Coconut Grove

Gaslighting Another Black Community For Fun & Profit

Scratch beneath any story in Coconut Grove and you’ll discover the issue of race lurking. We’ll get to that eventually, but this true fable — with a twist on the race issue — starts with the approval of a Wawa gas station in the City of Coral Gables. So what? Cities approve gas stations all the time. However, this approval didn’t have any public consultation with the community, nor public hearings, both of which would normally have taken place. And, that’s ...

Unpacking the Aunty Em Ericann Blog

Welcome to my occasional entry of Unpacking the Aunty Em Ericann Blog, where I ask my readers to pay attention to the man behind the curtain, who used to be ...

Unpacking The Aunty Em Ericann Blog ► Shit Just Got Real

Pictures in the public domain stitched together by author From time to time I like to unpeel the onion and reveal a bit of what it takes to put this blog ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part 9.2 ► A Photo Essay Follow Up

It’s amazing what a phone call to the right City of Miami department can do. When I arrived for my weekly visit to the E.W.F. Stirrup House yesterday, there was ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part 9.1 ► A Bad Neighbour Photo Essay

The Charles Avenue historical marker, Sept. 14, 2012 In my efforts to save the E.W.F. Stirrup House, I have had to do a great deal of research, with still far more ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Nine ► Good Neighbours and Bad Neighbours

A recent article in the South Miami News caught my attention. The headline reads “Neighbors hope buyer can be found to preserve historic Milledge House.” The story concerns a house ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Eight ► The Powers That Be

The Charles Avenue Historical Marker with the E.W.F. Stirrup House in the background. My quest to save the E.W.F. Stirrup House, and my running headlong into the Powers That Be in ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Seven ► Signs along Charles Avenue

The Charles Avenue historical marker with the historic E.W.F. Stirrup House in the background. Now that the City of Miami has designated Charles Avenue an Historic Designation Roadway (whatever that ...

An Open Email to the City of Miami ► Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part 6.1

This is a copy of the email I sent to the City of Miami Office of Communications. It was addressed to an email address I was given over the phone ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Six ► Still Building With No Building Permit

The E.W.F. Stirrup House on Friday, August 24, 2012. Note the used metal studs leaning against the building. Used materials to build their chi chi Bed and Breakfast? How nice. Another ...

A Charles Avenue Love Story ► Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Five

The Charlotte Jane Memorial Park Cemetery On the corner of Charles Avenue and South Douglas Rd., on the opposite end of the street from the E.W.F. Stirrup House, is the ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part 4.1 ► A Photo Essay

The room on the second floor in which the (alleged) illegal demolition was taking place. Another angle, showing the 2nd floor front room and the former upper porch, now an interior room. A quick visit to ...

Unpacking Coconut Grove ► Part Four ► Open Houses and Broken Laws

The meeting place Is there illegal work going on inside the E.W.F. Stirrup House? I certainly think so. Get comfortable and read on. This is a long one, friends. It was Friday ...

...