HERE, GRAB ON TO THESE VOUCHERS BEFORE WE SECEDE!

 

WHERE'S A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WHEN YOU NEED ONE? PROBABLY AT THE COUNTY COFFEE SHOP.

(Ed.'s Note: We have seen this scene before, but perhaps we never really noticed because it was in plain sight. But one of our eight readers who dives by there every and says it's a daily occurrence. At one time or another, a half dozen Cameron County Sheriff's Department units are parked all day at the Harrison Street county courthouse. 

And a day does not seem to go by that Sheriff Eric Garza does not complain about how the county commissioners don't give him enough money to hire more deputies and corrections guards. And they are not bringing prisoners to court because the entrance to the courts is on the other side of the building where they are unloaded and transported.

 
If you live in one of the outlying communities, how long do you think it will take these fellows in the nice trucks to finish their coffee and head out to your emergency? No, you're right. This was not the change we needed, or the non-protection we deserve.)

YZAGUIRRE EXPANDS LOS FRESNOS TAX OFFICE SERVICE

By Alejandra Yañez

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (Valley Central) — The Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is making some changes to improve service.

The office used available funding to reorganize the square feet inside the building and add two new teller windows in the lobby. On hand for the ribbon cutting were Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Pct. 2 Commissioner David Garza, and local elected officials.

The new amenities bring the number of tellers up to four, including the office’s drive-thru lane.

Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector “Tony” Yzaguirre Jr. says these changes come after years of complaints from residents.

“I had a call from the City Manager’s Office that we did have an issue so by doing a study as to the number of transactions, it showed that we did need additional teller windows inside the building,” Yzaguirre said.

LOVE GONE WRONG: COUPLE SHOT AT MOTEL, 2 IN CUSTODY

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

 

A man and a woman were reported shot Thursday morning at the Flamingo Motel 1700 Central Blvd. and their two alleged assailants - after a high-speed chase - were in police custody shortly before 11 a.m.

Police report that after the shooting at the Flamingo they found and tended to a wounded 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, who were shot in the legs. At 10:36 a.m., officers located the suspect’s vehicle, a red Toyota Camry, at the 1600 block of E. Price Road.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and as it came to a stop, one of the passengers, identified as 17-year-old Celestino Cruz Pulido, attempted to flee but was apprehended. Two 9mm handguns were recovered from Pulido, police said.

The vehicle can be seen in the top photo with all its doors and trunk open. Pulido took off running and was apprehended by BPD with the assistance of the BISD Police Dept. across the 77-83 Expressway at an Exxon Mobil station after a brief struggle.

Pulido and the driver of the Camry, identified as 19-year-old Mario Angel Castillo, will be facing criminal charges. A police spokesman said the motive might have been a possible love triangle.

The shooting was reported shortly before 10:20 a.m. and the second suspect was in police custody at about 10:45.

The condition of the shooting victims is unknown, but was said that be none-life threatening.

LIBRARY SHOOTING HERO ID'D: THANK YOU DORA BEATRIZ FLORES-HERNANDEZ! YOU WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND!

Aracelia Marivel Flores commented on "DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS HERO OF THE MAIN LIBRARY SHOOTING IS?"

She is my sister, Dora Beatriz Flores-Hernandez, she is a dedicated & proud City of Brownsville employee for more than 10+ years.

It was just before noon this past Saturday that a man (later identified as 33-year-old Humberto Paz) sitting at a table in the Readers Mark Cafe in the lobby of the Brownsville Main Branch Library shot a man across the table (identified as 71-year-old Vahid Khaled) in the head and killed him with a Ruger. The explosive thunder clap shattered the relative quiet of the library. Horrified parents and frightened children sought a way out.

