inventory, and restocking it. People interested in donating their time can sign up online on Buddy System’s website. Cash contributions are also welcomed ($BuddySystemMIA) and go toward filling the fridge as well as expanding the project across the county.

Both the Little Haiti and Overtown fridges are located in what’s known as food deserts, low-income areas without a grocery store or fresh-food market within close proximity. Buddy System plans to bring the fridges to another 20 affected neighborhoods in Miami, including Homestead, Cutler Ridge, and Miami Gardens.

“We’re narrowing it down but we’re looking at the areas without a supermarket and where most of the people rely on public transportation, which living [in Miami] we know is unreliable,” Kelly Mayorga, project manager for Buddy System Miami. Reducing food waste is also part of Buddy System’s mission and integral to expanding its community fridge project.

“So much food gets thrown out because it’s not sold by a specific date so if they can give us the food, we can use it for our fridges and keep it from getting tossed out,” says Mallorca.

Certainly a win-win for all.

This story was originally published on Time Out Miami by Virginia Gil and can be found here

Today Amazon announced their first health and fitness tracking product, Halo. Halo is a new wearable band and membership that aims to help you improve your health and wellness.

Amazon’s Melissa Cha, a vice president at Halo, said in a press release that the company already had expertise around machine learning and computer vision, but expanding into health has taken several years of preparation.

“We did a global search to find the best experts,” she said. “We found cardiologists, fitness experts, and people who had spent their careers researching sleep and wellness.”

With Halo, you get a screen-free, wrist-worn tracker and the software to help you monitor your overall health. Amazon said that the lack of a screen was a design choice to limit distraction for the wearer. There are sensors including an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, and a heart rate monitor, along with two microphones. The Halo band, which comes in a variety of styles and sizes, is meant for 24/7 wear, so it's waterproof, and the company's estimates claim a week-long battery life.

Halo's software will reward wearers' activities according to duration and intensity level and will subtract points for sedentary time not spent sleeping. For sleeping, there is the ability to track your sleep with a score based on the quality of your rest.

Halo also has a body fat percentage measuring tool that Amazon claims is "as accurate as methods a doctor would use." This feature is compared to getting a DEXA scan, which requires specialized equipment and is expensive, with just a few photos. Amazon is leaning on its A.I. knowhow to compute the estimates but has not given many details on the science behind the feature.

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Halo also goes beyond traditional fitness tracking with another unique feature - Tone. This uses the built-in microphones to listen to the wearer's voice throughout the day and use it to report on how they felt. With both features, Amazon claims that all recordings and photos are processed on the user's phones, deleted after processing, and never uploaded to the cloud.

Additionally, Amazon has stressed its commitment to privacy with this new device and pledged that it won’t use the insights to sell health-related products to its users.

Halo launched for $65, which includes six months of membership to the service. After that period, the service will cost $4 per month. After the early access period, the band and six months of service will cost $99.

With over 35 million tons of food wasted in the U.S. each year, the City of Miami Beach has partnered with the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to provide yet another easily accessible compost option to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

The new North Beach Composting Hub, located at 85 Street and Collins Avenue, will offer full-service composting — including logistical assistance, compost transformation, and community education with a 24-hour drop-off bin.

“The site will collect food scrap material and transform that food waste into nutrient-rich soil,” explained City Manager Jimmy L. Morales. “Creating awareness on the importance of waste reduction, repurposing of materials, and the creation of organic gardens also enhances the community's sustainability.”

RELATED City of Miami Beach Continues its Mission to Reduce Single-Use Plastics

The North Beach Composting Hub will officially launch on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at 12 p.m. with a virtual event hosted on Zoom and streamed live on the city’s Facebook account. Everyone is invited to participate on Facebook or register for the Zoom meeting at www.mbrisingabove.com/compost. The event will include a virtual tour of the Hub to explain the benefits of composting, a showcase on how the site will operate and will clarify the types of items that will be accepted. 

Residents can register at www.mbrisingabove.com/compost to receive a pin code in order to access this composting location.

On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio dashed any hopes that gyms would reopen in New York City next week.

Governor Andrew Cuomo had announced that fitness centers would finally be able to reopen on August 24 with a reduced capacity of 33 percent and various health protocols on Monday, but in his Tuesday morning press conference, de Blasio said that would not be the case for NYC.

RELATED New York Gyms Can Reopen Next Week, Masks Required, Cuomo Says

In order to reopen under state guidelines, gyms would have to be inspected by the city's health department to make sure they're following regulations and to determine whether each gym can have classes. Unfortunately, the city doesn't have enough bandwidth to do both gyms and schools, the mayor said.

"This is about health and safety first," the mayor said on Tuesday. "One thing the governor's executive order makes clear — local discretion is in a lot of this — and based on reality in New York City, we won't start before September 2. I want to be real clear: the priority is going to be on the inspections we need to do for childcare centers and schools."

September 10 is the proposed opening date for NYC schools, but many lawmakers are pushing for a delayed start.

Even when reopening gyms is possible, the regulations will still prove difficult for many local gyms. 

