Google Doodle has honored Octavia E. Butler, the groundbreaking African-American science-fiction author, in honor of her birthday on June 22. The late author would have been 71. As Time reported, Butler made history by becoming the first science-fiction writer to get the MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. She has been widely celebrated for bringing elements of African and African-American spiritualism and characters to the literary world – particularly in the science-fiction genre traditionally dominated by white male authors. Butler won prestigious science-fiction awards, including two Nebula Awards and two Hugo Awards. One of her short stories, "Bloodchild," won two of those prestigious awards. It’s Octavia’s birthday and we’re thrilled to share this moment with all of you! We launched this Google Doodle today #BecauseOfOctavia and her fans. How has #OctaviaButler influenced you? pic.twitter.com/NrFRRIPZZJ— Octavia E. Butler (@OctaviaEButler) June 22, 2018 A Twitter account dedicated to the late author, who died in 2006, tweeted a call to Butler's fans to share how the influential author has inspired them with the hashtag #BecauseofOctavia.Butler's family released the following statement on what would have been the author's 71st birthday:"Our family is grateful and honored by the opportunity to invoke the memory of Octavia E. Butler. Her uniqueness emerged at an early age when she expressed a strong interest in the written word. It was clear, even then, that Octavia had found her destiny—she decided to pursue a career as a professional writer. Her spirit of generosity and compassion compelled her to support the disenfranchised. She sought to speak truth to power, challenge prevailing notions and stereotypes, and empower people striving for better lives. Although we miss her, we celebrate the rich life she led and its magnitude in meaning. Today, on her birthday, it is with immense pride that we give tribute to Octavia for the magnificent gifts she bestowed upon all of us. Her legacy endures. As long as we speak her name, she lives."Butler's lauded novel Kindred, which introduced time travel to address slavery in the United States, is taught in high schools and colleges annually, NPR reported. Director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay announced in 2017 that she would be adapting Butler's book Dawn into a television series. All that you touchYou Change.All that you ChangeChanges you.The only lasting truthis Change.Godis Change.- Octavia E. Butler, born today 1947. pic.twitter.com/LiveGGjzHW— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 22, 2018...
After living in a gated community for eight years, Doctor Nnenna Aguocha a white man who parked his car in the community’s entrance stopped her from entering.On June 18, Aguocha was returning home after a late shift and was startled when a man she had never seen before barred the entrance to her community with his car. Fifteen minutes into the incident Aguocha pulled out her phone and recorded the exchange. “Are you serious?” Aguocha asked the man as she walked up to his car. “Do you know what you are doing? You are racially profiling.”The man, whose name is unknown, called the police on her, and so Aguocha did the same. When officers arrived, the man explained there had been recent robberies in the area with someone stealing air conditioning units. The community’s homeowners association, however, had not heard of any such incident.“I absolutely think it was racially motivated,” Aguocha told 11Alive News. “When this altercation was going on, what went through my mind was this guy could do absolutely anything to me. He could shoot me dead on the spot because he was trying to protect the neighborhood, and the property and people would make up stories later.”Aguocha used her gate entry code to prove to officers, and the man, she lived in the community. The man told officers he owned property in the community, but his actual home was in Roswell.When considering the current climate around false accusations against black people, Aguocha feels many are often ‘emboldened to act upon their biases.’“[They] do whatever they want to do because there are no repercussions,” Aguocha said. “I know that things like this happen all the time, and I am not exempt like that, so I’m not surprised.”Aguocha is now seeking legal action against the...
NBA draft pick Wendell Carter Jr. and his parents decided to bring a little creativity to the draft with Black Panther-inspired outfits. The former Duke player came out rocking an all-black suit with a tiger printed sash comparable to T'Challa's look in the last scenes of the superhero movie. However, the Wakandan drip became a family affair when his parents also rocked similar looks. Wendell Carter Jr. and his parents are killin' the #NBADraft 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UgafYfammo— Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) June 21, 2018His father, Wendell Carter Sr., and mother, Kylia Carter, joined Carter in wearing clothes bearing a tiger. The custom Gucci fits had the whole family dripping.Wendell Carter Jr. and his parents have matching wardrobe’s inspired by Black Panther. Love it. pic.twitter.com/fWaq2N6RvC— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 21, 2018“I saw a Black Panther commercial, saw he had something wrapped around the top of his suit, so I was like, ‘Might as well try it out,'” the 19-year-old told NBA TV.Draft Night fashion inspired by Black Panther! 👌Is Wendell Carter, Jr. #CourtsideCertified? pic.twitter.com/7yY3JnHZs3— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 21, 2018 The Chicago Bulls used their seventh pick to pick up Carter Jr. He is one of two former Blue Devils to go in the top 10 of the draft. We'll go ahead and formally salute to that.