The rushing patrons were evacuated by a very businesslike female library employee who was urging them to hurry, buy not to run or panic. As they approached three computer users by the rear emergency door, one of them pointed to the bar running across the middle of the door of the emergency exit and asked with his eyes whether they should open it: she nodded vigorously and signaled "yes" with her eyes, and the people followed her streaming out and ran toward Central Boulevard and congregated in a bus shelter next to the street. But she didn't stay safely with them.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, but the police hadn't arrived. The woman librarian then went back into the building, despite knowing that there was a dead man on the floor and his killer was still inside. She was seen again at the entrance (She can be seen halfway through the rear door door in the a red Polo and jeans) at the emergency exit going into the building again and guiding panic-streaking patrons outside who didn't know which way to run.

Unmindful of the fact (or perhaps fully knowing) that if the gunman had headed toward the emergency exit, she would be in his – and the policeman's – line of fire. (She's seen walking back toward the door in the picture above). Shortly after, the library parking lot was full of police units and soon after officers were  seen emerging the from the library's side door facing Veterans Park with the shooter in custody.

Military veterans in the initial group she had helped outside the building immediately after the shot rang out and were gathered outside by a bus shelter on Central Blvd wondered aloud whether they would have gone in knowing that there was a man with a gun inside who had just shot another to death. 

Dora did not hesitate. She repeatedly went back in the building to help stragglers out of danger Thank you, Dora, and God Bless you for your courageous actions that day.

T.E.C. CITES SCOFFLAW CORTEZ, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR

(Ed.'s Note: The chickens have come to roost for Ruben Cortez, who must now defend his non-compliant actions before the Texas Ethic Commission. After years of defying reported violations of Texas elections ethics law, Cortez is now summoned to appear before the TEC June 18 to explain why he has chosen to ignore Texas election law.

If District 37 voters think that Cortez will be there to represent them, his number 1 priority will be to defend himself first. Oh, well, given his performance in previous public positions, it's just about par for the course.

The good news is that Cortez is in a runoff with Jonathan Gracia, who as an officer of the court has always complied with the law, and will represent our interests first in the Texas House of Representatives, District 37.)

AFTER YEARS OF WAITING FOR THE CITY TO INSTALL BUS SHELTERS, A COMPASSIONATE SOUL ASSISTS BUS RIDERS

(Ed.'s Note: It has taken the city bureaucracy and BUS-Metro a full two years to start installing simple bus shelters which they say could be installed by the end of the summer. But that's what they said two years ago, so we wouldn't hold out breath.

Instead, local riders have come up with alternative – and creative – ways to sit while waiting for the bus to arrive. Some consisted of cinder blocks with a board thrown across them. Others just a simple dairy plastic cube, and others an overturned 10-gallon paint plastic container.

But we've got to hand it to the property owner who lives across Old Port Isabel Road from Walmart, where shoppers take the downtown bus with their purchases. Since the bus riders – mostly elderly Hispanics – already seek relief from the heat under the shade of his citrus trees, he probably figured, why not provide them with a comfortable place to seat while they await their ride.

He even threw a few throw cushions for their comfort and mowed the grass around the sofa. It could be worse. It could be just like it was before he made his improvements with bus riders seeking shade squatting under the nearest tree. The photo below is a scene of the bus stop before the benevolent Samaritan assisted his fellow Brownsville residents.

It's interesting to see that the city's construction schedule of the 30 bus shelters they promised in 2022 does not include this popular stop, even though it's always full of bus riders who completed their shopping and are headed to their various destinations in the city with purchases in hand. Until then, the bus riders have their kind neighbor to thank who placed a sofa inside his property line so they could rest their bones and have a little shade. Will an embarrassed BUS-Metro or the city administration go into his private property and remove the sofa out of spite?) 

GROUP 1

SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY NOW(?)

Alton Gloor Blvd. (Outside Wal-Mart)

Alton Gloor Blvd. & Morrison

Frontage Rd. (at SAM's Club)

Ruben M. Torres (at Spanish Meadows)

McAllen Rd. & Haney Bee Ln.

