HOUSTON – There have been 54 cases of sexual harassment in the city of Houston government since 2012, but finding specifics about those cases such as 'how many were settled?' and 'for how much?' has proved difficult.
KPRC2 investigator Mario Diaz spent months tracking this information and exposed a gap in how the city keeps track of the cases and how taxpayer money is spent on them.
“I spoke to one city hall insider about this and they said that this has been going on for quite some time,” Diaz said. “It doesn't matter the topic. It’s just the record keeping isn’t there the way it should be.” On this week’s "Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall," Diaz delves into the problem and what the mayor says he will do about it.
1 in 4 Women are abused
Sherri Kendall, the CEO of Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse said the domestic violence problem is so large that everyone should be concerned.
“Domestic violence happens to 1 in 4 women in this country and so we know everyone is impacted in some way,” she said. Kendall said AVDA also works with the offenders. “We believe it’s a critical component and, quite frankly, it’s not fair to the victim to put all the impetus for staying safe upon the victim. The perpetrator needs to address and stop the abuse,” she said.
Kendall joined volunteer Carter Dugan on this week’s "Houston Newsmakers" to talk about programs currently in place and about the upcoming 'End Abuse' Awareness Breakfast, which will raise awareness and funds for this organization.
Tillman Honor Run to raise funds for veterans and spouses
Pat Tillman made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
“He was in the prime of his football career, something that (you) just don’t see happening,” said Robby Aldridge, captain of the Houston Tillman Honor Run. “It was right after 9/11 and he became inspired to help his country.”
Tillman was killed in Afghanistan but his athletic prowess at Arizona State University led to a successful career in the NFL and inspired the Tillman Scholars program. The Tillman Honor Run takes place across the country on April 21 and will raise money for veterans and spouses pursuing higher education.
Christopher Grisham is an example of Tillman Scholar excellence. “I was in college and then 9/11 occurred and I thought, 'This is the time and this is what I’m supposed to do,'” he said. “So, I enlisted and did three deployments. After my third deployment to Afghanistan, I went to the University of Arkansas, then to law school and now I’ve relocated to the Houston area," Grisham said.
Grisham and Aldridge will join dozens of others on April 21 in Memorial Park, for one of the 35 Tillman Honor Runs on that day.
More information
Mario Diaz, KPRC2 Investigates
- https://www.click2houston.com/author/mariodiaz
- Email: Mdiaz@kprc.com
- Phone:713-222-2222
- Twitter: @kprc2Mario
Sherri Kendall, CEO, AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse)
- https://avda-tx.org
- Email: sherrik@avda-tx.org
- Phone: 713-224-9911
- Twitter:@AVDA_TX Carter Dugan, co-chair AVDA End Abuse Awareness Breakfast
- https://avda-tx.org
- Phone: 713-224-9911
- Twitter: @AVDA_TX
Robby Alridge, Captain, Houston Tillman Honor Run
- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/houston-tillman-honor-run-registration-41862413606
- www.pattillmanfoundation.org
- Email: Rjalridge220@gmail.com
- Twitter: @Pattillmanfnd
- Christopher Grisham, Tillman Scholar
- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/houston-tillman-honor-run-registration-41862413606