On KHOU: Houston teens blackmailed with fake nude photos

“They’re taking those photos and they’re manipulating them, creating highly sexualized sometimes pornographic content and then using it for extortion and blackmail.”

Watch full story here:

This is why we do what we do.

This is why we do what we do.

On October 25, on The Roula & Ryan Morning Show on KRBE, the mother of Julian Castro called in to talk her son’s tragic death on June 6, 2022. We have been helping the Castro family since they day he was murdered to help find the senseless suspects who forced their way into his home, shooting and killing him for unknown reasons.

Please take a moment to listen to her plea: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeStoppersOfHouston/videos/579518063928733

There is now an increased reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case.

Julian’s family and friends have been devastated by this loss. It has been nearly five months since he was killed, and the killers are still out there. We will continue to help the Castro family, and so many others, seek justice for their loved ones.

Call 713-222-TIPS(8477) if you have ANY information.

Crime Stoppers’ Final Comment on Audit Request

The following letter from our Chairman Justin Vickrey was sent to Mr. Post on October 24, 2022:

Mr. Post,

After careful consideration of the baseless demand for an audit by one of the Harris County Commissioners, we are hereby ceasing further efforts to participate in this request. Crime Stoppers of Houston (CSoH) and chief assistant county auditor, Ms. Errika Perkins, of the Harris County Auditor’s Office (HCAO) mutually understood the political nature behind this request and we were assured the HCAO was an impartial party. We voluntarily and legally met all that was asked of us through the wealth of documentation CSoH provided. The last discussion we had with the HCAO was that the draft was a “work in process” and we would provide some additional documentation for a final draft.

As you well know, the continuation of this charade was never able to occur due to Ms. Perkins providing an interview less than two weeks later to a Houston Chronicle reporter who has shown multiple times to have an unconscionable bias against CSoH (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/Crime-Stoppers-Harris-County-auditors-stonewalled-17438375.php). Her incredible lack of good judgement in an ongoing audit left us grimly disappointed with zero trust your office is indeed impartial as she professed it to be. CSoH never “declined” or “stonewalled” any part of the process with your office and your team knows it.

Additionally, it is important to state for the record:

1. CSoH has received $200,000 from Harris County Commissioners Court (HCCC) since 2018 and none of the grants had a right to audit clause, which, as your office is well aware, was expressly removed by the County.
2. Donations by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO) were from state asset forfeiture funds and not taxpayer funds. HCCC governs taxpayer funds, not state forfeiture funds. As such, HCCC has no standing to request an audit of those funds.
3. Funds received from probationary fees are not taxpayer funds governed by HCCC. Those funds are audited by the State of Texas.
4. Lastly, the claim by the auditors in their draft report that these funds fall under the Department of Justice (DOJ) are incorrect. Let us explain the correct information:
   1. The HCDAO performs civil forfeiture work for three (3) separate forfeiture entities, which are governed by different rules.
      1. State Asset Forfeiture funds
         1. Governed by Ch. 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The HCDAO must use these funds only for law enforcement purposes. Ch. 59 does not make requirements on the recipients of the donations.
      2. DOJ Federal Asset Forfeiture funds; and
      3. US Treasury Federal Asset Forfeiture funds.

As planned, the negative headlines sought by the Commissioner were achieved in a sad effort to distract for the true issues in Harris County around crime and the rampant repeated release of violent felony offenders. In hindsight, we erred in voluntarily agreeing to go along with this to begin with. Lesson learned. I truly hope you too have learned a lesson in the danger of allowing your office to be weaponized by any Commissioner with a political axe to grind.

Regards,

Justin Vickrey
Chairman, Board of Directors
Crime Stoppers of Houston

 

Men Stopping Violence (Domestic Violence Awareness Month)

Every year in October, advocates around the country are busy with activities for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We are invited to speak on panels, give presentations at schools, and provide information to community members at health fairs and other events. We are asked about services for those who are being abused and how one can avoid getting into a relationship with someone who may be abusive. These are important questions that may help some survivors with safety, but they put the responsibility of solving the problem on those who have the least power to do so in the relationship.

