Letter: Bullying does not serve in the best interest of North Smithfield’s residents

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Bryan Murray speaks before the Town Council

Editor’s note: The below was not submitted as a letter, but rather read as a statement at a meeting of the North Smithfield Town Council on Monday, March 20. The other party in this disagreement has asked NRI NOW to publish a response, and in order to provide both context and fair treatment to both parties, we have decided to publish Mr. Murray’s statement in its entirety. The response was published here.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to me tonight. I’m Bryan Murray. You may have said or read that I’m crazy, illogical, not a real person, or even a chicken for not showing up to these meetings before. I have moved heaven and earth to be at this one, that’s for sure.

I’m sure you’ve heard rumors by now about what happened on Friday, March 10th, and why I’m up here tonight. If you have not, I’ll be happy to provide you the actions of one sitting member of this very council and what they have done.

Mr. Ezovski has recently said, ‘We live in a great place with people who value and support it in the best way they know how.’ I bring this up, even though I may not agree with him on everything, but I do on this portion, and I’m sure most of you agree as well.

Do you agree that the First Amendment is vital to a healthy democracy and helping the town grow? Would you also agree that someone who tries to stifle certain rights is a threat to democracy? How would you feel if a resident from the town tried to do that to you? What if that happened to you at your place of employment?

I take this question one step further. What if that person was a sitting member of this council who used their friends – quite possibly in the state police – to get your boss’s phone number to try to intimidate and bully and silence you at your place of employment? Mr. Beauregard has done just that on Friday, March 10th. You can see that as I stand here before you, those tactics did not work. Is this really his best way he values and supports the town and residents?

I think you can all agree.. well, almost all of you – that this was a severe overstep, an invasion of privacy, perversion, by him, infringing on my rights and liberties that are given to each and every single person. How many boundary lines (has) he crossed with this latest act? According to the Town Charter in Article IV, Section 9, Subsection 5 under emergency measures, this action by him affected my peace, safety, comfort and welfare as a resident of this town.

So I come before you asking for help in regards to this matter. Someone threatening to ruin my liviliehood, my safety, my family’s well-being as well as my own, should hold no power in this town, or anywhere. It was an act by a coward in retaliation to the facts I had spoke of. Someone who has sworn to serve and protect – protect being the key word here – the citizens of the state and town, who ha(s) shown no moral high ground time and time again. Someone who has repeatedly attacked me online to include various protected communities that I am a part of. Someone who has told me that I do not belong in this great town where many of us have spent countless hours, blood, maybe even a few tears, and sweat for this town.

There are many more insults he has thrown my way, but that’s for a different time. All I have asked from him before today was to respond to a couple of emails, to debate me in public on those issues mentioned in those emails, and for a couple apologies.

I shall add one more asking of an apology from him. I actually changed my mind: I demand an apology from him instead, in front of everyone, right now, with a promise that he stop his bullying and intimidation as well as ones from his self-appointed pit bulls – their words not mine – on the members of this town, my family, my friends, myself. And if it continues or if anything happens to my family, friends, myself or my property after this point in time, I’ll hold him personally responsible.

Thank you to the members of this town who helped me get here tonight to stand up to bullies as this should be a zero tolerance item, as well as a few others. Thank you to the councilors who have reached out to me personally on this already and on a previous situation involving his behavior. It shows you do value and support the town to the best of your abilities, just like how I quoted Mr. Ezovski earlier. Thank you.

Bryan Murray

North Smithfield

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14 COMMENTS

  1. I thought John Beauregard was a standup guy after reading his apology about the 2018 Nike issue, but this is over the line. When joining law enforcement, you swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and that includes the right to free speech. If John (or any other public official) can’t take all the criticism that comes along with being a public official without being tactful, you really should not be in office. And no, going to someone’s CO or employer because someone said some means words about you, is definitely not tactful.