BK Fit, which has been offering outdoor training at its locations and at an outdoor facility for several weeks now, says it'll continue doing so for those uncomfortable working out indoors. It'll also offer access to its indoor facilities 24/7, according to its Instagram account.

*This article was originally published on Timeout by Shaye Weaver and can be found here.

Gyms in New York can reopen as soon as Aug. 24, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

Detailed guidance is on the way later today, but gyms will be limited to 33% of their total capacity and masks will be required at all times, Cuomo said during a press conference in New York City this morning.

Gyms are among the last businesses Cuomo has allowed to return following months of coronavirus shutdowns. Like other nonessential businesses, gyms closed in March to help slow the spread of the pandemic.

Other reopening rules include:

• Patrons will be required to sign in to aid tracing contacts if someone at a gym tests positive for the virus.
• Gyms will have to install strong air filters, similar to those required of businesses like malls.
• Health screenings will be required.

The new guidance is strict and it should be, Cuomo said. Gyms present a higher risk of spreading the virus than some other businesses.

RELATED NYC Gyms File Class-Action Against State After Being Removed From Phase 4

Cuomo acknowledged some patrons might be unhappy with the mask requirement, but they’re not optional.

Local governments also have a role to play in reopening gyms, Cuomo said. They’ll have to inspect the facilities before they open or within two weeks of their opening to make sure they’re meeting state requirements.

Local officials will determine whether gyms can hold indoor fitness classes.

The state began a phased reopening of businesses in May, but even when all of New York reached the fourth and final phase, gyms were not allowed to return. Earlier in August, Cuomo said they’d remain dark indefinitely and called them a “dangerous activity” amid the ongoing pandemic.

But last week, he softened his stance and said the state would issue reopening guidance today.

The previous lack of clear guidance from the state on when gyms would be allowed to come back has been a major source of frustration for owners, trainers, and others.

The state’s nontribal casinos and movie theaters have also not yet been allowed to reopen. Malls were not initially allowed to reopen in the fourth phase of the reopening plan either, but were then allowed to return in July.

Cuomo gave permission last week for bowling alleys to reopen starting today.

*This article was originally published on Syracuse.com and can be found here.

The City of Miami Beach continues its General Obligation Bond-funded reforestation efforts with its strong partnership with Neat Streets Miami, planting over 200 more trees in the Normandy Isles and Normandy Shores neighborhoods. This year’s $50,000 Neat Streets Miami grant will fund the planting of over 85 of the 207 new trees.

Launched by Neat Streets Miami, the Million Trees Miami initiative is a community-wide effort to achieve a 30 percent tree canopy cover for Miami-Dade County. Neat Streets Miami is a multi-jurisdictional county board dedicated to the maintenance and beautification of transportation corridors, gateways, and connections.

Miami-Dade Parks is the third-largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 270 parks and 13,573 acres of land. It is one of the most unique parks and recreation systems in the world and focused on Placemaking, Health and Fitness, and Conservation and Stewardship.

“Miami Beach is already one of the most walkable, bikeable cities in the country, and we’re always looking to take the next step, such as with actions like the 5,000 new trees funded in our 2018 G.O. Bonds,” shared Mayor Dan Gelber. “So we’re very excited about our ongoing partnership with Neat Streets Miami to keep improving our tree canopy and community.”

In addition to creating cooler streets, a prosperous tree canopy also intercepts thousands of gallons of urban stormwater runoff, reduces carbon monoxide, conserves electricity and improves overall health for residents.

The 207 trees will include Bridal Veil (Caesalpinia granadillo), Wild Tamarinds (Lysiloma bahamensis), Gumbo Limbos (Bursera simaruba), Green Buttonwoods (Conocarpus erectus) and several other Florida-friendly tree species that provide shade and beautify the community. 

The Miami Beach G.O. Bond program has planted over 650 trees over the last year. Neat Streets Miami grants, made possible through the County’s Tree Trust Fund, continue to assist the city in improving its yearly reforestation efforts.

New York gyms and fitness centers suffered another blow on Thursday when Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that gyms would remain closed indefinitely, labeling them a "dangerous activity." The announcement from Governor Cuomo comes nearly a month after New York gyms filed a class-action lawsuit against the state after Cuomo removed them from Phase 4 of the reopening plan.

“We deserve the opportunity to open up under the CDC guidelines set forth," said SC Fitness owner Charlie Cassara last month during a Fox & Friends interview. Cassara is leading the lawsuit for the New York Gyms.

RELATED NYC Gyms File Class-Action Against State After Being Removed From Phase 4

In his comments on Thursday, Governor Cuomo stated, “Gyms have been a nationally identified source of infections. We know from the other states they’ve been highly problematic.”

First, it's important to rightfully point out Cuomo's success and leadership in helping New York navigate the crisis early on, and even providing somewhat of a blueprint for other states to follow. But this latest move is problematic. Gyms and fitness centers at this point seem to be arbitrarily singled out. Gyms and fitness centers seem to be no more susceptible to infections than any other businesses that are open and operating. With proper capacity reductions, mandatory mask-wearing, enhanced cleaning procedures, social distancing, and updated HVACs, gyms and fitness centers should be given the opportunity to resume businesses responsibly. If they break the guidelines, they can be fined like every other business.

