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People cross a main intersection in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Sports was its heartbeat. It nurtured the early careers of Olympic gold medalists and football stars like Cooper, national champions and future football Hall of Famers like Gore, all of whom trace their first sports memories to this close-knit community. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Resident Charles Gibson stands next to a plaque commemorating the Bahamian roots of the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures, from Olympic Gold medalists to NFL Hall of Famers like Frank Gore and Amari Cooper, as well as housed successful Black business owners and stalwarts who played a vital role in city's history and culture. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A football with the name of George Washington Carver School is displayed in the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures, from Olympic Gold medalists to NFL Hall of Famers like Frank Gore and Amari Cooper, as well as housed successful Black business owners and stalwarts who played a vital role in city's history and culture. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Gerald Alexander Tinker, a gold medal winner in the 1972 Olympics, and former NFL player, stands in the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures. Today, few remnants of that proud Black heritage exist. Years of economic neglect followed by recent gentrification have wiped out much of the neighborhood’s cultural backbone. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A street sign marks the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures. Years of economic neglect followed by recent gentrification have wiped out much of the neighborhood’s cultural backbone. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Anthony Witherspoon stands in the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures. Witherspoon founded the Hall of Fame as a way to keep that legacy alive. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A person walks past an empty building, which housed the once popular entertainment spot the Tiki Club, in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. Historically Black West Coconut Grove is a majority Black neighborhood hidden among some of the most affluent areas in Miami that once boomed with sports and economics. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The historic ACE theatre sits vacant in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. West Coconut Grove once was a vital majority-Black neighborhood hidden among some of the most affluent areas in Miami that boomed with family businesses, local hangouts and sporting events. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Vacant apartments are fenced off in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures. Today, few remnants of that proud Black heritage exist. Years of economic neglect followed by recent gentrification have wiped out much of the neighborhood’s cultural backbone. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Anthony Witherspoon stands in the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Witherspoon, known as “Spoon” by everyone in town, is a former college basketball player and coach who returned to West Grove in 2015 after nearly 30 years in Atlanta and found a neighborhood far different from the one that raised him. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A building with a local barbershop is cordoned off before being torn down in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Historically Black west Coconut Grove is a majority Black neighborhood hidden among some of the most affluent areas in Miami that once boomed with sports and economics. Today, few remnants of that proud Black heritage exist. . (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A new home is under construction in the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. Historically Black West Coconut Grove is a majority Black neighborhood hidden among some of the most affluent areas in Miami that once boomed with sports and economics. Today, few remnants of that proud Black heritage exist. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
People walk to historic shotgun-style homes in Coral Gables, Fla., bordering the neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. Historically Black West Coconut Grove is a majority Black neighborhood hidden among some of the most affluent areas in Miami that once boomed with sports and economics. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A sign advertises a vacant lot for sale in the Miami neighborhood of west Coconut Grove, Friday, April 5, 2024. The majority-Black neighborhood — known by names such as West Grove, Black Grove, or even Little Bahamas, in a nod to its Bahamian roots — has nurtured the early careers of numerous notable sports figures, from Olympic Gold medalists to NFL Hall of Famers like Frank Gore and Amari Cooper, as well as housed successful Black business owners and stalwarts who played a vital role in city's history and culture. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)