And of course he hit the #WakandaForever 🙅🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/AkhHFOKGy0— Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) June 21,...
Despite being an heiress to the throne of music royalty, Blue Ivy is a star in her own right, and the more we see her, the more her hilarious personality shines through.The usually private Carter family gave us the gift of letting their eldest daughter become more visible this year, and the 6-year-old has yet to disappoint. Her antics keep us laughing, and like her mother, she's born to entertain. We have to take a moment and look at a few of the times she's proved to be a comedy queen. 1. When she told her parents to pipe down at the Grammys: Blue really told Beyoncé and Jay Z to calm down 💀 pic.twitter.com/BrTHWNr9ix— . (@beyupdates_) January 29, 2018We see who runs the show. 2. When she made her own rules and took over bidding at an auction:Lool... Blue Ivy is about to buy all the Artworks at the auction. She must have been listening to JayZ's tracks about Basquiat and investing in Art. pic.twitter.com/Nd0pFrA16z— R. (@alrhemist) March 18, 2018We love an art-loving queen. 3. When she made "everybody say good job!" Do you all not know who her mother is? Give credit where it's due. 4. When she let the embarrassment from her mother's shoutout show all over her face: Blue 💙💙💙 #OTRII
#London
pic.twitter.com/7C5qwOUxlW— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@Bey_Legion) June 16, 2018 It's OK, Blue. Our moms embarrass us sometimes, too. 5. When she sinks in horror at seeing her parents doing some risque antics in bed:Blue watching the interlude of her parents in bed LMAOOOO pic.twitter.com/lcHqubL67p— tink. (@MissTink__) June 19, 2018 6. When she called out her grandmother for not following the rules:When you are trying to sneak a video 😂A post shared by Tina Knowles (@mstinalawson) on May 23, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT
Even funnier is how Ms. Tina flat out ignored her.7. When she straight up told the paparazzi no pictures: Can a star get where she's going without y'all in her face?8. When a random guy tries to sing for Bey, and Blue doesn't hesitate to let us know it's a no from her, dawg: She also wasn't feeling the smell of the food we lowly commoners eat. 9. When she took time to let her fans know she loves us, too:💙 (June 15, 2018) pic.twitter.com/D9wiWO4G3c— Blue Ivy Source (@blueivysource) June 16, 2018
We stan a comedic legend! What are some of your favorite Blue Ivy...
Lorain, Ohio's police chief called the officer's actions "an abuse of police authority and a serious departure from appropriate protocol…they are contrary to the mission, values and policies of the Lorain Police Department."
A white police officer in Lorain, Ohio, was fired after an internal investigation revealed he abused his authority by detaining his daughter and her black boyfriend during an April 16 incident without cause, the Chronicle-Telegram reported.Dash camera footage posted online shows officer John Kovach Jr. approaching a car he pulled over and telling the driver, his daughter's reported boyfriend, Makai Coleman, to "get out" the car and that he's "going to jail." As Coleman exited the vehicle and questioned why he was going to jail, Kovach Jr. said, "We'll make s**t up as we go."According to the Chronicle-Telegram, Kovach Jr. initiated the stop without alerting dispatch. As the officer walked Coleman to his police car and placed him in the backseat, he warned him not to "get smart," or he'd "do something" to him. Kovach Jr. was reportedly looking for his daughter, Kaitlyn, who he believed was suicidal. Kovach Jr. didn't immediately realize his daughter was in the backseat of the vehicle he pulled over the entire time.Later in the video, Kovach Jr. approached the passenger side of the vehicle inquiring about the whereabouts of his daughter. He then got into an argument with Gloria Morales whose two children were in the car at the time. He repeatedly asked Morales if his daughter was inside her home, where the vehicle was pulled over, and the mom continued to confirm she wasn't.Kovach Jr. accused Morales of being "disorderly" and insisted he would give her daughter seated in the front a $300 ticket for allegedly not wearing her seatbelt. Morales told the officer he was making the situation "personal" and instructed him to get a warrant before searching