We will continue to monitor the situation with New York gyms as news becomes available.

SoulCycle launched an outdoor version of its indoor cycling classes, named SoulOutside, with the goal of allowing spinners to break a sweat in a safer way.

SoulOutside first held classes in the Hamptons in July, and now they are coming to other major cities including Boston, Hoboken, and Santa Monica. The company's goal is to give riders that feeling they had been missing for so long — without the stress of being inside a sweat-filled studio, even one at half capacity.

The main difference that riders will find between the outdoor classes and the indoor is that music will be played through individual headphones instead of speakers. This "silent-disco" experience will use headsets provided by SoulCycle and they will be sanitized using top-grade disinfectant between uses. Riders can also bring their own headphones if they choose.

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SoulOutside will be held seven days a week through at least Labor Day and classes will be regular market price, however, pricing may not include shoes.

No word on the Miami locations right now, but SoulOutside mentioned the possibility of expanding into new cities so we'll keep you updated!

As the number of Coronavirus cases rose in South Florida over the recent weeks, tension also began to rise, not only among residents but businesses who are once again finding themselves in limbo due to the second round of mandatory curfews and shutdowns.

Nearly $1billion in COVID-19 aid has been allocated to Miami-Dade, yet the struggle continues between the Mayor’s office and local cities and municipalities on how these funds should be allocated. Approximately $474 Million has been marked as unrestricted funding to be distributed to local government entities that have incurred expenses due to COVID-19 and to aid those directly impacted by the pandemic.

Many news sources speculate that massive layoffs are imminent within the hospitality industry, which is considered a crucial source of South Florida’s economy. But what about the masses of small, local businesses that have been the foundation of economic prosperity in South Florida? Some, after many years in business, are closing their doors and new businesses that opened right before they pandemic never had a chance. Where does the fitness industry fit in during these times of economic calamity?

Prior to COVID-19’s arrival in South Florida, boutique fitness studios, health and wellness events, and personal training were on the rise with many of them being first-time business/franchise owners. The devastating impacts of the pandemic and the back and forth waves of re-opening then closing again has left these business owners with little hope of survival. Right now, the only solution seems to be to request local governments that they be included in discussions pertaining to COVID-19 relief funding, hence, the creation of the Miami-Dade County Wellness Coalition.

RELATED Gym Owners Form Miami Wellness Coalition to Speak with Unified Voice

“The financial implications of our industry are severe,” said Guido Trinidad, Owner & Head Coach at Peak360 Fitness in South Miami. “We are operating at approximately 50% of the revenue we normally did before COVID-19. Our expenses certainly have not dropped by that degree. If the government is bailing out other industries; the health and fitness industry should not only be included but at the top of the list."

South Florida non-profits are being encouraged to partner up with other local non-profits in an effort to leverage their resources and donations. In many cases the health and wellness industry works hand-in-hand with the hospitality sector by hosting events at their hotels, setting up personal training for guests, inviting fitness instructors to teach various classes, as well as maintaining a permanent relationship with gym owners and franchisees to take up permanent residence within their hotels.

RELATED This Miami Gym Owner is Lobbying Congress to Include Fitness in a Coronavirus Bailout

The fact of the matter is that politicians need to see past the immediate reparations the stimulus will provide to their communities but rather view the long-term effects it will have through a holistic lens. Everyone, at some point, will be impacted by this pandemic in one way or another and the stressors that come along with it. Data is already reflecting huge spikes in mental and physical health crisis, food insecurity, and education. Many are and will seek out resources to improve their overall wellbeing, beyond the walls of the healthcare system and who better than the health and wellness industry, as the essential group that they are, to serve them.

“Health, fitness, and overall wellness are the most natural and proactive measures we can take to defend, fight, and beat COVID-19,” said Trinidad. “Shouldn’t our local government invest in the local businesses that not only stimulate the economy, but more importantly, are on the front lines leading our community towards building stronger immunity against this virus.”

It’s more than shopping that’s getting people to Lincoln Road these days. South Beach’s famous outdoor mall hosts outdoor yoga, is lined with sidewalk cafés and, soon, will be where folks go to watch the ballet.

Starting today, Miami City Ballet takes over the former BCBG store at the corner of Lincoln and Meridian Avenue, transforming the vacant space into a sun-drenched stage for pedestrians. The pop-up theater will serve as a rehearsal area for the dancers, who can already be seen pirouetting throughout the space. Performances will take place weekdays from 1–3pm and 5–7pm, featuring up to six ballerinas in full regalia. Outside, viewers will be directed to stand on pre-marked, socially distanced circles where they can watch as well as listen to streaming classical music. MCB will hold daily shows Monday through Friday now through September 10.

RELATED Watch Rob Gronkowski Take Ballet Lessons from the Miami City Ballet

The community-focused initiative celebrates the company’s 35th anniversary and its humble Lincoln Road beginnings, as well as aims to provide locals with an artistic distraction. “We hope to give people a moment of joy and an opportunity to embrace the healing power of the arts,” says Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. 

A big (virtual) round of applause to that.

