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Speaker 1: Crime Alart hourly update breaking crime news.

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Speaker 2: Now. I'm Nicole parton disturbing allegations against Cesar Chavez, the

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Speaker 2: renowned civil rights leader who has passed away. Serious allegations

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Speaker 2: of sexual abuse against him now emerging, which involved miners

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Speaker 2: and at least one adult woman. A report by The

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Speaker 2: New York Times released on March eighteen, uncovered claims that Chavez,

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Speaker 2: who co founded the United farm Workers, engaged in sexual

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Speaker 2: misconduct with multiple individuals over a span of years during

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Speaker 2: the sixties and seventies. Two women now adults, accused Chavez

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Speaker 2: of grooming and sexually abusing them when they were about

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Speaker 2: twelve or thirteen years old, Chavez in his forties at

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Speaker 2: the time. In a statement issued on that same day,

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Speaker 2: the Chavez family expressed their devastation over the allegations, describing

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Speaker 2: them as deeply painful for our family. We extend our

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Speaker 2: wishes for peace and healing to all survivors and come

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Speaker 2: in their bravery and coming forward. As the family founded

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Speaker 2: on principles of justice, we honor the voices of those

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Speaker 2: who have felt unheard and who report instances of sexual abuse.

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Speaker 2: They also mentioned that they hold their own recollections up

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Speaker 2: Caesar the one they knew. The family reiterated their commitment

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Speaker 2: to supporting farm workers and the causes championed by Chavez,

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Speaker 2: while requesting understanding and privacy as they navigate this challenging situation.

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Speaker 2: The Times reported that its investigation involved extensive interviews with

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Speaker 2: over sixty people, including alleged victims, family members, and former colleagues,

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Speaker 2: alongside a review of documents and records that supported the

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Speaker 2: timeline of events. One of the women recounted to Times

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Speaker 2: that she was just thirteen when Shavez began molesting her

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Speaker 2: for several years. She claims that the abuse resulted in

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Speaker 2: suicidal thoughts, saying I just wanted to die. Another woman,

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Speaker 2: Deborah Rojas, claimed that Shavez started growth her at the

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Speaker 2: young age of twelve and later raped her when she

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Speaker 2: was fifteen. She claims after he arranged for her to

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Speaker 2: stay in a motel during a march the incident happened.

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Speaker 2: Both women were the daughters of individuals who worked with Chavez,

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Speaker 2: and expressed their belief they were groomed as young girls.

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Speaker 2: An adult mother and daughter from Chavez's circle also shared

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Speaker 2: their experiences with sexual advances from him, with one of

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Speaker 2: them stating she was dismissed from her job shortly after

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Speaker 2: rejecting his advances. Delores, who read they Chavez's longtime collaborator

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Speaker 2: and co founder of the UfW, publicly accused him of

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Speaker 2: sexual assault, including rape, based on incidents that occurred in

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Speaker 2: the sixties, which resulted in two pregnancies she chose to

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Speaker 2: keep private. She said in part, I'm nearly ninety six

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Speaker 2: years old, and I have kept this secret for sixty years,

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Speaker 2: believing that revealing the truth would harm the farm worker movement.

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Speaker 2: I dedicated my life too, howarte is shared in an

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Speaker 2: Instagram post on Wednesday, and then followed up with an interview,

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Speaker 2: saying two separate sexual encounters with Chavez forced her to

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Speaker 2: feel pressured and forced into sexual activity. Having experienced abuse

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Speaker 2: and sexual violence previously, Howarte convinced herself that these incidents

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Speaker 2: were something she had to endure alone, saying, after my

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Speaker 2: children were born, I arranged for them to be raised

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Speaker 2: by other families who could provide them with a stable life.

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Speaker 2: In a more extensive statement, Howarte remarked that she had

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Speaker 2: kept her secret for so long because her focus was

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Speaker 2: on building the movement and securing rights for farm workers.

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Speaker 1: It was very hard. It was very hard to keep this,

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Speaker 1: but you know, I think I am building on the

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Speaker 1: courage of these young women that they had the courage

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Speaker 1: to come out and say what happened to them? And

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Speaker 1: God knows what they've suffered. You know, it was time.

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Speaker 1: It was time. It's devastating because Sessa it spoke about

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Speaker 1: and practiced and then violent movement, etc. Well, what could

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Speaker 1: be more violent than that, you know? And to think

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Speaker 1: that somebody that we looked at as our hero and

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Speaker 1: our leader, you know, it's pretty.

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Speaker 2: Horrible, says our. Chavez was a prominent labor leader and

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Speaker 2: civil rights activist, advocating for improved wages and working conditions

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Speaker 2: for farm workers using nonviolent methods such as strikes and

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Speaker 2: boycotts and marches. He died in nineteen ninety three at

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Speaker 2: sixty six. Chavez has been honored through numerous streets, schools,

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Speaker 2: and monuments bearing his name. President Obama frequently cited him

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Speaker 2: as a source of inspiration, designating March thirty one as

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Speaker 2: Saysar Chavez Day in twenty fourteen, and previously declaring his

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Speaker 2: former home in California eight National Monument in twenty twelve.

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Speaker 2: In light of the recent allegations California Governor Gavin Newsom

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Speaker 2: has expressed a willingness to consider the holiday's name. We're

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Speaker 2: all processing the situation, he stated at a press conference.

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Speaker 2: We need to reflect on the entire farm workers and

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Speaker 2: labor movement, which encompasses much more than just one individual,

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Speaker 2: and celebrate that. He continued. That will be our focus

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Speaker 2: as we determine the next step. More crime and justice

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Speaker 2: news after this and now to Mississippi. The South Haven

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Speaker 2: Police said a missing person report has turned into a

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Speaker 2: death investigation after a body was found inside an apartment

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Speaker 2: on South Park Circle. Police said they were called to

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Speaker 2: an apartment complex around nine thirty pm on Tuesday for

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Speaker 2: a welfare check after a man reported he had not

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Speaker 2: seen his sister since January. Investigator said the one was

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Speaker 2: unable to care for herself, so there was concern. During

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Speaker 2: the investigation, police said they developed conflicting information about where

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Speaker 2: the woman was, leading to them asking for a search warrant.

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Speaker 2: On March seventeen, search warrants were conducted of the apartment

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Speaker 2: on South Park where she was last seen, and they

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Speaker 2: found what they believed to be the remains of the woman.

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Speaker 2: Neighbors said the discovery has left people at the complex stunned.

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Speaker 2: It's just sad for the children around here to witness

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Speaker 2: something like this, said one neighbor. Police said the woman's

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Speaker 2: mother has been arrested and charged with abuse of a

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Speaker 2: vulnerable adult and tampering with evidence. Investigators said additional charges

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Speaker 2: are possible, pending the autopsy. For now, the forty year

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Speaker 2: old mother, Cynthia Clemens, has been taken into custody and

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Speaker 2: is being held without bond as this investigation continues to unfold.

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Speaker 2: For the latest crime injustice news, follow Crime Alert hourly

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Speaker 2: update on your favorite podcasting app with this crime Alert

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Speaker 2: dam Nicoll Parton