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Exclusive Interview: TSU Police Chief Mary Young

NNPA NEWSWIRE — TSU Police Chief Mary Young came to TSU in 2017, at the height of her career with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and was excited about being given the opportunity to manage and lead a full police department, mentor young men and women, and create an environment where HBCU’s were seen as impactful. The Forward Times highlighted her history-making achievement in March 2017, with an article entitled, “HAIL TO THE CHIEF: Veteran HPD Officer Mary Young Named TSU’s Acting Police Chief,” and she has served with distinction since that time with no incident until now with this anonymous complaint.
The post Exclusive Interview: TSU Police Chief Mary Young first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

December 24, 2022

Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA Newswire contributor

Lawsuit filed by Attorney Ben Hall, who says TSU has broken Texas state law with the handling of first female police chief at the University

By Jeffrey L. Boney | Houston Forward Times

Just when we thought the public issues surrounding Texas Southern University (TSU) had become a thing of the past, here comes another unnecessary situation that has negatively thrust the only HBCU in the city of Houston into the public spotlight.

For those that may have been following the story involving veteran officer, community leader, public servant, and current TSU Police Chief Mary Young, you are probably aware that she filed a lawsuit against TSU on November 30th in response to claims she was set to be terminated by the TSU Board of Regents based off an anonymous complaint that was filed against her.

The complaint mysteriously came after Chief Young beseeched her officers to “maintain professionalism” and to avoid giving the appearance of serving as “chauffeurs, errand-runners, and personal assistants” while working for TSU President Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young.

Crumpton-Young took the helm at TSU in July of last year after the controversial termination of former TSU President Dr. Austin Lane by the TSU Board of Regents, which unfortunately played out in the public and unceremoniously cast a negative light on the University.

According to Chief Young, she didn’t even know her job was in jeopardy until she was made aware of the anonymous tip in July from the Interim Internal Auditor at TSU.

“In August, the President (Crumpton-Young) called and asked to meet me off campus and relay the news to me that the TSU Board had just had a board meeting, and that they had concluded that I was going to be terminated based on the findings from an audit investigation,” Chief Young tells the Forward Times. “President Crumpton-Young proceeded to inform me that my Deputy Chief and I were going to be let go and provided me with no other information. I was floored.”

Chief Young states she was never given an opportunity to give her side of the story or present any evidence to refute the allegations from the anonymous complainant, which is why she hired an attorney to file her initial lawsuit against TSU.

Attorney Ben Hall, who has taken on this case, is extremely concerned about the actions taken by TSU and believes the University has violated Texas state law every step of the way.

Hall states, however, this case is deeper and should concern everyone in the community regarding anonymous complaints against community-oriented police officers like Chief Young.

“TSU didn’t give Chief Young an opportunity to disprove this lie by an anonymous complainant to protect her own stellar reputation,” said Hall. “What we have here is a coward who was too scared to add their name to the anonymous complaint. This is someone who would rather throw rocks and hide their hands by making false charges and claims, and this is a lie that the leadership at TSU has chosen to align themselves with.”

According to Hall, Texas state law requires that any written complaint against a police officer must be signed by the complainant, given to the police officer, and then the police officer must be given an opportunity to respond the complaint.

Hall states that Chief Young never received a signed complaint that complies with state law, which is why no adverse or disciplinary action should be taken against her.

On top of that, Hall states that Chief Young had a strong system of checks and balances to prevent any arbitrary decision to approve overtime as alleged in the complaint from ever occurring, in that two other supervisors must sign off on overtime before it even gets to her.

First, the immediate supervisor of the police officer seeking to get approval for overtime must sign off on the submittal, and then a captain would have to sign off on the overtime submission for approval before it even gets to the desk of Chief Young, according to Hall.

“I am confident that we will be able to prove all of this false, because even when you look at the lie, Chief (Young) doesn’t even make the initial approval of overtime,” says Hall. “I am just shocked that the TSU Board of Regents and the administration would violate state law, without giving Chief Young, or any officer, the opportunity to defend themselves, which is required by state law in Texas.”

And then there is the false narrative that Chief Young has officially been placed on administrative leave.

According to Hall, TSU sent a letter to Chief Young informing her of their decision to place her on administrative leave, which prompted them to file a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on behalf of Chief Young on December 7th prohibiting TSU from taking any further disciplinary or adverse employment action against Young pending a temporary injunction hearing scheduled for December 20, 2022. The designated ancillary judge granted that request and the courts have stopped TSU from taking any action.

Chief Young is still at her job, contrary to media reports stating otherwise, and she is still working at her office focusing on protecting the TSU campus and leading her department.

TSU has appealed the TRO, but Hall has filed an emergency motion to require the case to be returned to the district court, because no final judgments have been made by the district courts, and the district courts are where the judges have listened to and heard the evidence relative to the case.

“Administrative leave is a violation of state law,” says Hall.

Chief Young came to TSU in 2017, at the height of her career with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and was excited about being given the opportunity to manage and lead a full police department, mentor young men and women, and create an environment where HBCU’s were seen as impactful. The Forward Times highlighted her history-making achievement in March 2017, with an article entitled, “HAIL TO THE CHIEF: Veteran HPD Officer Mary Young Named TSU’s Acting Police Chief,” and she has served with distinction since that time with no incident until now with this anonymous complaint.

Now, Chief Young just wants the truth to be told regarding what she and her attorney are deeming an improper investigation. She believes that a wrong report was presented to the TSU Board of Regents and that she was not afforded the opportunity to present her series of facts and important information, and states that she looks forward to that day.

“This is more than my reputation that I’m fighting for, this is about my character,” states Chief Young. “Without character, you cannot be trusted and if you cannot be trusted, you cannot lead. Your character is your mark on the world, and how you lead, how people see you, and how you follow, describes your character. I have worked extremely hard to become a person of honesty and decency. To present me any other way is absurd.”

The Forward Times will continue to follow this case and keep our readers informed of the latest happenings surrounding Chief Young and TSU.

The post EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TSU POLICE CHIEF MARY YOUNG appeared first on Houston Forward Times.

The post Exclusive Interview: TSU Police Chief Mary Young first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA Newswire contributor

Posts by Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA Newswire contributor

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#NNPA BlackPress

Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”

The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”

He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.

Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”

Stacy M. Brown

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The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt

The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”

Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”

According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies: With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Oakland Post

https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ

Excellencies:

With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The focus on AI and digital equity is urgent within the real time realities today where there continues to be what is referred to as the so called mainstream national and international media companies that systematically undergird racism and imperialism against the interests of People of African Descent.

We therefore call on this distinguished gathering of leaders and experts to challenge member states to cite and to prevent the institutionalization of racism in all forms of media including social media, AI and any form of digital bias and algorithmic discrimination.

We cannot trust nor entertains the notion that former and contemporary enslavers will now use AI and digital transformation to respect our humanity and fundamental rights.

Lastly we recommend that a priority should be given to the convening of an international collective of multimedia organizations and digital associations that are owned and developed by Africans and People of African Descent.

Basta the crimes against our humanity!

Basta Racism!

Basta Imperialism!

A Luta Continua!

Victory is certain!