In the United States, our approach to dealing with domestic violence has largely been reactive and focused on how survivors should behave after violence has been committed against them by someone they love. For example, survivors are often told to leave their partners, call the police, or obtain a protective order, even though doing these things often actually increases their risk of being killed. Additionally, this one-size-fits-all approach does not take into account the experiences of marginalized communities in dealing with the criminal justice or child welfare systems, or the less prosecutable, but very effective, tactics of power and control such as financial and psychological abuse. While shelters and legal systems can provide some opportunities for victim safety and offender accountability, they do not necessarily offer effective ways to change the behavior of a person using abusive behaviors and, therefore, do not prevent them from harming others again.

So, how can abuse be prevented? While there are a number of social factors that must be addressed in order to support healthy families and communities, one of the most important strategies is to engage men in the solution. For too long, we have looked at domestic violence and sexual assault as women’s issues and have left it to women to deal with, but we know that men can also be abused, and we also know that men commit the majority of serious violent crimes. At Men Stopping Violence (MSV), we believe it is up to men to speak up about these issues, invite other men to evaluate their own behaviors, and encourage practices that resist abuse and oppression. MSV began in the early 80s and uses a model of community accountability in working with men and boys to challenge sexism, racism, and other harmful social norms in the community and within themselves. Our Young Men Stopping Violence program seeks to connect with teenage boys to create environments in which abuse is not tolerated before they create families of their own.

In addition to our work around social change, we also offer intervention programs for men who have used controlling and abusive behaviors with their partners. These are designed to help participants learn about how their attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions contribute to violence against women and girls, and take responsibility for their behavior. While many program participants may at first be resistant to own the harm they’ve inflicted, over time they come to find great value in these programs. For some, it is the first time they’ve come to understand their own experiences of abuse as children and how they have carried that trauma with them into the next generation. Many want to become better partners and parents, but need the education to learn how and other men to hold them accountable.

While MSV is located in the Atlanta area, this is an approach that can be replicated in communities around the country. We encourage men to learn more about how they can work toward creating a safer world for all, starting with themselves.

Written by:

• Elisa Covarrubias, CEO, Men Stopping Violence
• Patrick Harrison, Director of Outreach Programs, Men Stopping Violence

Our Response to the False Reports of Noncooperation

Response from Justin Vickrey, Chairman, Crime Stoppers of Houston

As Chairman of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s board of directors, I’ve been reflecting on the problems at hand with rampant violent crime going unfettered in Harris County and we are once again finding ourselves providing comment on baseless attacks derived in political theater. Crime Stoppers of Houston (CSoH) has stayed consistent in its mission for 42 years. What has changed is the current political environment and recent efforts to politicize crime. As the election season comes upon us and crime remains the #1 issue, we are left wondering like everyone else when the focus will be on crime rather than Crime Stoppers.

We have heard that crime is not very bad, and Houston is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the per capita murder rate. Tell that to the 1,880 murder victims and their families over the last 3-1/2 years alone. Of those, there is immense agony among families of 181 victims who know their loved one would still be here had the repeat violent felony offender who murdered them was held accountable as a danger to society and detained. The 207 victims killed this year equates to 355 victims by year-end if this awful trend does not cease and would be a 5% increase over 2021. The pain these poor families have had to endure, is only exacerbated by seeing these perpetrators free without any threat of justice for four plus years due to the overwhelming criminal court backlog.

Audit

Earlier this year, CSoH was made aware of two targeted pieces being written against the organization, which we were told would be used against us in Commissioners Court. Even though CSoH gave the reporters an abundance of information and attention, which took valuable time away from our mission, the plan unfolded like clockwork with the New York Times and Houston Chronicle releasing  essentially the same pieces within hours of each other on the same exact day.

This was followed by a call from Commissioner Ellis to “audit Crime Stoppers” dating back “ten years.” Harris County Auditor’s Office (HCAO) reached out to CSoH shortly thereafter and let us know they are an impartial party to the audit process. They shared that the ten-year request was not reasonable and we were feeling the ramifications of the political climate. We were then told we would have to give permission for the audit and that it should be limited to our four-year record retention policy. CSoH pulled documents on all gifts from Harris County during that four-year period and not one had a right to audit clause.