  2. There is no justification for this elected official’s behavior. As I stated in an earlier post, Ms. Alves, Hamilton, and Mr. Ozier should take the lead in the current council before Beauregard runs the bus over them. Ms. O’Hara in all due respect, should also ditch her buddy Beauregard. Mr. Beauregard would be doing the right thing by the town’s residents if he resigned.

  3. Good for Bryan to get to a meeting and let the town know what little boy nonsense won’t be tolerated. I know being military almost my whole life as a military widow JB’s tactics of calling a military boss about town politics and differences would not get Bryan demoted, charged, noting. But JB thought he woulda, coulda, shoulda …to get even. Bryan hurt my little feelings, so I gotta hurt his. In other words, if you disagree with JB, on his politics, you stand to be bullied. You stand to have your IQ mocked if a military member.
    Well the IQ is a good point here actually, but of whose…is the real question. Who acts for the better of a town, who acts in team work fashion for a town, who investigates and wants answers to questions in full, not bypassing law or that of the adversity from town residents, and fellow board members, who acts as a respected true professional, for everyone’s best interest. Always. Ask yourself that. No class in this latest action by JB. No class at all. Just may backfire.

  4. Just curious:

    Copied from “US DOD OSD PUBLIC AFFAIRS GUIDANCE:
    2022 POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS”

    Online/Social Media:
    * Federal employees and AD members may use social media and personal email when not on-duty, on federal property, or using government equipment, to express their own personal views on public issues or political candidates.

    Mr. Murray – did you post any of those (what appear to be hundreds of) online social media comments while at work? Wondering if that’s a reportable offense?

    • Tony,

      If someone is writing slanderous things about someone you do not call his place of employment. What you do is contact a lawyer and sue him in court.

      • JB literally stalked Bryan to find his exact place of employ, through channels, and admitted in writing, to find his exact command post. Stalking. While Bryan has used public social media to question political actions and motions.
        If Bryan starts a gofundme to seek legal action, I am in. Otherwise maybe the RI stalking statute can b pursued singly by Bryan. This was an abhorrent act by JB. This act threatened Bryan and his family of harm. This expanded from man on man. Took great effort and time on JBs part to connect the dots of Bryan’s employ, hours of employment, location of employ, and Base Command location. This involves federal issue not just state issue by this action I believe.

  5. Sandy, why are you publishing a letter rather than reporting on what happened at the meeting? I don’t recall you ever doing something like this in the past. Don’t you usually insert a link as a referrence in your articles?

    • I am publishing letters in order to avoid appearance of anything other than straight-forward information as much has already been said on this issue on social media – prior to anyone getting the opportunity to report on it. Yes, I have done a word-for-word publication in the past on a controversial issue in order to let the readers make their own judgement. And links are published in some articles, yes, but not all. May I ask the purpose of these questions? I laid out the reason for the format change above.

  6. This guy has taken literally nothing and turned it into a deep rooted conspiracy theory based on literally nothing. If I was John, I would be extremely concerned of this stalker obsession this guy has with him. This has gone beyond Facebook comments on everything John says to real life confrontation. I’ve seen this movie play out plenty of times.

    • I don’t usually engage in these forums but I’m genuinely not sure what you are suggesting. Are you saying that John didn’t call his boss to file a complaint or are you saying that’s not a significant action?

      • I don’t care what John did to protect himself. This guy has been harassing him for years with wild, baseless claims. Then cry’s harassment and bullying in return. Pathetic victim mentality. Attention seeking behavior out of someone who desperately wants to feel important. Let’s not pretend you’re not part of the hit piece as well, Mrs. I don’t comment on these forums often.

        • I’m sorry, I’m part of what?

          I didn’t attack you. I didn’t attack John. I just asked you a question. Yikes.

          • Don’t worry Cheryl, Greg’s the biggest ‘Internet Tough Guy’ in North Smithfield. He’s also a hypocrite….hey Greg, how many people in this town have you attacked and harassed online or in person? Good to know you don’t care how people protect themselves from that….where do YOu work, again?

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