her home for his daughter. The mom then said she would call 911 for his conduct to which Kovach Jr. replied, "Call 911, you're going to jail."During Kovach Jr.'s exchange with Morales, he accused Coleman of "harboring" his daughter. "That boy has been harboring her, okay, I heard she was suicidal..." Kovach Jr. eventually spotted his daughter in the vehicle and instructed her to get in the backseat of his police car. He then told Coleman to leave the police car as his daughter cried, "You can't take me; I'm 18."The officer placed his daughter in the backseat of the police car as she cried and insisted she never indicated she was suicidal. Kovach Jr. said he was taking her to the hospital. According to the Chronicle-Telegram, Kovach Jr. was called to a road rage incident during the time of his exchange with Coleman, Kaitlyn and Morales, but he did not appear to respond to the dispatch call.Safety-Service Director Dan Given said Kovach Jr.'s actions were "not acceptable," resulting in his firing on May 11.“These actions are not acceptable for members of our Police Department, and we felt it warranted immediate dismissal," Givens said, per the Chronicle-Telegram. According to the Chronicle-Telegram, Kovach Jr. allegedly told fellow officers his ex-wife alerted him to disturbing Facebook posts by Coleman about their daughter and prostitution, but the investigation revealed his ex-wife was not aware of those posts. The officer also claimed Coleman was driving at high speed at the time he pulled the vehicle over, but the investigation disputed those claims.Kovach Jr. reportedly told Lt. Ed Super, who was conducting the investigation, that his ex-wife allegedly said Coleman once reportedly threatened her after she told him to leave her home when she found him and their daughter engaging in sexual conduct. He also told Super his daughter once said, “If I can’t be with him, I don’t want to be here anymore,” which he said he interpreted as suicidal. Super reportedly noted the ex-wife said she too had " concerns about the relationship," according to the Chronicle-Telegram.Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera said Kovach Jr.'s actions were "an abuse of police authority and a serious departure from appropriate protocol…they are contrary to the mission, values and policies of the Lorain Police Department."The police department's union is reportedly appealing Kovach Jr.'s...
Atwon Rose Jr. was unarmed when he was shot in the back as he ran from police officers who pulled over the vehicle he was in during a traffic stop. The officers were investigating a drive-by shooting when 17-year-old Rose and his friends rode by in a Chevrolet Cruze that reportedly matched the description of the car in question.According to The Washington Post, the officer involved is on leave pending an investigation. Here are nine things to know about the life and death of Antwon Rose Jr.:1. The timeline:According to the Allegheny County Police Department:8:20 p.m. – Allegheny County police received several calls reporting a shooting on the 800 block of Kirkpatrick Avenue in North Braddock. Paramedics later found a 22-year-old male victim. 8:33 p.m. – Police spotted a vehicle matching the description provided by callers, including a broken window. Police pulled the vehicle over and ordered the driver, an unnamed 20-year-old, to the ground. Rose and a second unidentified passenger ran from the vehicle. Rose was shot in the back three times. 9:19 p.m. – The teen was pronounced dead at McKeesport Hospital. 2. Rose was an honor student and volunteered at a local nonprofit: The rising senior at Woodland Hills High School was an honor student who volunteered at the Free Store 15104, a nonprofit that provides goods free of charge to those in need. Rose first took an interest in volunteering at the store when he was 14.“He was friendly, easy to work with, smart, vibrant,” the organization's founder, Gisele Fetterman, who Rose reached out to in 2015 to inquire about volunteering with them, told The Washington Post. “He was a caring person, and everyone loved him.”And we loved having you, Antwon. 