The Blue Paper #64

Who Is Responsible? Father Tased By Key West Police Suffered Catastrophic Brain Injury

By

Three years after being tased on Duval Street by a Key West Police officer, Matthew Shaun Murphy is still lying in a hospital bed.  It was around 3:30 am on April 16^th, 2011, Murphy and his fiancé Marie Annulysse were on their way back home from a night on the town when they heard a raspy woman’s voice yelling, “Hey nigger lover!”  At this point you need to know that Matthew, 27 at the time, is a white man from West Virginia and Marie, then 23, is a black woman from Key West.

Sitting on the steps in front of the “Flirt” store in the 300 block were Beverly Anderson, Jason Moffet, and their pit bull.  According to Annulysse, while she was pushing Murphy away, across Eaton Street, the insults and threats kept pouring out of Anderson’s mouth, “I’m gonna kick your nigger girlfriend’s ass!” and “that’s how you make monkey babies!”

The Blue Paper has now obtained the 911 audio files. You can hear Anderson spewing an endless sewer of racial slurs at Murphy and his girlfriend.  According to Annulysse, Murphy went back and began arguing with Moffet and Anderson.  Police Officer Mark Siracuse arrived on scene at precisely the moment when Murphy punched Moffet in the jaw.  Siracuse, who had already pulled out his Taser, zapped Murphy on his right shoulder. (more…)

Welber on Welber: Special Interest Trumps Climate Action

By Michael Welber

“I’m very proud of that,” Monroe County Commissioner George Neugent said after looking through the climate assessment last week. “I’m very proud to be part of an initiation in a region that contains millions of people.”

— Neugent commenting on praise for four-county compact that produced the Southeast Regional Action Plan

Blue Paper

We want to welcome back environmentalist Michael Welber for another in-depth interview.

Welber

More like survivalist.

Blue Paper

Oh? And why is that?

Welber

You’ve probably been snoozing this month, which would actually be a good thing given the continuing inexplicable actions of some of our fine county commissioners.

Blue Paper

What is it this time? Did they buy another restaurant? (more…)

THE VA HOSPITAL SCANDAL

By Dennis Reeves Cooper

The developing scandal at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospitals makes another strong statement about the sustainability of government-run health care. The problem here–the scandal– is not the quality of health care provided to our vets at the VA hospitals; the problem is access. And the problem of access is the result of sheer government incompetence. Here is a summary of the situation.

For the men and women who commit to serve our country in the military services, one of the commitments our government makes to them in return is to provide health care for life. This commitment is especially critical for veterans of this country’s various wars. That is one hell of a commitment– a commitment that requires professional and creative management to achieve. The problem is that, apparently, professional and creative management seem to be foreign concepts in government.

Recently, we have been hearing a lot about veterans having to wait months to get care at some VA Hospitals. By law, veterans should be able to see a doctor within 30 days after making an appointment. But at some hospitals, veterans have been forced to wait months for care– and some have died while waiting. This alone is scandalous enough. But to hide the fact that these hospitals have not been meeting the 30-day standard required by law, hospital staff has been falsifying appointment records. Now we are moving out of the realm of simple incompetence into the realm of criminal activity. (more…)

Justice Delayed…

By Larry Murray

Editor:

In a few days, we will be marking the third anniversary of a police riot in Miami Beach in which a motorist was killed and three others wounded when police unleashed a fusillade of 116 shots.  It was during Urban Beach Weekend in 2011 that a motorist ignored orders to pull over, nearly striking several officers and hitting barricades.  The police opened fire until the vehicle came to a stop and then continued firing into the vehicle.

Police would later claim that the motorist had fired first, mysteriously finding a gun three days later under the driver’s seat.  However, tests for gunpowder residue determined that the motorist had not fired a gun.  The general testimony by the police was contrary to the visual images shot by many bystanders using their cellphones and other devices, some of which were confiscated by the police.

There is a lot about the Miami Beach case that is very scary, not the least of which is that three years later the investigation is incomplete.  According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, the investigation “hopefully will be completed by the end of the summer.”  That is a common strategy in controversial cases, especially in instances where police are accused of improper, if not illegal, behavior.  Drag out the investigation interminably until most everyone has forgotten about it, witnesses have disappeared, evidence has been misplaced and so on.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Does the case of Charles Eimers come to mind?

The Blue Paper has done a superb job covering the Eimers case and it is imperative that that coverage continue.  You have already revealed questionable elements about the investigation as well as the case itself.  If we are not careful, the investigation will drag on and on and on….  Please stay on top of this case until it is resolved.

Eimers Family Seeks Information

By Contributed

A Response to The CBS Report On The In-Custody Death of Charles Eimers

By Peggy Butler

I watched the CBS report from beginning to end. It never made clear what was done to Mr. Eimers. The video which has always been very clear in The Blue Paper was too dark on the CBS report to see Mr. Eimers getting out of his car and getting on his knees with his hands up in surrender.