*This article was originally published on Time Out Miami by Virginia Gil and can be found here.

Saturday night marked another session of “Midnight Yoga” on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C.

The protesters, who have been out in the streets over 50 days after being initially sparked by the failure to arrest the officers who had murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (still), have turned to the peace that yoga provides to manage their pain, both physical and emotional.

Around the same time federal police were turning Portland into a war zone while violently beating and pepper-spraying citizens, D.C. protesters were stretching out their limbs after giving a touching 100 candle-light tribute to late Congressman John Lewis.

WATCH VIDEO OF MIDNIGHT YOGA HERE

Over the past 50 days, protesters in Washington D.C. have faced their own share of police violence and war-like conditions, and on this night, Mahadi Lowal, a 26-year-old who helped organize the yoga session, addresses over 120 people in the street on their mats.

“I know yoga seems like a complacent act of protest,” says Lowal to the limber crowd, “but last night most of us here, most of us spent the night outside of the mayor’s house begging and pleading for her to address the rampant use of excessive force and abuse of innocent civilians by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). We decided to show some videos of MPD’s greatest ‘hits’ and show what the officers really do.”

One night earlier, Lowal was part of about 80 protesters outside D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s home projecting onto a bed sheet a video of the brutality experienced by D.C. protesters with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as the soundtrack to the violence.

https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1282172449111580672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1282172449111580672%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1282172449111580672autosize%3D1

“I just want you to know that we’re doing yoga because we’re all in pain,” Lowal continues. “We’re protesting every single day, and there’s no time for self-care. So if you can’t leave the protest for self-care, you can bring self-care to protest. And that’s what we’re doing here.”

Lowal speaks about pain from personal experience. As was one of hundreds of protesters camped out in tents on Black Lives Matter Plaza on July 4th weekend, Lowal had a seizure and passed out in the grueling heat, and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. He had no history of seizures prior to the protests. With a visible blood clot in his eye that still shows two weeks later, Lowal was back protesting the next day. In June, he had a police flash-bang explode in his face.

“Experiencing police brutality at a protest against police brutality, and being hit in the face with a flash bang and have it explode and burn half my face only pushed me to go harder,” says Lowal, “and make sure that we have substantial and long-standing change in the fight against police brutality and racism.”

Saturday’s Midnight Yoga session was hosted by a group of young protesters named “Occupy H Street” and “Bartenders Against Racism,” and marked the fourth time this month that yoga was used as a therapeutic response to police violence. They have been followed up by Tuesday sessions that tend to start earlier around 8 p.m.

Yoga sessions are often followed by calls for defunding of police budgets, reallocating police resources, getting police out of D.C. schools, gentrification, and calls for police accountability (“Breonna Taylor’s and Elijah McClain’s murderers are still free”).

Aabi Abdun-nafi, the midnight yoga instructor, is also a protester herself.

“We’re protesting for over 40 days now,” says Abdun-nafi. “It’s mentally exhausting, it’s heartbreaking, it’s overwhelming. It’s hot, so you’re building up a lot of negative energy to the point where we can effectively continue to protest without taking care of that for us. So we decided to provide a yoga class for everyone to check in with their mental health.”

‘WHERE’S THE FOOTAGE? WHERE’S CNN? WHERE’S ABC?’

After covering the D.C. protests for weeks, a consistent complaint has been the dearth of national media attention. “The Black Lives Matter Protesters Want You to Know They’re Still There,” writes Jenny Gathright of of D.C.’s local WAMU/DCist outlet, one of the only outlets still covering the protests.

But local outlets lack the resources to station media on Black Lives Matter Plaza between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Protesters say D.C. police are acutely aware of this, and have scheduled their violence accordingly. Most of the overnight police violence, which occurred in the latter half of June, has still not been covered or publicly seen. Media is gone. Crowds have thinned. Phone batteries are dead. And documenting police violence while being bear-maced and trying to salvage your tent or property from destruction can be quite the multi-task.

“I’ve seen people get their heads opened up, and bruised and battered and beaten, and gassed. Oh God!,” exclaims “Earl”, a food supporter with Earl’s First Amendment Grill. “Where’s the footage? Where’s CNN? Where’s ABC?”

The footage is right here, courtesy of a protester named “Dirty Knucklez” who climbed a lamp post at 2 a.m. to get it. In the video, police violently ransack Earl’s Grill, a place that provided free food to protesters, the D.C. Community and the homeless.

https://twitter.com/wyattreed13/status/1277105206355021824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1277105206355021824%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1277105206355021824autosize%3D1

One protester who preferred not to be named for fear of police reprisal, called out CNN, the Washington Post, and Associated Press for their refusal to cover “completely newsworthy” multi-faceted protests.

“Nobody is out here except street journalists who try to chase the truth. [Due to media blackout], people believe nobody is out here. But we’re out here every day.”

One such street journalist trying to chase the truth is Wyatt Reed. On June 24 he was able to catch the “war zone’ police violence after 2 a.m. On June 27, D.C. Protest Museum, a Twitter account with 13 followers, caught this police violence at 4:43 a.m. Piecing together the depth of June’s invisible police violence is generally a Black Lives Matter Plaza cell-phone video scavenger hunt.

