Well-known Democratic fundraiser dead in shooting at Signature Grand (banquet hall)

Miami Herald ^ | Apr. 29, 2003 | Herald staff

[Liz]

Miami businessman Jerome Berlin, once described as the country's most powerful Democratic fundraisers, died in a murder-suicide this morning at the Signature Grand, the huge and popular Davie banquet hall in Davie that he owned with partner Michael Pecora.

Police say Pecora is the other person found dead in a second floor office of the hall.

An employee reported hearing a loud argument, then three gunshots behind the locked door. The shooting occurred following a loud argument while hundreds of public school students ate lunch one floor below.

Police broke in and found two white males -- a part of the catering hall's upper management -- on the floor.

The shooting occurred during an event where eighth-graders from Broward public schools were learning more about African tradition at an African Heritage Forum.

The children, who were eating lunch on the first floor, were not evacuated. It was unclear whether the children knew what was going on above them.

The banquet hall hosts hundreds of events a year, including weddings, corporate events, luncheons, reunions and other events.

It has 100,000 square feet, capable of hosting up to 1,800 guests in private areas.

Police stopped traffic on State Road 84 near 70th Avenue. Berlin, who over the years has raised millions of dollars for political candidates, was acquitted in 1991 of federal charges that he and another lawyer conspired to defraud a crippled securities investment firm in 1985.

At the scene of the shooting, a Rabbi and family members appeared at the scene of the shooting and were quickly ushered inside the building.

[Born Conservative]

Gays with Guns???

www.pinkpistols.org (I'm NOT a member!!!!)

[mabelkitty]

Should read: "Dean, the rapidly descending leftist candidate, was spanked by John Kerry for suggesting the U.S. military would cease to be the most powerful"

[swheats]

The reality of the leftwing whackos makes it easy to keep trotting out the humor.

Baghdad Bob comes to mind. Can they really ever be taken serious again?

[Grampa Dave]

Dean will do great in Iowa, New Hampshire and of course in San Francisco. However his left wing message of hate for American value and love for the dark side perverts will not fly well in the rest of America.

[Grampa Dave]

Not by us as long as they are not in control of America.

The lunatic lefties need total control of the media to make their weird life styles and activities appear to be normal.

Now they no longer control the media. Their dark side orgy at the Wellstone services backfired on them big time when the good people in MN. found out about their sick behavior.

[lawdude]

"Partner?...Hmm."

Never heard of business partners of the same sex before? Damn, tin-foil hat time again in Freeperville. Conspiracies here, conspiracies there, conspiracies every-'friggin-where!

[lawdude]

"...but it really does seem odd to me that Democrats are winding up dead or having near misses lately."

What is even more eeire, there hasn't been a Republican death or near miss since Bush took office. There you go folks. A conspiracy!

[doug from upland]

Sorry, I've not heard of him before. Too bad his business partner wasn't Terry McAuliffe.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[swheats]

I like what Neil Cavuto just said, it's time for everyone

"TO WAKE THE HELL UP"

Can we now connect the dots, by the time we do every witness will be dead or incapacitated to not stand trial that were out to destroy this country.

[wjcsux]

This is great! ROTFLMAO!

[Grampa Dave]

What did Neal discuss and say?

I missed his program this afternoon.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks. We have some great conservative graphic artists who come up with this great stuff as events unfold.

[xm177e2]

www.pinkpistols.org (I'm NOT a member!!!!)

What do you have against guns? </kidding>

[swheats]

I'm looking for transcript. Basically getting rid of Greenspan and the response so far to him staying on. I couldn't do it justly, once I find transcript I'll ping you.

[far sider]

"Partner?...Hmm."

Never heard of business partners of the same sex before? Damn, tin-foil hat time again in Freeperville. Conspiracies here, conspiracies there, conspiracies every-'friggin-where!

Of course, I've heard of same-sex business partners. I have one myself. But I've never had a loud quarrel with him, and I've never had the desire to blow his and my brains out. Whenever you hear about a murder-suicide, don't they generally seem to be domestic, not business related? For all I know, they could be as straight as you and me. Anyway, what does this have to do with "conspiracies"?

[Pharmboy]

lawdude should switch to decaf...

[swheats]

"Alan Greenspan Takes the Cake"

For the life of me, I cannot see the fixation with this guy.

Don't get me wrong, he seems nice enough and god knows, Wall Street reveres him, which is why the president is going to reappoint him. Which is really weird when you stop to consider Greenspan's no fan of his and even less of a fan of his father's.

But that's another issue. Here's my issue: Why is the world still kowtowing to this guy? Everyone calls him Nostradamus.

Well, if he's so smart, why is the economy still so bumpy? If he's so clairvoyant, why was he "raising" interest rates in 1999 and 2000 to pierce an inflation bubble no one said then and no one says now, existed? If he's so savvy, why did he wait so long to "cut" interest rates in 1992, when the economy needed the boost? And if he's so saintly, why was he so miserly and so damn late to cut interest rates a couple of years ago?

Look, if we're going to make a deity out of a guy -- news flash -- make sure he's a deity. He's not and it's time to wake up. This financial emperor has no clothes and it's not pretty.

The economy staggers, yet Congress worships him.

Company earnings sputter, yet Wall Street adores him.

And he knocks the president's tax plan, yet the commander and chief won't say boo to him.

Everybody, wake the hell up! He is an economist. He's not a god. And he's an economist who has made awful bets, not a deity who has made only good moves.

And besides, the French love him. What does that tell you? They liked Jerry Lewis too. Who, by the way, would make just as an effective Fed boss as Alan, but with a lot more laughs.

Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World with Cavuto. 

[Grampa Dave]

I predict that he will not be around after 2004 to bother us. GW needs him for the elimination of the tax dividend.

Greensleeves will just fade away after the tax battle is over.

[Grampa Dave]

Neil or Larry Kudlow would be far better chiefs than Greensleeves.