Is the Party Already Over for TYC’s Ed Owens?

by Scott Henson of Grits For Breakfast

Scott Henson gets the feeling the party's only just begun.

"The party's over" for new Texas Youth Commission director Ed Owens, declares the facade over at the TexasJustice.Net message board, pictured to the right.

Damn, that was quick!

Sunday in the Dallas Morning News, Diane Jennings wrote that Owens' appointment "was greeted warmly around the state." She quoted Democratic House Corrections Committee member Rep. Jim Dunnam declaring, "I have not heard anything other than positive about Mr. Owens."

I guess neither Dunnam nor Ms. Jennings are Grits readers, because Grits commenters and prison guard bloggers at The Back Gate immediately identified this as a problematic appointment when Governor Perry announced it.

On Saturday, Grits posted court documents online provided by TexasJustice.org alleging that Owens himself covered up sex abuse allegations among his subordinates when he was the #2 man at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The state settled a civil suit stemming from those allegations last year.

Despite the unwelcome news about Owens, however, it's too early to say whether the party is really over yet. Over at Capitol Annex, Vince is busy combing through TYC's board minutes over the last two years looking for abuse references.

I get the feeling the party's only just begun.

Pegasus News content partner - Grits For Breakfast

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Anonymous

Blair Lovern, says:

If you read only one comment this year, read this one. It is a lesson for bloggers, whom I love because they make the Internet World go 'round. Thank you, bloggers, for all that you do. But sometimes a blogger (or even a gasp "real" journalist, I don't put them above it all) can get carried away. This is, I believe, one of those times.

"We don't know from this document what Owens did in response to the complaints he received from subordinates," writes Grits in a <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2007/mar/12/settled-lawsuit-alleged-tycs-ed-owens-covered-sex-/">post the other day</a>. But, of course, Owens should be fired.

This is Banana Republic talk.

More recent Grits: "On Saturday, Grits posted court documents online provided by TexasJustice.org alleging that Owens himself covered up sex abuse allegations among his subordinates when he was the #2 man at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice."

Pretty serious, eh? If true, yes. I'd want that guy fired. No joke. That kind of guy doesn't need to be in charge of anything. But what was in that lawsuit?

There were two female plaintiffs. They said that someone said that <i>someone else</i> said that Owens said something. Whoa. That's the blockbuster development? No, that's third-hand information. Courtrooms laugh at second-hand information. I don't know what sounds they make when you throw in one more hand.

But not only that - guess what Owens said, according to someone, according to someone, according to someone? He said that if there is a problem then you need to file a complaint and go through the proper channels. Again, I don't know what was said, if anything. But if that's the gist, then how do you cover-up a wrong by telling someone to try to make it right?

Regarding the Owens appointment Grits said, "The Back Gate (a kind of water cooler blog for TDCJ employees) immediately identified this as a problematic appointment when Governor Perry announced it."

No, that's incorrect. The Back Gate <a href="http://www.thebackgate.com/journal/2007/3/1/texas-senate-puts-brakes-on-governor-perrys-placement-of-tdcjs-ed-owens-as-interim-tyc-director-.html">said this</a> immediately after Governor Perry announced it:

"TDCJ has not improved, and in some respects, has regressed.They are still almost 3,000 officers short, still 48th out of 50 states in pay, and employee grievance levels are at an all time high."

<strike>It said what Grits said</strike> - Sorry, it mentioned the sexcapades - three days later. And Grits didn't start to make an issue about that until after it gave up trying to dethrone Owens over a <a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/01/11/11parole.html">conflict-of-interest flapdoodle</a>. Before that it was allegations of general mismanagement of the TDCJ.

If this Owens sexcapades cover-up is such a big deal now, why hasn't it been a big deal at other points in the news time line since 2005, when that third-hand information courtroom docudrama happened?

These people just want Owens gone no matter what. More than anything else, I think it has to do with a long-standing TDCJ pay and benefits struggle, which Owens has nothing to do with now. (And even thought the TDCJ can ask the legislature for money, it's the legislature that actually gives the TDCJ money.)

If there's something seriously wrong with this Owens guy, I'm all for his ouster. I have no allegiance to him. For now, though, this looks like nothing but an ugly, lazy pile-on. If you wanna seriously deck the guy then make a real tackle.