Victims of disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor speak out

#MeToo and #TimesUp have spread like wildfire on social media lately. Now, USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University are dealing with the fallout. Disgraced doctor Larry Nassar, who has already pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, is now accused by over 100 victims of sexual misconduct and assault. Under the disguise of medical treatment, Nassar would do things to his victims that are beyond horrific.

USA gymnasts Aly Raisman, Mikayla Maroney, and Simone Biles have all come forward with stories of what Nassar did to them. As the chief doctor for USA Gymnastics, Nassar would supposedly treat the athletes with medical care. This is where things get horrific. Nassar would use a technique called grooming to slowly gain the trust of the female athletes before assaulting them. All three are slated to make victim impact statements during the sentencing phase of the trial, which is expected to wrap up later this week.

It does not stop with USA Gymnastics. Several Michigan State female athletes have also accused Nassar of sexual assault. One victim told Nassar that “Little girls do not stay little forever. They eventually grow into strong women who will come back to haunt you.”

Female athletes as young as six years old became victims. Nassar has shown little to no remorse during his sentencing. He is often seen covering his face with his hands as victim after victim speaks out about what they endured. Tragically, not all victims are alive today. One of the victims committed suicide at the age of 23 after being abused by Nassar at the age of 12. The mother read a statement detailing the horrors her daughter endured during treatment.

Both Michigan State and USA Gymnastics continue to deny any wrongdoing by Nassar. In the wake of the scandal, many board members of USA Gymnastics have resigned or have been terminated. In a statement, USA Gymnastics says that it is committed to athlete safety and security.

Today, many of Nassar’s victims are battling a range of mental illnesses. These range from crippling anxiety to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to loss of trust with medical professionals. What those victims went through should not have happened in the first place. Even after telling their parents about the abuse, many were blamed for not doing much about it.

Hopefully, Nassar will be sent away for the rest of his life and never be allowed to walk free again. Justice will never fully come to these victims. They are forever changed and scarred by what Nassar did.

Houston protests GOP debate at UH

On Feb. 26, the University of Houston held a Republican Party presidential debate at the Moores  Opera House. Beginning at 7:30pm, insults and accusations ran rampant. Senators Marco Rubio  and Ted Cruz double-teamed front-runner Donald Trump, criticizing his bankrupt businesses and  illegal hiring practices. Trump responded by ragging on Rubio’s unpopularity among his fellow  GOP senators and accusing Cruz of borrowing money from Goldman Sachs. Gov. John Kasich  urged America’s kids to “shoot for the stars,” and Dr. Ben Carson fielded the question of  appointing Supreme Court justices by saying that he would look “at the fruit salad of their life.” 

Inside was a political free-for-all. 

Outside were nearly all of UH’s students – and all of Houston’s media. That includes  Dateline Downtown. When two Dateline reporters arrived at the locale to cover the event,  they were told by security that they needed tickets to enter. Strange. The UH.edu website  said, “The University of Houston does not have debate tickets available. All tickets are  managed by the Republican National Committee.” 

We were sent to the nearby tents, where we were told we could be granted media credentials.  When we reached them at around 7:05pm (after being stopped by police), We were told that the  only media outlets allowed in the Moores theater were CNN and Telemundo. This was  confirmed by KTRK anchor Ilona Carson, who wrote on Twitter, “None of us got to go inside  Moores for the debate itself.” Regarding the presence of media, she revealed that “everyone  besides CNN and Telemundo were in the spin room in [the] Athletic Facility.” That would be the  UH Athletics-Alumni Center, 0.2 miles from the debate site itself. Also, “you had to get  credentials weeks early. We couldn’t get our whole team credentialed – they were limited.” 

Seats for students seeking to watch the debate were also limited. According to the Houston  Chronicle, UH received tickets for just 25 of the 800 seats in the theater, per their agreement  with CNN. Of those, 14 went to the UH regents, President Renu Khator and “special guests,” a  UH spokeswoman said. The remaining 11 went to the students, faculty and staff via a lottery.  The result, according to the Chronicle, ff was that six students were seated for the debate. UH  student Connor Hendricks said that attempting to 

locate tickets was “incredibly difficult,” but added that he felt honored to have UH be the host  for the event. 

Below are quotes that Dateline reporters got at UH the night of the GOP debate, from people  gathered outside. 

Liam Wright (Students for a Democratic Society) -“We want to invite everyone to a post debate  forum where we can debate on current issues. It will be on March 8 at 5pm in the class Social  Work 101.

Liam Wright- “Students here did not like that they were not allowed to attend the  debate.” 

Liam Wright-“We feel it is not a representation of democracy.”

Alex (UH Student) -Trump is a monster -It’s amusing that a reality star is running for president 

Sydney (UH Student) -“As the manager of the campus opera house, the closure of campus has left  me unable to work the last three days.” 

Shauna (Protestor) -“I am a Muskoke Creek Native American. Donald Trump, who is an  immigrant himself, wants to deport those same people.” 

Alissa Carrie (UH Student) -“Having the debate on campus is a good thing. It brings our  university to the national spotlight.” 

Ivonne Ruiz (UH Student) -“Closure of campus has made the last few days very unproductive as  it has interrupted campus life.” 

Amy Schully (Fight for 15 Black Lives Matter Movement) -“We want to raise minimum  wage to $15/hr. We want to be able to form unions, $7.25 is not doable as a minimum  wage today.”

Snow and Ice shut down Houston

Old Man Winter paid the South a surprise visit during the days following MLK Day. In a region not used to winter weather, the snow and ice caught many people off guard. Texas Department of Transportation crews worked feverishly to fill trucks with sand and salt ahead of the winter storm.

Bridges and overpasses were treated with de-icing and anti-icing solution. Both Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airport prepared their de-icing trucks. While some people did choose to venture out, most of Houston remained shut down.

This is not the first-time winter weather has hit the region. In March 2014, a winter storm also threatened the city. Luckily, only the northern outskirts bore the brunt of that storm. It seems that Houston does not take winter storm warnings lightly. City officials constantly monitor weather patterns and send out alerts if conditions are expected to deteriorate.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Harris County, or METRO suspended service starting on January 16. By the next day, only METRORail was in service and bus routes remained suspended until 2 pm. This was done out of caution since some bus routes were still not clear of ice on the roads.

The weather was not the only thing people dealt with. Much of the city got a tenth of an inch of ice and even saw snow. While this may not seem like a big deal, ice on the roads poses many problems. The most dangerous is black ice, which is almost impossible to see. Temperatures also plunged into the teens and twenties in many parts of the city. This type of hard freeze is enough to burst water pipes and kill sensitive plants.

With winter still in full swing, many people in Houston are hoping this will be the last winter storm for a while. Despite the cold and snow, people seemed to enjoy the taste of winter while it lasted.

While conditions have improved, there are still spots that have ice on the roads. This will mostly be limited to very high overpasses and freeway connector ramps. If you see ice and snow, take it slow. It’s not worth risking your life.