Miami in the 1980’s

Monday, August 9, 2021 8:25 PM

I started watching Billy Corben’s latest Cocaine Cowboys documentary on Netflix, and it got me reminiscing about Miami in the 1980’s. I am a 3rd generation Miami native, so I can remember Miami before the Cuban invasion (intended as a point of reference, not as a racist statement). However, I spent most of the 1980’s away at college and grad school which was probably a good thing for my own safety, since I lost a few high school classmates to the perils of the drug culture of the time through addiction, incarceration, or accidents. I would come home from college on breaks and go out with my friends where the whole scene was one of money, drugs, women, fast cars and fast boats. The drug trade made it possible for someone to be a loser one day and a millionaire the next (until they got caught or shot). I wasn’t really aware of strip clubs in those days because hot women were readily available in the regular night clubs and bars (even for a poor college kid). These were crazy times that I’m glad to have experienced, but also glad to be over with. Anyone else experience Miami in the 1980’s?

5 comments

I grew-up in Miami - immigrated from Cuba in 1979 at age 9 - back then there were still a lot of Anglos in Miami - Miami changed overnight in 1980 after the Mariel boat-lift and the Anglos started disappearing (moving away) and by 1982 there were way fewer Anglos living in Miami (according to Wikipedia the current racial makeup of Miami-Dade county is 65% Hispanic, 17% black, and just 15% white/Anglo; in a county of close to 3-million). Yeah - the 80s in Miami, especially early-80s, was pretty-wild although for me it was "normal" b/c I was a kid/teen and I also didn't know any better nor did I have another Miami frame-of-reference - back in the 80s a lot of people in the drug-trade didn't necessarily go out of their way to hide it, they didn't have jobs but lived flashy-lifestyles with fancy cars, boats, wore flashy clothes w/ multiple gold-chains and fancy jewelry, etc - it was def a pretty-unique moment in time.

Papi_Chulo

•

3 years ago

I recall flying into Miami in 1982 for one of my first job interviews after college and even then I don’t remember seeing many Anglos. The courtesy van driver, all the hotel staff, the taxi drivers were all Hispanic. Don’t know if it was the norm back then but remember seeing police in military style fatigues and automatic weapons patrolling the airport and thinking to myself - whoa, I’m not in Kansas anymore. The drug trade must have been in full swing then.

motorhead

•

3 years ago

Papi You are so correct. Most of the Anglos left Miami around that time. It was a combination of the Mariel boat lift, the Overtown riots, and open drug warfare on the streets (Dadeland Mall shootout) that made a lot of families leave for Broward or Palm Beach counties. Most everyone we knew left Miami around that time. We stayed because we lived on a gated enclave in Miami Beach. But once we left the island and drove into the city, we didn’t stop at red lights.

iknowbetter

•

3 years ago

The epitome of nigga rich

Icee Loco (asshole)

•

3 years ago

Cocaine Cowboys - excellent documentary. I started to listen to Jon Roberts book "American Desperado" but became bored with it. My grandparents lived on the west side of Floriduh during this time so I experienced this a little from afar.

shailynn

•

3 years ago

Start a Discussion