After several desperate pleas from protesters on the need for overnight media, I soon joined the Black Lives Matter Plaza Graveyard shift. If more police violence occurred at 3 a.m., I could document it. Or even better, possibly help to prevent it. “Midnight Yoga” was the very last thing on my radar.

Ironically, the Midnight Yoga sessions have produced more viral attention and interest on social media than the weeks of hidden police violence. When I interviewed a protester at 4 a.m. whose June police violence stat sheet included being tear-gassed 12 separate times, the video posted got 53 likes and 1300 views. When I posted what I thought was a minor tweet on Midnight Yoga, it got 83,000 likes and 2.6 million views, and dwarfed weeks of documenting police violence. Huh?

Has U.S. state-sanctioned violence become so thoroughly normalized that peace and healing is the bigger story?

The tweet was also met with many calls from people across the country to bring “Midnight Yoga” to their city. Many local D.C. protesters have expressed appreciation for the mental health focus, but also caution and concern that yoga as a response to police-induced trauma could water-down or get confused for the primary protest itself.

“The tear gassing, the rubber bullets, the intimidation, or even the fact that it’s a bunch of cops on one person — it’s ridiculous,” says Abdun-nafi. “It’s not just a free yoga class, it’s a close yoga class for protesters to continue protesting. I’ve been out here. We’ve done overnight sit-ins, and occupied the street. However we can get our rest in, we have got to get it where we live.”

‘ON BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA, YOU ARE A SOLDIER’

In D.C., over the last six weeks, there is a lot to recover from. While Black Lives Matter Plaza has more of a festival atmosphere during the day, the evenings have often resembled a war zone. Police violence has come in three distinct waves.

1. War Zone Wave (First Week): Since May 30, police have arrested 470 people in connection with D.C. protests, with over 400 coming in the first week of demonstrations that included military planes flying over protesters, federal sniper teams deployed, multiple attacks on journalists (more here), and the local MPD notably boxing in hundreds of protesters on Swann Street. “People were coughing,” said Rahul Dubey to DCist who provided shelter for protesters. “It was like that for an hour, they were pepper-spraying in through the window.”

2. Hidden Violence Wave (Latter June): The rest of June saw D.C. arrests plummet, but not the police violence, as well as legalized theft and destruction of property. By the end of June, one protester said he was tear-gassed 12 times over the month, and those providing free food and medical supplies repeatedly had their property confiscated or destroyed by police. Brutality wasn’t the only cost of MPD’s violent June 26 takedown of “Earl’s First Amendment Grill,” a community-beloved outfit of Black men who served 400-500 free hamburgers and hot dogs a day. “The Earls,” as they are affectionately called, estimate MPD seized or destroyed up to $30,000 of their property. They were able to “dumpster-dive” and salvage one of their grills and keep cooking.

3. Red Tape Wave (July): July brought more aggressive police snatch arrests to peaceful protesters, a downturn in the notorious overnight violence that defined June, but new city ordinances, enforcement to clear all food suppliers off the Black Lives Matter sidewalk, and other movement-suppressing “red-taping” that target free food suppliers, medics and supporters who nourish and sustain the protesters. Although less overtly violent, by cutting off food, water and health services in 90-degree heat, the Red Tape wave may have caused the most harm.

This is some of the militaristic context that preceded Midnight Yoga.

“Every time you step on Black Lives Matter Plaza you are a soldier. Even in the midst of trying Trap Yoga we had the police trying to shut it down.” says D.C. protester Toni Sanders. “That was a way for people to get their mental health in order. You cannot fight a war when your mental health is in disarray.”

MILITARY VETS EMBRACE YOGA TO COPE WITH ‘POLICE ATTACKS’

“I deal with PTSD,” says a Marine-turned-protester from his yoga mat this night.

“And this helps me calm down better than any other medicine I’ve ever been prescribed through the VA [Veteran Affairs]. This is meditation I need. I get a sense of stability. This is what a lot of people might need. Maybe the VA should take notes.”

This time around, the stress is not from foreign fire.

“[The yoga] is helping me deal with the police attacks,” he says. ”Some people been dealing with police brutality their whole lives. This is a de-escalation to help you deal with stress. And it’s a great thing. I love it. It helps me out.”

Liz Ferris is a protester and yoga participant who spent six years in the Army Reserve. She was hit by a stinger-grenade which exploded with nine rubber bullets to the back of her leg (video after 22 min marker). That happened on May 31, 2020, a block away from Black Lives Matter Plaza on a night where protests erupted throughout the country.

“I am a military veteran,” says Ferris on Friday in front of the mayor’s house, “and the kind of PTSD I’ve gotten from my own government is wild, and not something I ever would have expected in my lifetime.”

Navy veteran and protester Lee Cantrell, 47, sees parallels between yoga and military “R & R.”

“The healing yoga was a great thing because we are here every day in the blazing sun,” says Cantrell. “In the military, they give us R & R: rest and relaxation. They get that R & R and then come back and get in the fight. That’s all we were doing. Want some normalcy to try to keep this movement going. So what if it’s yoga. Big deal. We’re the ones out here 24/7.”