McAllen Road & Heart Institute

Military HWY. & Calle Pluton

US 77 Frontage & North of Lorenaly

Old Military Hwy. & Ruben M. Torres

Morrison Rd. (at La Tiendas Plaza)

GROUP 2

SHOULD BE COMPLETED LATE APRIL/EARLY MAY

Ruben M. Torres & Old PI Rd.

Alton Gloor & Stagecoach

Paredes Line Rd. & Rancho Viejo Blvd.

Paredes Line Rd. (at HEB Plus)

Old PI & Coveway St.

Paredes Line Rd. & Lake Shore Dr.

Alton Gloor & Paredes Line Rd.

Ruben M. Torres & Grande Blvd.

Ruben M. Torres & Castellano Circle

Ruben M Torres & Trail Head Ct.

Paredes Line Rd. & Heritage Trail

FM 802 (at Valley Resaca Palms Apts.)

GROUP 3

SHOULD BE COMPLETED MAY/OR BY FIRST WEEK OF JUNE

4200 Boca Chica Blvd.

Austin Rd. & Iowa Ave.

4524 Boca Chica Blvd.

1304 Central Blvd.

1101 Central Blvd.

McDavitt Blvd. & Roosevelt St.

275 Kings Hwy.

Boca Chica Blvd. and Cowan Terrace

W. Elizabeth St. & Browne St.

Central Blvd. & Pecan St.

DID WE DESERVE GARZA'S SORRY 3 YEARS AS COUNTY SHERIFF?

MARISA LEAL, AFTER RUNOFF VICTORY, SWORN IN TO BISD

(Ed.'s Note: After a grueling special election for Place 6 on the board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District, Marisa Leal handily defeated longtime board member Minerva Peña this May 4. 103rd District Judge Janet Leal administered the oath of office as the board and her family looked on.)

ERIC DISSES FALLEN OFFICERS; SENDS NO REP TO CEREMONY

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Our Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz hosted a ceremony Remembering Our Brave Heroes this Tuesday morning in honor of National Police Week paying tribute to our fallen Law Enforcement Officers. 

In attendance was Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Officers, and Chiefs of Police, and the Veterans Memorial High School-Early College USMC ROTC and other visitors from throughout the Rio Grande Valley. 

We heard from Felix Sauceda, Brownsville Chief of Police, Victor Escalon Department of Public Safety, South Texas Regional Director and Marcus Joachim Assistant Special Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

A beautiful wreath was decorated with the names of our Fallen Officers. But there was something very troubling, something no one there could not understand at first. Cameron County Sheriff   Eric Garza was a no show. There was no formal representation from our Cameron County Sheriff Dept. at all, and the deputies there were present were there because that is their daily work assignment.   

But now we understand why your Sheriff failed to show up. He has no heart for Law Enforcement because he is not Law Enforcement. Any real Law Enforcement Officer regardless of the color of their uniform would not pass on an event like this to Honor their Fallen Comrades.

Decia mi Abuelita eso es" FALTA DE EDUCACION "

We strongly believe that what your Sheriff did by not attending was "FALTA DE RESPETO" total disrespect to Law Enforcement. Shame on him.

HEY BIBI, BOMB THE HELL OUT OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS, BUT DON'T SAY YOU GOT THE BOMBS, TANKS AND MISSILES FOM US

La Cebolla

WASHINGTON—In an effort to ensure the munitions were completely untraceable, the U.S. military began filing the serial numbers off all missiles being sent to the Israeli government, anonymous sources within the Pentagon confirmed Friday.

 “In the wake of recent IDF operations in Rafah, we will no longer serve as arms supplier to Israel without first removing the serial numbers from rocket artillery,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly told the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explaining that after assessing the situation, he and President Biden had agreed to pause shipments of high-payload munitions until the military could erase all evidence that they came from the United States. 

“We cannot in good conscience continue to enable a military campaign targeting innocent civilians in Gaza unless we’ve covered all our tracks. Tell your men and women that we have secured nearly 6 tons of steel wool that they are to use to sand down any identifying markers on missiles, ammunition, and tanks so we can confidently feign ignorance when the U.N. or the International Criminal Court comes around asking a bunch of questions. 

