Kenneth Tate, Security Guard Fired - A 47 year-old man worked as a private security guard at the CDC (Centers For Disease Control And Prevention) until seven weeks ago, when a visit from President Obama to the headquarters became a fateful one, for all the wrong reasons.
The CDC headquarters are located in Atlanta. The reason that took President Obama there was a briefing he had to do on the Ebola epidemic that has scandalized the entire world, and still does.
Kenneth Tate had been assigned to accompany Obama through the visit, and a moment that was especially mentioned was the elevator ride.
"He acknowledged me, said, 'How are you doing?' He said, 'What's your name?' I told him my name, and he extended his hand, shook my hand, and I said it's a pleasure to meet him. And I proceeded to escort him upstairs," Kenneth Tate shared about his experience and NY Times noted.
Like a lot of U.S. citizens, Kenneth Tate was thrilled about the chance to meet his president. In order to "document" the moment, the security guard snapped a few pictures with his smartphone once Obama reached the "beast," the armored limousine.
In that precise moment, the security guard was spotted by the Secret Service guards and immediately held for questioning. Apparently, he explained that he just wanted the pictures as a memory and he was ordered to delete them. He complied.
One week after this incident, Kenneth Tate was fired, according to CBS News. Another detail that was mentioned was the fact that the security guard was armed with a gun, which was against the protocol of the Secret Service.
In addition, it appears that some media reports informed of Kenneth Tate being convicted of felonies in the past. William Banks, though, the president of Professional Security Corporation for which the security guard worked for, assures that he didn't have any convictions.
Banks also said, on another note, that Tate's description of the events was not completely accurate. He didn't clear the matter any further.
Kenneth Tate lost his job as a security guard and it seems like he wasn't the only one. His son worked as a contractor for the CDC and two weeks after the events unfolded, he was dismissed for "downsizing" reasons.
"This was unjust and has been a nightmare. I've tried to rationalize it. It won't go away," the security guard last said and Time shared.
