ESPN commentator Barry Melrose is under fire for comments made during the course of a recent broadcast.
Melrose was talking about the Prudential Center -- the Newark, New Jersey home of the Devils -- when he noted, in passing, that the area surrounding the arena is "awful," that "the inside and the outside where it's built is pretty humorous," and further warned viewers not to "go outside if you have a wallet or anything else."
Of course, the remarks sparked the ire of Newark 's Mayor Cory Booker (and others) who profess to have been offended by the analyst's remarks.
The simple fact of the matter is that Newark 's crime statistics are horrendous.
According to published reports, the murder rate in New Jersey's largest city is up 50% since 1998, with comparative crime ratios of the latest FBI statistics showing the number of murders (per 100,000 people) beating that of New York City (and the national average) by a multiple of five!
While Melrose could have been a bit more sensitive and diplomatic, the video does not reflect any intention by the speaker to be malicious, insidious or insulting to the people of Newark as a whole.
Maybe Mayor Booker should spend less time watching TV, and more time getting his house in order. His constituents are paying the price of his inaction (and lack of focus) with their lives.
To download the video, please use this link: "Watch your wallets ... you're in Newark!"
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UPDATE: Some 20 minutes after this post was released, ESPN deactivated the link to the Melrose video. Coincidence? (We will update this post should we find an alternate link.)