The videos circulating on social media are shocking: Groups of men pummel people to the ground; women brawl on the street, ripping the weaves from each other’s heads; a man punches a woman in the face and knocks her out; 
people drink openly in vehicles and, despite closing Ocean Drive — or maybe because of it — traffic is a nightmare.
Welcome to Miami Beach Spring Break 2019, where — despite a public outreach campaign and the expenditure of $700,000 in overtime to put a cop on every corner — the chaos is such that some people in South Beach feel trapped in their homes. Many feel police have lost control.
Where is Mayor Dan Gelber amidst all this? Well, he’s having a fundraiser at the Miami Beach Golf Club on Alton Road Tuesday night.
Gelber, who is so far unopposed, probably scheduled this in advance. But it was poor planning. And perhaps it should be cancelled.
Read related: Miami Beach commission election gets interesting already
After all, if the situation is such that you have to call an emergency city commission meeting for Tuesday morning because your police department is losing control of the streets, then maybe you shouldn’t be asking folks to fund the extension of your job Tuesday evening.
At least one Miami Beach voter posted that “hosting a fundraising event in the middle of the current traffic and crime crisis is an incredibly clueless and callous act.”
Also, Gelber has already raised $71,960 in just one month, according the the last and only filed campaign finance report ending Feb. 28. With no real challenge, he could have easily postponed this powwow.
Amid Miami Beach chaos, mayor Dan Gelber raises funds for race added by Ladra on
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