(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) For decades, public relations firms and politicians have navigated the extremely difficult process of getting a glowing profile written by The New York Times, one of the largest leftist newspapers in the country.
Tyshawn Kennedy, an unlawful street vendor, got one with virtually no PR efforts behind it.
The Aug. 4 profile turned Kennedy into a media darling for running a clothing vendor named “Hoodwill,” a reference to the nonprofit thrift store Goodwill.
But the glowing profile came crashing down after the New York Post noted that despite the novelty of Kennedy’s operation (selling clothing for much less than Goodwill), he is listed on the New York State sex offender registry.
The embarrassing fact was nowhere mentioned in the nearly 2,000-word profile.
Headline USA found that Kennedy is listed as a Level 3 risk on the state’s sex offender registry, with his residence listed in Kings County, Brooklyn.
The registry page includes at least 14 photos of Kennedy taken over the years.
His listed charges include attempted rape in the second degree involving a person 18 years old or older and intercourse with a person under 15.
The Times conceded on Sept. 10, more than a month after the article was published, that the story “fell short” of the Times’ standards and “should not have been published as it was written.”
Instead, the story instead largely downplayed the growing controversy surrounding Kennedy’s operation, which he apparently runs outside a Goodwill store in New York.
According to the Times‘ own reporting, Kennedy at times grabs donations from people walking into Goodwill. Some of those donors may be unaware that Kennedy is not a Goodwill employee.
Goodwill has sought to have the New York City Police Department intervene and prevent Kennedy from potentially misleading donors.
Neighbors have complained about debris and trash reportedly left behind by Kennedy’s sellers. Some people have also claimed that some of Kennedy’s workers may aggressively snatch bags from potential donors. On one occasion, a Goodwill security guard got into a fight with Kennedy following a dispute over donations, according to the Times.
In New York, street vendors must be licensed by the state, yet it isn’t immediately clear whether Kennedy meets that requirement.