Some may be surprised to find so many ex-military members amongst the protesters and yoga participants. But many say they are just upholding their oath.

“I signed a contract to uphold the constitution against enemies foreign or domestic,” says one yoga-loving Marine protester with PTSD. “Those [police] are domestic enemies… The culture that they have. They all stand for one thing. They protect each other… Who we have in office? That’s a domestic terrorist.”

‘DON’T JUST COME FOR THE YOGA’

Beyond healing benefits, the spectacle of 100 mostly African-American protesters doing yoga challenged negative media stereotypes weeks before Portland’s mostly white “Wall of Moms” faced down Trump’s Gestapo goons.

“It shatters the narrative of what protests are, and who protesters are,” says Kian Kelley-Chung, a 23-year-old photographer and street journalist covering the D.C. protests. “Yoga is one of the most tranquil and peaceful activities that you can do. So to pair that with the power of protesting, it really does demolish the stereotypes that are associated with it.”

While the stereotype-crushing dynamic resonated with thousands of Twitter-responders, some D.C. protesters also feared the Midnight Yoga minus the combat context could be misused to promote harmful passivity or respectability into future protests.

“While the yoga can be a form of protest, it is not the main form here,” says Sanders, another protestor. “Don’t do yoga as a means to condemn anyone else’s means of protest. Don’t say, ‘We don’t have rioters here.’ Don’t try to invalidate other forms of protest. Don’t try to replace it. Everything works together. Everything [works together] like a hand. Don’t just come for the yoga.”

Sanders, who says she was also beaten and pepper-sprayed by police on June 1 and June 22, takes exception at calls for protesters to be peaceful without similar demands of police.

“We have a peaceful protest every night,” says Sanders. “The police are the people who bring the violence and make the protest violent. Don’t condemn someone else’s response to oppression.”

While July’s larger yoga sessions were organized by a group of protesters called “Occupy H Street,” there were some smaller ones in June, and yoga has been growing in D.C. for years. Kelley-Chung’s own mother, Katherine Kelly-Chung is a local yoga Instructor who also led a public yoga session on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Juneteenth, and groups Black Lives Matter D.C. and Chocolate City Experience also hosted a yoga session a week later on June 27 as part of a “police-free zone” that centered on restoring Black joys with yoga, painting, dancing, jumping rope, free food, and live Go-Go music.

Nee Nee Taylor of BLM D.C. says the event was a deliberate attempt to create police-free spaces rooted in Black joy was also a form of resistance, and signaling to police that they did not hold the power to “steal our joy.”

“We have no health care. We have no housing. And we are spending so much money on the police just to police Black Lives Matter Plaza. At night time they’re literally beating and pepper spraying people. So this is why we ask to defund the police.”

A TALE OF TWO PLAZAS

“Defund The Police” has been a near universal rallying cry from D.C. protesters, and Taylor was part of the instantly famous action on June 6, 2020 to paint “ = DEFUND THE POLICE” on BLM Plaza and repurpose what “Black Lives Matter” specifically means on a policy level. While the DFP movement has been gaining steam for months, the DEFUND THE POLICE bright yellow addendum instantly sparked an elevated level of mainstream media attention.

Depending on which protester you talk to, “Defund The Police” could mean cutting D.C.’s police budget from 25 percent to 50 percent, or abolishing the police altogether. What nearly all protesters agree on is that police resources should be reallocated to alternative community services of health and safety.

After six weeks of protests, Washington, D.C., leadership is doing the exact opposite: increasing policing, and cutting social services. On June 6, Black Lives Matter DC issued a damning statement condemning a proposed $45 million budget increase to MPD which has been coupled with recent proposals of up to $18 million in cuts to essential services, the type of outrage that had 80 people protesting outside the mayor’s house until 3:30 a.m. The BLM DC statement also notes that although Black people make up 46 percent of D.C.’s population, they were the recipient of 89 percent of police use of force (Office of Police Complaints Report).

Given the gap between performance and policy, protester after protester says the yellow paint commemorating Black Lives Matter “is a lie,” and what happens at night vs. the day is like ... night and day.

“This is supposed to be holy ground? Sacred ground? — This is a battle ground!” scoffs one of “The Earls,” a 22-year Navy veteran while listing the brutalities he has experienced at the Plaza after dark. “Been in combat four times. This is the real combat right here (while pointing to the ground).”

https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1282780739432599553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1282780739432599553%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1282780739432599553autosize%3D1

“This paint on the street has not created any systemic change… or get these cops off our necks,” says a protester and yoga participant. “After seeing everything I’ve seen on Black Lives Matter Plaza, you may as well take the sign down and name it 16th St. again.”

At the intersection of “A Tale of Two Plazas” is Midnight Yoga, the ultimate act of peaceful resistance grounded in healing just around that time when Black Lives Matter Jeckyll turns into Hyde.

Many D.C. protesters are committed to the long haul, there is language of “marathons not a sprint,” and historical reminders that The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted over an entire year before change arrived. And Midnight Yoga has been implemented to help support that long-term reality, and short-term battle scars.

