Editor:
Haven’t we all been young, idealistic and impetuous at some time during our lives? Acts under these conditions should always be within the laws, but with young people sometimes graffiti is used in frustration; but the use of “storm troopers” in Brownsville sent by the mayor to arrest a young woman for graffiti is deplorable, but yet so fitting in the state of Texas, as women are now looked upon more and more as property to be used for and by men and the government (heartbeat bill) as they see fit, and women should be pacified at all costs to accept this new reality.
Is humiliation, excessive police force and intimidation to be the norm for future women in our RGV and state? Consider the following scenario: It’s February in Brownsville, a young woman is confronted by multiple police demanding and entering her apartment without producing a warrant, handcuff her in a semi-dressed state, take away her prescription eyeglasses, interrogate her without a lawyer, and hold her in jail isolation for more than 26 hours for the crime of writing graffiti? Then the mayor posts on Facebook her name and occupation — but then later deletes it. Have you ever heard of such drastic retaliation for one case of graffiti?
The graffiti for this offense was not defacing the actual mural but only the colored base below and stated, “Gentrified Stop SpaceX.” Will these over-reactions be the new norm for all future graffiti writers? I think not, but only with those who mention SpaceX on a mural highly criticized by the local community because the art talent did not come from our own area, which it could have and justly so, but the talent had to be imported from another state.
The recent acts of Brownsville police and their mayor clearly demonstrate that a local young female resident will and can be humiliated and physically endangered for a misdemeanor charge that commonly is a citation-only offense. The amount of time and resources spent by Brownsville to arrest a young woman are disproportionate to the actual crime and cost of painting over the graffiti — or is it more of sending a message to all and especially women, that if they step out of line they face consequences, and especially when it concerns SpaceX in our RGV?
Diane Teter
Edinburg
