Daily Archives: May 4, 2017

Events, News

The History of Cinco de mayo

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Cinco de mayo, or the fifth of May, is coming up and many people don’t know the history of this day; many actually confuse this date for Mexico’s independence day which is actually on September 16, many months away from when Cinco is celebrated.

Everything started during the French-Mexican War (1861-1867) when Benito Juárez was elected as Mexico’s new president. Throughout this war, Mexico was in deep debt and the new president had to stop all payments to the European governments, which created problems with France, Britain, and Spain. After Benito Juárez stopped sending them money, the European governments sent naval forces to Mexico. They demanded a repayment from the president. Britain and Spain made an agreement with Juárez, soon after their naval deployment, and they both withdrew their forces. France however, took the chance to try and overrun the Mexican territory. Not long after, 6,000 French troops were sent to Puebla de Los Angeles.

After hearing about the plan that the French government had, Juárez gathered 2,000 men to go fight in Puebla. They went and prepared for the French to come and start an assault.

On May 5th, 1862, The French attacked. The battled didn’t last long; over 500 French soldiers were killed and only fewer than 100 Mexican soldiers. The French retreated, and after that day, May 5th represented a huge victory for the Mexican government.

Cinco de Mayo is mostly only celebrated in Puebla, where the battle took place, but some other countries also take part in the celebration. For many Mexicans though, the fifth of May is like any other day. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is seen as a celebration of Mexican culture and its heritage. It’s celebrated with parades, parties, traditional Mexican foods, and huge festivals.

So, go out and see all of the cool and colorful festivals and parades with some loved ones and never forget the history of Cinco de Mayo.

News, World

Facebook murderer

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The Facebook/Cleveland Killer, and former job-counselor for teens, Steve Stephens, posted a video of an apparently “random” murder of 74 year-old Robert Godwin Sr. When the police finally caught up with Stephens in Erie, Pennsylvania, he committed suicide following a police chase.  

Godwin was shot Sunday, April 16, while walking home from an Easter meal with his children, in Cleveland, Ohio. Stephens posted video of the elderly man’s death on Facebook saying, “I snapped, I just snapped.”

Later Sunday, Stephens uploaded a video to his Facebook page showing a gun pointed at a man’s head: Robert Godwin.

Stephens claimed on Facebook that he had killed more people, but police aren’t aware of any other victims. Stephens had many traffic violations but no criminal record, police said.

A McDonald’s employee, in Erie, Pennsylvania, spotted Stephens’ white Ford Fusion in the drive-thru and called authorities on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

The employee called the police, telling the authorities, “I think that’s the guy.” The Mcdonald’s employee later told the press that he “looked suspicious” and drove off before he received his full order. According to CNN Stephens led the police in a chase for five miles, before being hit with the PIT maneuver by one of the police officers that were dispatched.

“As the vehicle was spinning out of control, from the PIT maneuver, Stephens pulled a pistol and shot himself in the head,” Pennsylvania police said.

For two days, authorities across the country struggled to find Stephens, the man wanted for the death of Robert Godwin, a self-taught mechanic and grandfather of 14.

Cleveland Police Chief, Calvin Williams, told the press,”We’re grateful that this has ended…We would prefer that it had not ended this way because there are a lot of questions, I’m sure, that not only the family, but the city in general would have had for Steve.”

The Tuesday after Stephen’s death, his former girlfriend, Joy Lane, who was identified in the video of Godwin’s death, met with two of the victim’s daughters, Debbie Godwin, and Tonya Godwin-Baines. A CNN affiliate, WJW, or Fox8 News Cleveland, reported the women hugged each other and cried together.

Through their tears, several of Godwin’s children said they held no animosity toward Stephens. “Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer,” Godwin-Baynes said Monday. His children remembered how their father taught them the value of hard work, and how to love God and forgive.

“They don’t make men like him anymore,” said his daughter Debbie Godwin. “He was definitely one in a million.”

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, discussed Godwin’s death at the company’s annual developer’s conference.

“We have a lot of work, and we will keep doing all we can to prevent tragedies like this from happening,” Zuckerberg said on stage. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Robert Godwin Sr.”