💔 Our hearts are broken. #AntwonRose pic.twitter.com/6okC7bufUT— Free Store 15104 (@15104FreeStore) June 21, 20183. The officer involved was new to the East Pittsburgh force:The yet to be identified officer who shot Rose joined the East Pittsburgh police force 90 minutes before the shooting and had worked as an officer in the region since 2011.4. Rose became the 490th person in the U.S. to be shot by police in 2018: According to The Washington Post’s database, black people comprise only 13 percent of the nation but have disproportionately been victims in 23 percent of fatal police shootings.5. He was also a skater: Switch & Signal Skatepark said Rose frequented the park in a tribute to Rose on Facebook on Wednesday, June 20. 6. Protesters gathered outside of the East Pittsburgh Police Department on Wednesday:Protesters held signs demanding “Justice4Antwon” and for lawmakers to “End Police Violence Now.”The group chanted: “Say his name! Antwon!”People trickling in to the parking lot outside the East Pittsburgh PD in protest of last night’s shooting of unarmed Antwon Rose pic.twitter.com/wEyQvb7B15— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) June 20, 2018It was a honor to stand with my city today. We are not stopping until we get justice for Antwon Rose Jr pic.twitter.com/lkYmnMc8qE— Jasiri X (@jasiri_x) June 21, 2018SHUT DOWN ALL THE ROADS! Accountability now! Justice now! Not one more!#ShutItDown #AntwonRoseJr pic.twitter.com/YbWBouP7WH— Pittsburgh DSA🌹 (@pghDSA) June 21, 20187. Protests continued in the rain because Black Lives Matter, always:Protesters stopped traffic to sit in the middle of Electric Avenue in East Pittsburgh during the pouring rain.8. Antwon wrote a poem entitled “I Am Not What You Think” two years before his killing:The poem features the lines, “I see mothers bury their sons/ I want my mom to never feel that pain," and Rose hoped for a future where people would not see him as another statistic. My God. The family of #AntwonRose just sent me this poem he wrote 2 years ago.It says:I see mothers bury their sonsI want my mom to never feel that pain. ///On Tuesday he was shot 3 times in the back & killed by police. His mother is now preparing his funeral. pic.twitter.com/IuHper1GV6— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) June 21, 20189. Black Lives Matter groups are holding vigils for the teen:A vigil for Rose will be held June 25 in Denver, Colorado, as protests continue in his...
Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, will be joining The New York Times team as a columnist for the Opinion pages according to a Thursday, June 21, announcement from the publication. Alexander’s book gained popularity for its focus on how the War on Drugs became a tool for the criminal justice system to incarcerate black males and other disadvantaged minorities at disproportional rates. Issues of mass incarceration, the book argues, should be at the center of conversations surrounding race, civil rights and justice. The novel won the NAACP’s Image Award for Outstanding Non-fiction in 2011 and was a New York Times bestseller. “Michelle is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, the book that changed the way many of us think about criminal justice and about the persistence and adaptation of forms of racial control in the United States. She is a powerful writer, a fierce advocate for a more just world and a deep believer in open-minded, searching debate over how to achieve it,” James Bennet, New York Times editorial page editor, said in a written statement. After leading a career dedicated to service – traversing through life as a civil rights lawyer, a clerk for Justice Harry Blackmun on the Supreme Court and director of the Racial Justice Project for Northern California’s American Civil Liberties Union – Alexander has been openly welcomed to the Times by its progressive audience. It's unclear if Alexander is the first woman of color to be brought on by the publication as a columnist, but she is the only woman of color to serve in the position.This is awesome. Finally, a woman of colour joins the NY Times op-ed pages as a columnist. Next up, a Latino columnist maybe? Someone who’s not Tom Friedman to speak for brown/Arab/Muslim communities, which find themselves at the centre of so much of our political discourse? https://t.co/QTr8WLBcfY— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 21, 2018Congratulations to our friend Michelle Alexander on joining @nytopinion as a columnist! Check out her powerful keynote speech on race and the war on drugs from DPA's Reform Conference last year: https://t.co/oxd2KbCHbW https://t.co/aZjuo7c0WB— Drug Policy Alliance (@DrugPolicyOrg) June 21,...
