There were riots in June, when two teenagers were shot. Within a matter of hours, the city was paralyzed. The universities closed, and the downtown businesses sent everyone home or told them to stay home. I knew reporters who were stuck inside newspaper buildings and in the tv stations, and my boss told me to stay away from the newsroom, not to risk driving into the city. “You’re a 22-year-old white woman,” he advised me. “It’s not a good look for you.”

“Jamie, the city is burning,” I told him, as he sat on the couch, staring at the television broadcast.

“We aren’t.”

“Jamie, listen to me, you can’t even go into downtown Miami. They’re shutting down everything. Don’t you get it?”

“No, I don’t. I&...

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