Regardless, as good partners, CSoH gave the HCAO a full book of requested information and had multiple calls and emails with them. Our most recent meeting was on August 31^st to discuss their “initial draft” of the audit. They let us know their only suggestion to Commissioners Court was the county has been inconsistent with its grant documents and a right to audit clause should be included on all grant documents moving forward, not just CSoH. While we still had no obligation to proceed, CSoH was willing to provide additional supporting information once we were made aware sensitive items such as our account numbers could be redacted. The HCAO committed to an extension in late October, the report would be clearly shared in draft form with the Commissioners, and well noted the final version would be forthcoming. They thanked us and stated they looked forward to wrapping up the final report once everything was received.

Less than two weeks later, rather than tabling any discussion on an incomplete 17-page report, it was used as another excuse to attack yesterday even though it showed absolutely no issues with CSoH.

Through the entire process, we were operating under their own repeated statements that the HCAO was impartial and not there to serve any political agenda of Commissioners Court. Clearly, the recent Houston Chronicle story indicates the commitment to impartiality by the HCAO was not honored through their participation in an interview with the same reporter that wrote one of the previously targeted pieces.  It appears this entire process was nothing short of an act in political theater that we have no interest in participating in.

CSoH undergoes an independent audit every year by one of the most respected non-profit CPA firms in the U.S. The requirement for CPA firms to report every single detailed note in an audit, both good and bad, is extraordinarily high. As an open book, these reports live on our website along with our IRS Form 990.

Our CEO

Our CEO has been unfairly targeted. The attention to her salary is one thing, but the repeated attacks against her, such as having people take photos of her home and including them in online stories, are actions that are dangerously motivated. It’s inexcusable. Regarding her pay, Rania has served the organization above and beyond these past 16-years, with the last 9-1/2 leading our staff. She has expanded all programming including prevention, helped build and fully fund the first Crime Stoppers headquarters anywhere in the world, and implemented a mobile app for tips available in over 20 languages. Rania and her team have created a system to train an entire state on school safety while increasing public safety conversations throughout. In addition to holding a master’s degree and juris doctorate, her role is a demanding one often requiring her time well past the typical 8-5 work schedule 7 days a week.

The focus and comparison on her salary misrepresents the facts and omits several others. Her salary, as determined by the Board of Directors, is well within the norms of nonprofit CEOs (which has been purposefully left out of this repeated reporting). Misrepresenting her salary while comparing it to the base salary of elected officials is another strategic move. Rania does not have a security detail, driver, or the very healthy 225% pension match Harris County employees receive. That said, should one want to review what Harris County employees make, you’ll find governmental salaries, some of whom are in a supportive position rather than leadership, make up to $100,000 more per year in base salary alone (without benefits) than Rania’s total compensation with benefits.

Additionally, the Houston Chronicle reporter covering CSoH, when sitting with Rania and reviewing her long-time history with the organization, dismissed her commitment, diminished her value and stated she could take a $10 per hour internship since her husband is a wealthy doctor (referring to her first position with CSoH). This sexist and misogynistic statement has no place in this day and time, let alone from a reporter tasked with writing an “objective” story on CSoH.

Houston Chronicle

The Houston Chronicle has a history of writing stories pertaining to CSoH without our involvement. Rania was asked for comment via email less than one hour before yesterday’s piece was released. The reporter’s story had clearly already been written with no interest in what we had to say to counter the narrative.

The Conflation of Bond Reform

As a reminder, CSoH has always supported misdemeanor bond reform since the beginning. We, like most other Houston leaders, have simply been against the repeated release of violent repeat felony suspects. The application of the ideals of misdemeanor bond reform to violent felony cases is a major issue ravaging our great city. To see all those who also agree with us, go to https://crime-stoppers.org/standingforpublicsafety  (#standingforpublicsafety)

The Real Story  

If you speak up with facts that are antithetical to what some in county leadership profess, you will likely be targeted and attacked. That should be alarming for everyone reading this. We understand the political season has been ramping up for months now, but crime is the number one issue and targeting those who are working hard to reduce crime is not a winning strategy. Those trying to silence CSoH, wear down our CEO and staff, or hurt our partnerships are failing. For the sake of the community we all claim to serve, please close the curtain on the political theater and let’s get to work on solving these major crime problems at hand.

As for victims, partners, donors, or community members who have any questions on the latest story or any other story on CSoH, we are all here personally to answer them. You can reach us at info@crime-stoppers.org.