Rays Lose 7-3, St. Pete Taxpayers Lose Untold
Thousands and City Loses Valuable Citizen to Vicious Murder…All on the Same Day.
- Yesterday, a valued citizen of St. Petersburg, a retired postal
carrier and respected member of the African-American community was brutally murdered while taking out the garbage. According
to the St. Pete Times, Amuel Murph may have happened upon a small gang of men robbing cars and was gunned down with an assault
rifle as they drove away in a dark SUV. Mr. Murph was seen by many as a role model in the African-American Community
and now the gangs continue to outnumber the role-models by a larger margin. His wife was also shot at and there were
four large bullet holes in the house - one week after a crime wave has hit the neighborhood including another shooting.
- That night,
about two dozen St. Pete police officers were calmly directly traffic to get crowds of people into Tropicana Field - all on
the taxpayer dime. The Devil Rays apparently pay a deeply discounted rate for these services every home game and certainly
don't cover the costs of police salaries, retirement costs, health benefits, training, administration, fuel, and cruiser
maintenance. While our brave men and women of the Police department are made to direct traffic to provide corporate
welfare to the Devil Rays, it is likely the vicious thugs that murdered Amuel Murph are planning their next crime. All
the while the city complains they don’t know how to cut taxes and maintain public safety- hogwash.
- Why do our Mayor, Police Chief and City Council allow our valuable police
officers to be turned into traffic coordinators for the Devil Rays? The Devil Rays are said to have one of the highest
profit margins in baseball. It is no wonder their profits would be high when they don't spend money on pitcher's
payrolls, will receive a $2 million check for the Trop's property insurance this year, received $500,000 to install digital
signs inside and outside the field and pay cut rates for traffic cops. It is time for our elected leaders to stop serving
the Devil Rays and to start serving the City, stop crime and cut taxes!
- Valuable citizens like
Amuel Murph should have expected that the dozen or more police cruisers outside the dome would instead be routinely patrolling
his neighborhood near 1400 28th St. S. and elsewhere. His family should expect that the two dozen police officers remove
the traffic cop vest and strap on the SWAT vest and engage in a tireless man-hunt for his killers.
- The
Taxpayers expect and deserve police protection and don't want to pay the bills for the devil rays. The Mayor and City
Council should immediately change any ordinance that prevents private contractors from directing traffic. They should
tell the Devil rays that starting next month they will have to hire their own private company to direct traffic. Then
our Mayor and City Council should give up the VIP suite in Tropicana field and stay up every night for weeks with the Police
Chief until these killers are caught and the gangs are chased out of town or jailed.
- The Devil
Rays lost 7-3, the Taxpayers lose millions on the Devil Rays and the city loses another valuable resident to gangs that are
overrunning us. When will our Mayor, Police Chief and City Council Members wake up?
