Boeing safety whistleblower found dead  – National & International News – TUE 12Mar2024

Boeing safety whistleblower found dead. 

Uvalde police chief resigns amid anger over report clearing his department of wrongdoing.

Haiti PM resigns.

NATIONAL NEWS

Boeing safety whistleblower found dead 

John Barnett, 62, who worked at Boeing for over three decades, was found dead last week of “what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to the Charleston County Coroner in South Carolina. Barnett, who was from Louisiana, was in the area giving depositions in his whistleblower retaliation case against Boeing, which was due to go to trial in June. He was found dead in his truck in the parking lot in front of his hotel. Local authorities say no foul play is suspected but detectives are investigating.

After retiring in 2017, Barnett filed a whistleblower complaint over “catastrophic” safety failings at Boeing. Barnett’s testimony included accusations that the company punished anyone who reported manufacturing errors or any potential violations of safety protocols. He also sued Boeing for attacking his reputation in retaliation for his revelations. 

In a statement, Barnett’s attorneys raised questions about the circumstances of his death, “John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end. He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it, “the statement said.

The attorneys also called for a full investigation. “We are all devasted. We need more information about what happened to John. The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public what they find out. No detail can be left unturned.”

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Further reading: NTSB head says Boeing not cooperating with safety probe.

Uvalde police chief resigns amid anger over report clearing his department of wrongdoing

Daniel Rodriguez, who has served as police chief in Uvalde, TX, for 26 years, resigned this week, saying the decision was best for his family. Last week, anger erupted after an investigation commissioned by the city of Uvalde found no wrongdoing by Uvalde police officers in the May 2022 school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

Over 400 members of law enforcement, including from Uvalde’s city and school district police, attended the scene at the shooting that day. Despite their overwhelming numbers and firepower, they waited 77 minutes to storm a classroom where the shooter was holed up with many of his victims. Some of his victims could have been saved had they received prompt medical attention.

City report blamed parents rather than officers

Previously, investigations by state authorities as well as the US Department of Justice had generated scathing reports for “cascading” failures by law enforcement on the scene that day. By contrast, the report by private investigator Jesse Prado heaped praise for the officers’ “immeasurable strength” and “level-headed thinking”.

Prado did acknowledge the role of law enforcement’s “communication failures” in the shambolic response. However, he put the lion’s share of the blame not on any member of law enforcement but on the anguished parents and community members who swarmed the school demanding action. Prado claimed that the community response hampered efforts by law enforcement to set up a chain of command.

This understandably provoked outrage from the loved ones of victims who were attending the city council meeting last week when Prado delivered his report. 

Rodriguez, who was on vacation with his family in Arizona at the time of the massacre, resigned hours before the next city council meeting was due to convene. At the previous meeting, Rodriguez faced questions as to why he had not fired the officers who failed to challenge the shooter for 77 minutes.

Veronica Mata, whose 10-year-old daughter, Tess, died in the shooting, said of the Rodriguez’s resignation, “He would rather resign than fire his friends. It was an easy way out.”

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Haiti PM resigns 

Ariel Henry, Haiti’s de facto unelected leader for the last two years, has announced that he is resigning his post. His announcement follows growing unrest and dissatisfaction with him within Haiti and international pressure from the US and several Caribbean nations to step aside. Earlier this week, the US successfully airlifted most of its diplomatic staff out of Haiti.

The US and Haiti’s Caribbean neighbors are pushing for the establishment of a caretaker government that would guide the country towards its first national elections since 2016. CARICOM, the union of Caribbean nations, wants to see a “transitional council” of seven members and two observers with representatives from the public and private sector as well as civil society groups and a religious leader. The US says that these members will be appointed (by whom is unclear) over the two days. No one who intends to run for election would be eligible.

However, it may be wishful thinking to think this unelected caretaker government will wield sufficient authority and legitimacy to bring Haiti’s chaotic political and security situation under control. There are already a cast of characters vying for political power, most of them prominent in violent gangs that have seized control of Haiti. These gang leaders are not likely to welcome a planned deployment of a few thousand police officers and peacekeepers from Kenya and other African nations.

The US is pushing for the deployment to go ahead before an elected government is sworn in. Kenya, who signed an agreement with Henry days before his resignation, has demurred on this US appeal, indicating they prefer to deploy after elections. The deployment will not involve any US personnel, but has $300 million in US financial support, recently increased from $200 million.

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