After a brief period in which he was trapped in a crowded elevator, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson was freed by Miami-Dade fire rescue on Wednesday.
He promptly met with retired Miami Heat superstar Alonzo Mourning.
Carson was in the middle of a visit to Courtside Family Apartments, an affordable housing complex in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood and a decade-long labor of love for the basketball legend.
“How do you feel? That must be a relief,” WTVJ’s Julia Bagg asked the secretary upon his large group’s exit from the elevator. She reported they had been stuck for about 15 minutes.
“Well, we got all of our questions answered,” he said, smiling.
Mourning tapped Carson on the shoulder and began a discussion. Candy Carson, the secretary’s wife, eventually prompted: “His name is the one on the court out there, you know that?”
Leases in the apartment complex are reserved for residents making no more than 60 percent of area median income, according to the Miami Herald, or $29,820 for a one-person household up to $49,440 for a six-person household.
The Herald described the complex, which opened in September 2016, as the result of a nine-year effort by Mourning and his non-profit, AM Affordable Housing, as well as several civic and business partners.
Carson continued in his duties, unfazed:
20 minutes later @SecretaryCarson is freed from stuck elevator at Courtside Morning Apts. Alonzo Mourning looks more relieved than anyone pic.twitter.com/umbTyGkNau
— Rene Rodriguez (@ReneMiamiHerald) April 12, 2017
Great meeting w/ Alonzo Mourning who is doing great work with low income housing & thanks to the hard working @miamipd and @cityofmiamifire pic.twitter.com/tl5UtFUpXU
— Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson) April 12, 2017
Shooting some pool with the residents of Collins Park in Miami as I learn about low income housing in south Florida pic.twitter.com/1YISs7459C
— Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson) April 12, 2017
