For the past 20 years, Miami-Dade County officials have held annual press conferences before New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July to remind citizens that “One Bullet Kills the Party.”
County Commission Vice-Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson held one Thursday at Juan Pablo Duarte Park in Miami to urge citizens not to use gunfire to celebrate the new year and to report anyone who does.
“As long as we keep quiet, as long as we do not tell, as long as we are afraid, the shootings will continue,” she said.
Miami Mayor Francis Suárez joined her to address the issue of gun violence in general.
He said that in Miami specifically a new technology called ShotSpotter will help police this New Year's Eve.
“If you shoot a gun, whether it’s for celebration or for violence, we’re going to know exactly where it happened,” Suárez said.
ShotSpotter detects gunshots through microphones placed throughout the city. Suárez said the program now covers close to 80 percent of the city of Miami.
However, Edmonson stressed this does not replace the need for an engaged community. The public is asked to report any gunfire to authorities by calling Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
