Goodbye PAL
March 3, 2024
PAL History (Police Athletic league)
“SFAPAL, Inc. was formed in 1983 by 5 local PAL chapters, Jacksonville, Kissimmee, Miami Beach, St. Petersburg and Tampa. The Police Officers involved had a goal of developing PAL Programs in every city and county in Florida, so youth would have an opportunity to know Police Officers and Police Officers have an opportunity to understand youth. By using athletic and education based programs during after school and weekend hours, police officers working with youth have decreased the amount of free time youth have available for negative activities.”
The City of WPB allocated $100,000.00 a year to the Pal program to pay for equipment, uniforms, transportation and other expenses. My opinion, money well spent.
https://sfapal.com/florida-pal-history.php
4/4, 2019 Keith James sworn in as mayor of WPB and a few months later the PAL program lost its city funding, and the program was in trouble and near an end.
9/1/2019 Below are excerpts from the PB Post. Entire story can be read below.
“Palm Beach Rams Pop Warner football program saved by community.”
“For over 15 years, the West Palm Beach youth football teams supported the community around them. When told they’d no longer receive funding from the Police Athletic League after last year, it was the community’s turn to support the team.
Last Saturday, the newly named Palm Beach Rams played their first games of the season in five Pop Warner divisions, donning Los Angeles Rams-style helmets and jerseys — all paid in full by the coaches, players, and kind souls of the surrounding area.
Mr. Murdock and vice president Corey Tate are both veteran coaches of the West Palm Beach youth football scene. These kids have nothing if they don’t have football,” Murdock said. “If we hadn’t picked it up, they wouldn’t have had no program down here. And I couldn’t see not having a football program in West Palm. I couldn’t see it.”
Claudine McFarlane, who does the paperwork for the Rams, spoke on what all of this means for the kids and the program.
“Our kids in West Palm Beach — a lot of them don’t really have anything constructive to do,” McFarlane said. “And with all of the violence that’s going on in our neighborhood, I just think it’s a great thing that our kids can come together and play football, do something constructive, cheer lead, mentor and tutor, a lot of things some of them don’t have to help them move forward in what they need to do in life.”
I met with Rams president Donovan Murdock and Vice President Corey Tate and learned the city sold the helmets, shoulder guards and training pants to them for $2,000.00 and I also learned the helmets must be inspected every 2 years. When the inspection took place most of the helmets had seen better days and would not protect the small heads that wore them. The cost of a new helmet at the time was $125.00/ea. How badly did the city need the $2,000 Mr. Mayor? Why were the kids left stranded after practice and left parents scrambling to pick them up, Mr. Mayor?
February 16th, 2024 Channel 12
“Local apartment director and police rally for change in violence-hit community.”
“Andrea Stonom is the regional director of Lake Mangonia Apartment Complex, an area that many describe as a hot spot location of violent crimes.”
“WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Less than ten minutes away from the popular Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach is a community plagued by violence. Drug deals in broad daylight. Deadly shootings with children close to getting caught in the crossfire and no end in sight.” Read the entire story below.
February 22, 2024 Channel 25
“Looking for witnesses’: Man shot and killed in West Palm Beach apartment complex”
“Authorities are investigating after a man was shot and killed Wednesday morning at an apartment complex in West Palm Beach. The incident happened at the Lake Mangonia Apartments in the 2100 block of North Australian Avenue. Police say the young man, from Palm Beach County, was dead by the time officers arrived.” Read the entire story below.
https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-shooting-australian-avenue-west-palm-beach/46886373
The crime in this area of WPB is mainly black- on- black crime and the area has its share of gang activity, shootings, drug trade, murders, rapes and other crimes.
Young men, very young men, are recruited to join the gangs and unfortunately many do.
Young men on the Rams football team had a different choice and it has made a difference in their lives. Kids & cops work and play together until another black-on-black crime occurred in 2019 and their funding was taken away until the community stepped up and now these young men don’t have time for gangs. They are too busy winning trophies. Go Rams!
Treasure Coast Conference 2020.
Finalist Trophy for 8-year-old 2023.