Fast Facts:
Shelby County takes over operations July 1st. City Council still wants answers from Division Heads on Center State Audit Continuing
( Memphis 6/09/2009) It's not over, not by a long shot.
Sure the big guys got together and made a deal, and everybody thinks its a good deal, but it's not over. When it comes to the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center, the questions concern what happened and they aren't going anywhere.
It's a story filled with twists and turns, more than any fictional soap opera. One week, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton says as long as he's Mayor the city will run the center. Less than one week later, he announces Shelby County will take over. The director of the Public Service and Neighborhoods Division, Kenneth Moody, once was a pretty good basketball player for the University of Memphis. Recently, he's been on the hot seat over why the center suddenly got so short handed they had to turn away two young rape victims. And then there's his Deputy Director Yalanda McFagdon. A former police officer, who also happened to be a bodyguard for Mayor Herenton, McFagdon went to jail after investigators found roughly $70,000 in money related to a drug dealer in her home.
The latest developments are good news for Brad Watkins of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. "We needed a solution," Watkins said, "..and now we have one." Watkins says with the Shelby County Health Department running the Center, things should get a lot better. "Everything we've asked for has been basically accomplished," he said. "Especially the creation of a victim's services board. They'll have trained professionals and that's a very good thing for the victims."
But let's get back to those questions. Memphis City Councilman Jim Strickland says he and others on the council want answers, no matter who is running the center. "I don't think this new plan answers the questions we had from the get-go," he says "...about why this problem existed."
Moody and McFagdon have been kept away from City Council members and the media by the Herenton administration. Requests for interviews are turned down. Mayor Herenton told council members last week that he advised the pair not to answer any questions.
Now that the center is no longer their responsibility it doesn't mean city council members will let the issue drop, however. "I don't think the council is going to let that happen," Councilman Strickland says. "I think the council is going to probably wait until after the budget process to focus on that."
Shelby County takes over operations July 1st. City Council still wants answers from Division Heads on Center State Audit Continuing
( Memphis 6/09/2009) It's not over, not by a long shot.
Sure the big guys got together and made a deal, and everybody thinks its a good deal, but it's not over. When it comes to the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center, the questions concern what happened and they aren't going anywhere.
It's a story filled with twists and turns, more than any fictional soap opera. One week, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton says as long as he's Mayor the city will run the center. Less than one week later, he announces Shelby County will take over. The director of the Public Service and Neighborhoods Division, Kenneth Moody, once was a pretty good basketball player for the University of Memphis. Recently, he's been on the hot seat over why the center suddenly got so short handed they had to turn away two young rape victims. And then there's his Deputy Director Yalanda McFagdon. A former police officer, who also happened to be a bodyguard for Mayor Herenton, McFagdon went to jail after investigators found roughly $70,000 in money related to a drug dealer in her home.
The latest developments are good news for Brad Watkins of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. "We needed a solution," Watkins said, "..and now we have one." Watkins says with the Shelby County Health Department running the Center, things should get a lot better. "Everything we've asked for has been basically accomplished," he said. "Especially the creation of a victim's services board. They'll have trained professionals and that's a very good thing for the victims."
But let's get back to those questions. Memphis City Councilman Jim Strickland says he and others on the council want answers, no matter who is running the center. "I don't think this new plan answers the questions we had from the get-go," he says "...about why this problem existed."
Moody and McFagdon have been kept away from City Council members and the media by the Herenton administration. Requests for interviews are turned down. Mayor Herenton told council members last week that he advised the pair not to answer any questions.
Now that the center is no longer their responsibility it doesn't mean city council members will let the issue drop, however. "I don't think the council is going to let that happen," Councilman Strickland says. "I think the council is going to probably wait until after the budget process to focus on that."