“I’m an extreme optimist,” says Lowal. “We have a group of people here that are devoted and will refuse to give up. We refuse to give up. We will be here as long as it takes. If it takes three years, we’re going to be here for three years to make sure that there is change. We’re going to make sure there is change.”

*This article was originally published on Deadspin by Chuck Modiano and can be found here.

Even during a pandemic, people find a way to party in South Beach. Recently, we’ve seen countless Instagram videos of women twerking on convertible cars, full-on brawls taking place on Ocean Drive and the sands crowded with what appears to be mostly tourists. (It’s a well-known fact that locals—especially mainlanders—hardly ever go to the beach.) While South Beach loves and still thrives on its out-of-towners, plans are in the works to attract a different type of visitor to the neighborhood.

On Wednesday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber revealed a proposal that would transform the city’s entertainment district into an arts and culture hub. Lately, the mixed-use entertainment district (MXE for short) has not been on brand with the image fostered elsewhere in the city. South Beach has become a “beachfront Bourbon Street, where too many people go to do things they would never do in their own homes,” said Mayor Gelber, adding that most of the victims and perpetrators of crimes reported tend to be visitors.

The MXE comprises tourist hot spots like Ocean Drive and Washington and Collins Avenues, where the majority of businesses are bars, clubs and restaurants that stay open late and contribute to the general raucous we’ve been watching play out. Gelber, together with a group of commissioners and experts, conceived a new vision that would rename the area the Art Deco Cultural District or something similar that reflects the area’s status as a true art and culture destination. The plan would significantly alter the character and even the architecture of South Beach with the additional proposed changes:

RELATED Miami Beach Ranked As the Most Active City in America

–Create new zoning laws. There will be an overhaul of the current zoning laws to establish the kind of business climate Miami Beach would like to foster. This includes prohibiting establishments from serving alcohol past midnight (there are more than 100 businesses that presently serve booze from 2am to 5am) and requiring them to pull conditional use permits (CUP) should they want to open and serve booze later. A CUP hinges on compliance, so officials can require a level of conduct they wouldn’t otherwise with a perpetual license. “If [businesses] refuse to comply, they can lose their rights because [the permit] was only conditional,” said the mayor.

–Hold operators responsible. Gelber hopes the city can partner with buildings and owners to make them aware of what’s happening in their establishments. Moving forward, they’ll be held responsible for violations and fines.

–Motivate cultural growth. The new district will explore incentives to inspire the growth of more galleries and museums and businesses that promote the arts. According to Gelber, venues like the Wolfsonian–FIU are examples of institutions making effort to expand their cultural footprint.

–Overhaul Ocean Drive. We’re seeing the changes now as the busy street was recently pedestrianized. Gelber hopes to expand the area and continue cultivating the types of “finer” businesses that would make Ocean Drive a more enriching destination.

The mayor recognized that some of these changes, which he’ll present before commissioners next week, will be divisive and even discourage a certain type of traveler that frequented South Beach. But he’s not concerned. “I believe that we’re at the point where we have to accept that we just can’t be for everyone,” said Gelber, emphatically. While there’s no set timeline in place, we should brace for a changed community that’s energizing and attracting folks in new ways. “When we emerge from this pandemic—and we will emerge—we should have a different kind of South Beach, a better one that’s just as vibrant and iconic but also cultural and safe.”

https://twitter.com/MayorDanGelber/status/1286005841309696009?s=20

*This article was originally published on Time Out Miami by Virginia Gil and can be found here.

In an Emergency Order on Friday, Broward County announced that guests of gyms and fitness centers will now be required to wear masks while working out.

The requirement of guests at Broward gyms comes a little over a week after Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the same for Miami gyms, reversing an initial announcement to close Miami gyms and fitness centers altogether.

Broward gyms will still be subject to the initial reopening guidelines that consist of 50% occupancy, exercise equipment arranged to six feet of distance, and intense deep cleaning procedures.

Wearing a mask while training hasn't come without scrutiny from health and fitness professionals who say it introduces a new set of health risks.

While the rest of the city was relaxing at home over the 4th of July weekend, Miami Shores resident Caryn Lubetsky was commencing a 150-mile run throughout South Florida to raise money for The Childhood Cancer Project, an organization that supports childhood cancer research.

Lubetsky was supposed to be competing in the Badwater ultramarathon, widely considered one of the world’s most challenging races, but the 135-mile race that treks through Death Valley in the height of summer was canceled due to concerns around COVID-19. Lubetsky decided to keep running and fundraising anyway. In the time it would take her to complete the Badwater 135, 150 children would be diagnosed with cancer; therefore, she charted a 150-mile course through South Florida in their honor

“The race may have been cancelled,” Lubetsky said, “but childhood cancer isn’t. I have to push forward for these kids.”

Lubetsky's running career began when she was 40 and she simply wanted to try a marathon. Since then, Lubetsky has competed in at least fifty marathons, two ultra-marathons of 125 miles or more, six 100-mile races, three 50K races, two 12-hour races, three 6-hour races, and one 3 days, 300-mile triathlon, finishing in the overall podium in most races. 