The report never showed that at that point, he should have been cuffed and placed into the police car, since he was not resisting arrest. The report never clearly showed all the police officers on top of him or told about the sand in his nose and mouth which asphyxiated him. The report was not clear that paramedics were told by police that they, the police, found the patient on the ground in cardiac arrest and gave him CPR, instead of being told the truth that multiple police officers were on top of him grinding him into the sand, causing the cardiac arrest from his being asphyxiated, because he first suffered respiratory arrest from having his two airways, his nose and his mouth blocked with sand from being pounded into the sand by the enormous weight from those multiple officers. If one can’t breathe, one goes into respiratory arrest and if this continues, one’s blood will stop circulating and then one goes into cardiac arrest. The CBS report never interviewed eye witnesses. They never mentioned the female officer yelling to the other officers that they were murdering Mr. Eimers. They never interviewed the medical examiner who performed the autopsy that almost didn’t happen because of the lies told to medical personnel. They only showed the interview with Mr. Eimers’ son and Chief Donie Lee, which would have been fine had they also interviewed eye witnesses and not darkened the video which clearly told the real truth.

When any officer of the law or multiple officers of the law throw a suspect, who has his hands up in surrender, to the ground and jump on him and start beating him and using the taser on him, that should no longer be considered police work; it should be considered assault and battery and assault with a deadly weapon. One does not have to be an attorney of law to know this, yet police officers are getting away with doing it all over the country, with few exceptions. Surrender is surrender and clearly, the video shows Charles Eimers on his knees with his hands up in surrender mode. What happened next should never have happened in the United States of America, and no one, officer of the law or layman, has to wait until the end of an “investigation” to know that.

Peggy Butler

West Palm Beach, FL

More Open Debate On Free Roaming Cats In Refuge Areas

By Michael Chenoweth

Dear John,

Here are my responses to your latest letter. I think there are several issues here we can agree on and find ways to insure that those issues are adequately addressed. I share your concern that all animals, both wild and domestic, be treated humanely. But I reiterate the need for all responsible pet owners to keep their pets, particularly cats, indoors.

John Donnelly wrote on May 24, 2014 at 6:58 am

(1) Michael, thank you for your well-thought out submission. I consider you a dedicated and respected friend. As you know, just because you make statements in your article, it does not make them true or accurate.

I believe my statements to be accurate, and supported both by my own personal experience, and reports from other responsible observers. I invite anyone with evidence to the contrary to present it. I will gladly change any statement to make it more accurate, but I believe what I have presented is supported by the facts.

(2) The government is overreaching in its cat trapping practices. Cat hunters were caught, by several individuals, placing their cages on private property, with the intent to snare family pets that lived there.

“Overreaching” is a vague and undefined term. Particularly when you haven’t spelled out what the (more…)

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By Blue Paper Entreatment Department

Another Founding Member of Sustainability Advisory Board Calls it Quits / Letter of Resignation to Mayor Cates

By Ross Williams

Dear Mayor Cates,

Please accept my letter of resignation from the Key West Sustainability Advisory Board, effective immediately.

I originally wrote this letter the night the commission voted to return us to twice-weekly trash pickup (2-1-1), but then decided to give myself a cooling-off period to see if it would change my mind. It has not.

Having served Key West as chairman to the Sustainability Advisory Board since its inception in 2009 and as vice chair since 2013, I am proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved. Key West has changed quite a bit during this time.  “Going Green” is now considered a normal part of doing business in most city decision making. I am sorry to be leaving under such circumstances, but feel compelled to do so.

It is hard to convey to you how dispiriting it is that four commissions could so easily overturn the many years of hard work by so many people, and to do so with not one comment from the public requesting a return to 2-1-1 during the discussion period of the meeting. (more…)

TUNATOONS… MEMORIAL DAY BOATING NIGHTMARE

By Richard [Tuna] Rohe

VNA/Hospice Receives Perfect Score!

By Contributed

Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys is proud to announce that they received a perfect score from the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) during their home health state licensure and Federal Medicare certification reviews.

“Our score on these reviews is an incredible demonstration of the hard work and commitment of our clinical staff in the field and our clinical managers and directors,” said VNA/Hospice President & CEO Jody Gross.  “I am so proud to be allowed to work with them in providing the best of home care in the Keys.”

ACHA reviews are performed at random and are un-announced in order to provide the truest and most accurate picture of the care provided by the agency and how it is managed.  The surveyors accompany staff on patient visits to observe the quality of care, as well as extensively review the agency’s medical records, personnel files, and policy and procedures.