That moment when you see an image so ridiculously offensive you find yourself desperately hoping to find out what you saw was manipulated with Photoshop only to find out it's all too real. Following her husband's executive order ending the child separation policy at the border, first lady Melania Trump visited immigrant children at the Texas border on Thursday, June 21, in a rare official appearance. She was seen boarding her plane wearing a jacket that wasn't exactly the right choice.Melania Trump wears "I don't really care" jacket during immigration trip https://t.co/kZMv476WIh pic.twitter.com/uf7M20i4R6— Variety (@Variety) June 21, 2018The back of the olive green jacket (which is a $39 item from ZARA last season, according to CNN) has "I Really Don't Care. Do U?" written on the back.And wow.Given the heartbreaking images of children snatched away from their families, to say the jacket was in poor taste would be the understatement of the century. Of course, because her wardrobe choice was lacking all discernment, Mrs. Trump received a royal dragging.“I don’t really care, do you?”Melania Trump launches her husband’s new slogan for the 2020 election campaign.Somebody please take the matches away from these people.— Steve Redmond (@sjredmond) June 21, 2018Let’s go ahead and never feel bad for Melania Trump again.— Pat Cunnane (@PatCunnane) June 21, 2018Melania Trump really wore a jacket that read ‘I really don’t care’ when she visited the Border? Doesn’t that kinda undercut her whole ‘Be Best’ message? Someone shoulda been like, “Umm, yeah... wouldn’t it ‘Be Best’ if you fuckin went and put something else on right now?” 🤨— Cyrus McQueen (@CyrusMMcQueen) June 21, 2018Melania Trump wore a jacket that says “I really don’t care. Do u?”Because she doesn’t care. This was intentional.— Scott Dworkin (@funder) June 21, 2018"Mrs. Trump, do you want to visit the children who are being separated from their parents at the border?"Ummm... Not until I find the perfect jacket." - Melania Trump https://t.co/zopfT1Bk1F— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) June 21, 2018"It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope this isn't what the media is going to choose to focus on," FLOTUS spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told ABC News reporter Meridith McGraw.NEW: @FLOTUS spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham when asked what message the first lady's jacket intends to send: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope this isn't what the media is going to choose to focus on."— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) June 21, 2018According to Elle, Mrs. Trump took off the jacket on the plane, and photographers snapped her without it at the Upbring New Hope Children Center in McAllen, Texas.Hmm, maybe since first lady Trump is so keen on copying Forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama, how about she copy Obama's sensitivity and tact? Since Melania Trump's jacket said "I really don't care"...I set up https://t.co/GL1FF0KpBsClick the link and it'll take you to a site where you can donate to 14 awesome groups helping immigrants all at once. Feel free to RT if that's your jam. pic.twitter.com/TPc4y4ZUfh— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 21,...
If you've spent any time on the internet discussing racial issues, you've probably encountered some white genocide conspiracy theorists. More black folks in prominent positions? OMG, the blacks are taking over! We get one Marvel superhero origin film? OMG, black folks are trying to wipe out white people! According to MSN, the U.S. Census Bureau's new figures from 2015 and 2016 show the white population has decreased for the first time in American history. Between 2016 and 2017, the non-Hispanic white population dropped to 197.8 million people, which is roughly a 0.02 percent decrease.By contrast, minorities populations are seeing growth. Welp.The data show the decrease is due to the white population's rapid aging combined with white young adults delaying the decision to have a family and a reduction of European immigration. According to the data, the average non-Hispanic white American is 43.5 years old, while the average Hispanic American is 29.3 years old. "White fertility has gone down. There's a little bit less white immigration in the last year," William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer and sociologist, said. "As the white population becomes older, that means that even if fertility gets up a little bit, it's not going to be what it was a long time ago."Just in case you think this is yet another baby boomer versus millennial issue, it's not. In fact, both generations contribute to the decrease!"Baby boomers and millennials alike are responsible for this trend in increased aging," noted Molly Cromwell, a Census Bureau demographer. "Boomers continue to age and are slowly outnumbering children as the birth rate has declined steadily over the last decade."Wow, guess we better plan the cookout celebration for our American takeover,...
Two of our favorite things, Black Panther and The Blacksonian, are joining forces! The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) announced on Thursday, June 21, the museum had acquired pieces from the film, "including the hero costume worn by actor Chadwick Boseman; a shooting script signed by Ryan Coogler (co-writer; director), Kevin Feige (producer; president of Marvel Studios), Nate Moore (executive producer) and Joe Robert Cole (co-writer; producer); two pages of spec script; and 24 high-resolution production photographs."With this news coming on the heels of an exclusive Oprah exhibit, the Blacksonian keeps getting better and better! The objects are set to be displayed during the iconic museum's inaugural Smithsonian African American Film Festival (SAAFF), occurring October 24-27. We are all the way here for this! It looks like the NMAAHC has had this in the works for a while now and sees this acquisition as laying the foundation for the museum's future. "First of all, part of the museum's job is to collect today for tomorrow, so that there are things — like we’ve collected Black Lives Matter artifacts, we've collected things in Ferguson, things in Baltimore — and some of those are on display in the museum," said NMAAHC director Lonnie Bunch in a 2017 interview with DCist. "Some maybe won't be in display until a curator 30, 40 or 50 years from now wants to use it. Our goal is to make sure that it never happens, like it used to happen early in my career — there were exhibits I wanted to do, stories I wanted to tell, and museums didn’t have those collections. I wanted to make sure that future curators wouldn't have that problem."And just in case you're worried about whether you'll be able to make it to the festival, the museum also announced it is considering a permanent Black Panther display. We're going to have to show up and show out at the festival, and on social media and make sure the Blacksonian knows how much this means to...