In 2013, just after Lubetsky crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon the bombs went off. The experience changed her and her family forever and she realized that there must be a greater purpose to her running. After her experience in Boston, Lubetsky began running with Kerry Gruson, a paraplegic endurance athlete. The team has completed countless races including a 3-day 300-mile triathlon, two full Ironmans, 3 half Ironmans, and several marathons and shorter races. Together, Lubetsky and Gruson have set two Guinness World Records: one for "the fastest marathon run by a woman while pushing a wheelchair", and "most triathlons hauling another person in a month".

By the time her good friend’s young son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare type of childhood cancer, in 2015, Lubetsky had already run several 100-mile races. In those difficult moments, Lubetsky realized that she could use her extreme racing competitions as a platform to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer.

“Cancer came and knocked at her door, but we all answered,” says Lubetsky. Since 2015 almost all of her runs have been dedicated to The Childhood Cancer Project - an organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research. 

Lubetsky's recent 150-mile run that took her from Miami Shores, to South Pointe, to Key Biscayne, and up to the Palm Beach County Line and back - through two sunrises and two sweltering South Florida days - raised $13,000 for sarcoma research at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She completed the run in 38 hours and 3 minutes.

What comes next for someone with such an extraordinary list of athletic achievements and purpose? Lubetsky is looking forward to getting back into the races to continue raising money for the estimated 15,300 children who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. She’ll run for the children no matter what, but nothing compares to the energy, positivity, and support that she finds within the ultrarunning racing community. 

To donate to The Childhood Cancer Project text DEVELOP to 44321.

This week, New York gyms filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of New York, calling for the opportunity to resume business operations, after Governor Andrew Cuomo removed gyms from Phase 4 of the state's reopening plan.

"It just comes down to [that] it's Phase 4. There are no other phases," said SC Fitness owner Charlie Cassara, who is leading the lawsuit, during a Fox & Friends interview. "We deserve the opportunity to open up under the CDC guidelines set forth. We are ready to do that."

Gyms have been closed since March 16th, and for reasons unknown to them, have been completely left out of the state's reopening plan.

"We never got a reason for being removed from Phase 4" said Julia Elzomor, Owner of CircHIIT and CrossFit Middle Village to STAY FIT 305 this week after the news broke.

Elzomor's facilities moved to virtual training back in April, but like many South Florida gyms, getting members and guests back into the gym safely, in addition to a virtual option, is the only way some of the boutique gyms will survive.

Tuesday morning, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez met with the "working wellness" group, a task force of 50 or so local gym owners the Mayor has used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to advise him on the health, wellness, and fitness industry in South Florida, to discuss the concerns raised by the group stemming from his announcement on Monday to close Miami-Dade gyms beginning July 8th.

RELATED Behind the Scenes: The Miami Gym Owners Pushing the County to Reopen

"It was a productive call," said one source in attendance. "Gimenez didn't want to close gyms. The group worked collaboratively with the Mayor to find a solution to keep gyms open."

Immediately after the call, Gimenez tweeted the agreed-upon compromise the working group arrived at, stating that gyms and fitness centers could remain open, but guests would need to wear a mask at all times indoors, and when a 10ft. social distance could not be met outdoors.

https://twitter.com/MayorGimenez/status/1280524407224623116?s=20

According to RAVE, Miami Beach is the top active city in the United States, posting workouts on Instagram more than any other city. They posted 2,453 posts per million citizens. Miami ranks second in the country, posting 1,907 per million.

RAVE's recent study reviewed fitness hashtags on Instagram to see how they correlated with cities in the US. They analyzed over 2.3 million posts tagged with fitness, diet, and body positivity related hashtags and used that data to figure out which places in the US are most active.

Several other South Florida cities made the top 10s in various fitness categories.

• Miami Beach was no. 1 for #Yoga while Miami was no. 3. Miami was also no. 1 for #Crossfit, with Miami Beach at no. 6.

• Boca Raton was no. 1 for #StrengthTraining and no. 2 for #Pilates.

• Doral was no. 6 in the country under #Running, while Coral Gables hit no. 7 in #Cycling and no. 5 in #Pilates.

• Miami Beach was the number one city for use of the #BodyPositivity hashtag, with 50% more uses per person than the second-place city.

South Florida also ranked for different diet-conscious hashtags.

• Miami came in no. 3 for #Protein

• Weston was ranked no. 3 for #KetoLife while Doral was at no. 8.

• Delray was no. 2 for use of #Paleo.

Despite this strong showing by South Florida cities, the state of Florida is only no. 3 overall in the Most Active State category.

For more rankings, check out the entire study.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will be signing an emergency order that once again closes gyms and fitness centers in the County.

This order also includes restaurant dining rooms, ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, and short-term rentals. Restaurants will be allowed to operate for takeout and delivery services only.

"I am continuing to roll back business openings as we continue to see a spoke in the percent of positive COVID-19 tests and an uptick in hospitalizations," said Gimenez.

Several local gyms had already decided to close in an abundance of caution, including Sweat440 and RedBike.

The closures will go into effect on Wednesday, July 8.