“Surveys are important as they establish that home health agencies are providing care according to the high standards set by Medicare and the state of Florida,” stated VNA/Hospice COO Kathleen Ryzoc.  “It is an honor to work with the staff of VNA/Hospice, both here in our Tavernier office and in our Key West office, who provide such great care to our friends and neighbors.”

About Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys, Inc:

(more…)

Womankind Receives $6,000 United Way Grant For Teen Services

By Contributed

2014 High School Graduation Ceremonies for the Monroe County Schools

By

The Monroe County School District is proud to announce the schedule for the 2014 High School Graduation Ceremonies for the Monroe County Schools and Key West Collegiate Charter School.

Key West High School

Date and Time: Friday, June 6, 2014; 8:00 pm

Location: Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium on Kennedy Drive, Key West.

Commencement Address: Christine Dennison

Expected graduating class: 258

Key West Collegiate Academy

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 3, 2014; 5:30 pm

Location: Tennessee Williams Theater (next to Florida Keys Community College)

Commencement Address: Dr. W. Ann Reynolds

Expected graduating class: 9 (more…)

Congressman Garcia on Sec. Johnson Testifying before Judiciary Committee

By

Earlier today [May 29, 2014], Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson, appeared before the House Judiciary Committee. At the hearing, Congressman Garcia questioned Secretary Johnson regarding the implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and his ongoing review of immigration policies, specifically with regards to the controversial Secure Communities program. Following the hearing, Garcia released this statement –

“With the second anniversary of DACA approaching, we are reminded, yet again, of the grave need to pass comprehensive immigration reform. As the Secretary stated, the program is working smoothly and has provided relief for hundreds of thousands of young people.  I also noted, and he agreed, that there remain those who fall short of qualifying for DACA but clearly fit the spirit of the program.  It simply shouldn’t be our country’s policy to abandon those people who have worked hard, served their communities, and are American in every way but on paper. This administration has chosen to allow more time before presenting their review of our nation’s deportation policies.  It is my sincere hope that come August, we are not met with yet another set of excuses and empty promises from Republican leadership in the House.  I was encouraged by Secretary Johnson’s candor and commitment to addressing the challenges facing our immigration system, but there is still much left to do.”

Mystery Writers Key West Fest Announces Novel Walk-On Role Winner

By Contributed

Rebecca Swope of Boca Raton, Florida, has won a walk-on cameo appearance in award-winning author Sandra Balzo’s next Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse novel, ninth in the mystery series that has just been optioned for possible development as a television series.

The walk-on prize contest was an early registration promotion for the Mystery Writers Key West Fest, which is launching its inaugural event June 13-15. A writer herself, who specializes in romantic suspense, sci-fi/fantasy and Southern memoir stories, Swope commented that she is “looking forward to causing mayhem in Sandra Balzo’s fictional world,” and would prefer the role of a criminal.

Balzo is one of nearly two-dozen premier South Florida based crime-fiction and true crime authors who will appear at the inaugural Mystery Writers Key West Fest. Open to authors, aspiring authors, and non-writing mystery-buffs alike, Fest registration is open until June 6. For further information, visit www.mysterywriterskeywestfest.com.

Artists Call for Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle

By Contributed

Calling musicians, actors, painters, card-readers, filmmakers, poets, dancers, storytellers, jugglers, fire-breathers, clowns and fairies, nymphs and satyrs to take the stage and celebrate the arts in our community, Saturday, June 21, at the 8th Annual Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.

Co-produced by Michael Shields’ Java Studios to benefit The Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle celebrates the creative Keys community, and gives artists a voice and platform to share the power of their dreams. To participate as an artist or an event sponsor contact Michael Shields at 305-394-3804 / javastudios@gmail.com. More information at keywestupdates.com.

Artists Call for Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle

By Contributed

Calling musicians, actors, painters, card-readers, filmmakers, poets, dancers, storytellers, jugglers, fire-breathers, clowns and fairies, nymphs and satyrs to take the stage and celebrate the arts in our community, Saturday, June 21, at the 8th Annual Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.

Co-produced by Michael Shields’ Java Studios to benefit The Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Midsummer’s Night Dream & Spectacle celebrates the creative Keys community, and gives artists a voice and platform to share the power of their dreams. To participate as an artist or an event sponsor contact Michael Shields at 305-394-3804 / javastudios@gmail.com. More information at keywestupdates.com.

Love Lane Gang Playing All Sides of Town

By Contributed

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CONTENT DISCLAIMER

By The Publishers

The expressed opinions, informational content and links displayed on https://thebluepaper.com/ pages do not necessarily reflect a position or policy of Blue Pimpernel LLC, Key West The Newspaper [The Blue Paper] or its affiliates. No official endorsement by Blue Pimpernel LLC, Key West The Newspaper [The Blue Paper] or its affiliates of the viewpoints expressed on https://thebluepaper.com/ pages should be inferred.