Miami police force homeless people to move away from ‘Bad Boys 4’ film production
Matthew Williams’ mood was somber Thursday as three police cars sat parked near the homeless encampment on Southwest North River Drive where he lives in downtown Miami. Officers were refusing to leave until he moved all of his belongings somewhere else, he said.
“It’s because of that new movie that’s filming,” Williams said as he filled a grocery cart with his personal items. “They moved us because we were too close to their set. They didn’t want the fancy movie people from out of town seeing the homeless exist in Miami.”
“Bad Boys 4,” an action movie starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, is currently filming in the area. Road closures have been announced throughout Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Williams, 44, previously worked as a line cook at a Bayside Marketplace restaurant before he became overwhelmed with costs of living and became homeless.
The production was approved by government officials and promised to add $20 million to the local economy, according to Variety. Film studio Columbia Pictures spent $500,000 on added police support to manage traffic during the four days of filming in Miami.
A spokesperson for Will Smith’s production company, Westbrook Studios, referred questions to Columbia Pictures’ parent company, Sony, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
City of Miami Police Officer Michael Vega affirmed that it is illegal to put a tent anywhere on city property and that the police officers were enforcing that law. He added that the group was in a restricted area and that “no one other than those approved by the film crew can be in that area.”
“It is not that Miami Police doesn’t want them to see the homeless population,” Vega said. “They can see it through all of downtown Miami.”
Police recommend that individuals seek shelter at Camillus House, the Chapman Partnership center or the Salvation Army.
“They’re offered to go to a shelter and if they refuse, then they have to leave the area,” Vega said. “Before the officers tell them to move, they are offered help, and most refuse to accept it.”
As traffic zoomed by Friday afternoon, Felicia Evans sat outside of her tent at a new location on Northwest Third Court and expressed her grievances with the city.
Evans, 55, previously worked as a certified nursing assistant and has been part of the group moving around Miami with Williams. According to Evans, all three of the city’s recommended shelters are at capacity and have no beds.
“We don’t have too many places to go,” she said. “They’re filming for Will Smith, and we can’t go that way. It’s difficult. I don’t know what the next steps are going to be because all of the shelters are full.”
Evans has been without a home for the last nine months and is concerned for her safety, as well as that of her pregnant niece, who is also living on the streets. Her caseworker has yet to help her find shelter.
Evans said she was not able to fall asleep in her tent until 6 a.m. Friday because she was worried about strangers stealing from her or harming her. She already has had her identification card and an air mattress stolen.
“We need help,” she said. “What’s next for us to do?”
The city of Miami was recently ordered to pay $300,000 to four people experiencing homelessness whose things were disposed of by city officials. As part of the settlement, the city agreed to stop trashing people’s personal belongings immediately, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. The city agreed to collect, photograph and temporarily store what they pick up off the street to allow owners to go recover them, the attorneys said.
Miami Herald reporter Joey Flechas contributed to this report.