Managing depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and other mental health issues can be trying. Sometimes, a single person can make all the difference, and their love and empathy can save a life.Sometimes, that one person can be your mom. Cue Demetrius Harmon, a 20-year-old ball of wonderful creativity who decided to dedicate a portion of his Edsel Ford 2018 commencement speech to the most important lady in his life: his mama.Harmon tweeted a clip from his speech, captioning it, "I never told my mom this but she saved me from killing myself, I got the chance to tell her in front of all of these people."I never told my mom this but she saved me from killing myself, I got the chance to tell her infront of all of these people pic.twitter.com/0CNST4b1zl— The Artist Formerly Known As MeechOnMars (@DemetriusHarmon) June 21, 2018Yeah ... we weren't alone in the sobbing sentiment. “I’m not just alive for my mother, but I live for my mother” bruh pic.twitter.com/vMcdSYcKpo— A $ A P C I L L A (@Priscillaokay_) June 21, 2018pic.twitter.com/AyevhfTCLN— danii (@lmaoitsdani) June 21, 2018I'm not crying... pic.twitter.com/9rq2uCr2SQ— angi🦋 (@adoringaladdin) June 21, 2018I was on the verge of tears. I feel the same way about my mom. I don’t know what I’d do without her. 😢😭 I love her so much! pic.twitter.com/ehvrBUIMcr— Terry Thomas (@kiddynamite432) June 21, 2018Wow I aspire to be that amazing of a mom pic.twitter.com/sd0xs76UYK— Karla 🤪 (@karlaahhx) June 21, 2018Me af right now pic.twitter.com/3ToF736WGc— Issa_BlackQueen 👑 (@IssaQueen_17) June 21, 2018Harmon is an actor, poet and model who starred in Camp Unplug, Vine's first "long series." He and his castmates were nominated for Best Ensemble Cast at the Streamy Awards, and he won Best Vine Comedian at the Shorty Awards. Congrats Demetrius, we're glad you're here! Check out the full speech...
As we become more and more concerned about the well-being of children held in ICE custody, questions have begun to arise about just who is looking after these children separated from their parents.According to a Texas Monthly report, a case manager at Texas-based nonprofit immigrant shelter Southwest Key Casa Padre has a worrying police record.The nonprofit, which oversees the care of immigrant minors, hired former border patrol agent Ernesto Padron as a case manager; his duties included working with children to reunite them with their families. Padron was a former border patrol agent who resigned after being arrested on child pornography possession charges. Padron was busted in an FBI sting in 2008 and resigned from his border patrol position in October 2010. Prosecution of Padron's case stalled under Cameron County's then district attorney, Armando Villalobos, who was later indicted on corruption charges. Once current district attorney Luis Saenz was able to review the backlog of cases, the statute of limitations on Padron's case had lapsed, and the case was dismissed.“In our hiring, extensive background checks are conducted on applicants; however, because Mr. Padron was not convicted of the charges you referenced (or any other disqualifying criminal charges), he was cleared for employment,” Southwest Key spokeswoman Lizzie Chen informed Texas Monthly in an emailed statement. “When we became aware of Mr. Padron’s situation, he was immediately suspended, and he never worked at our shelter again.”So, the ultimate question is: how did Padron get past Southwest Key Casa Padre's background checks?State inspections show the nonprofit has a history of inefficient and improper background checks, including failing to “timely submit the information required to conduct a renewal background check.”Other reported infractions include failing to check a potential employer on the State Child Abuse and Neglect Registry and hiring an employee who failed a drug test.A Texas Tribune report found the organization's sixteen facilities racked up 246 state inspection violations in the last three...