Be sure to scrape the little U.S. flags off the side, too — in fact, if there’s time, cover it with France’s or something. Then hit them all with a shammy to remove any fingerprints.”

 At press time, reports confirmed the armaments had arrived in Israel with no return address marked on the crates.

CITY SCRAMBLES IN FALLOUT FROM CITY PROPS ELECTION: FREELOADER ROSE GOWEN MOVES IN FOR THE SPOILS

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The dust hasn't settled from the negative results of the city's May 4 special elections to consider the creation of the Greater Brownsville Municipal Development District whose passage was contingent upon the voters' approval to abolish the existing Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation and the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation. 

The Proposition A vote for the creation of a GBMDD failed with 3,944 "for" and 4,536 "Against."

Then, on Proposition B, 4,518 voters blackened the "Against" oval on the ballot to dissolve the GBIC and BCIC, with 3,042 voting "For."

Since the dissolution of both was contingent on then passage of Proposition A, things stayed the same.

Now, in what some feel is a prepared fall-back option, the city commission, in a "special" meeting called for today, will consider a new ordinance (2024-1743) guiding the GBIC and BCIC and will consider approving the taking half of the GBIC's annual sales-tax revenues from one-half cent (1/2 ) to one-quarter cent (1/4), and allowing the BCIC to increase its share of sales tax revenue from (1/2) and adding the (1/4) cent from GBIC.

If the new ordinance is adopted at first reading Tuesday by the city commission and the second reading at the next meting, it will hand over half of th34 GBIC's annual budget from its share of sale tax to half of the $6 million it receives annually to $3 million. The BCIC, in  turn, will see the $3 million  added to its budget to $9 million. The change will also require that half of the $9 million be dedicated to those so-called "quality of life" projects.

And the primary areas listed under the new ordinance for the BCIC's  new cash will be: 

                            Master Plan List

• City of Brownsville Sidewalk and Trails Master Plan;

• The City’s Comprehensive Plan;

• The Caracara Trails (formerly the Active Plan);

• Brownsville Parks & Open Space Master Plan; and

• The City of Brownsville Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Parks and Recreation

In other words, commissioner Rose Gowen – with only a year left and prevented from running for commissioner again by the term limit restriction approved by the voters – will require the BCIC to funnel those millions into her cherished hike-and-bike trails for perpetuity unless two-thirds of the GBIC board members and two-thirds of the city commission approve any deviation. Although term limits prevent "future" city commissioners from serving more than two terms (eight years), the ballot item excluded her because it came upon her unfinished term and she's been on the commission for the last 13 years with one more to come (14) ending May 2025. 

This is (hopefully) Gowen's last raiding of the city treasury to fund her pet projects and establish her legacy of Brownsville's paladin against obesity and diabetes, and defender of the wellness and health of city residents, even if only a very select recipients benefit from her extravagant hike-and-bike trails in this poverty-wracked city.

Given the fact that Gowen and her husband have paid no city-property taxes during her 14-year tenure because of a historical recognition of her house, she says she is "passionate about public health and its relationship to the economy and the built environment," she is more than willing to spend other people's money to satisfy her "passion." 

In that sense, she is a fine representative of her socioeconomic group who consider themselves the city's elite and feel they are entitled to receive tribute from the unwashed masses.

If a majority of the other commissioners cave in to this freeloader, the city will be saddled with diverting public funds to fund her hike and bike trails long after she is buried under the toxic West Side Trail...and beyond.

With a $3 million cut to be taken from the GBIC and given to the BCIC to support Gowen's money grab, it is no surprise that the GBIC's special meeting agenda scheduled for Thursday, May 16, includes an executive session item to evaluate and/or terminate its Chief Executive Officer Brett Gardella who was hired a little over 10 months ago on August 2023.

Did Gardella acquiesce to the gutting and undercutting of his budget without a whimper, or did he object and ended as  collateral damage  casualty to Gowen and her silk-stocking pals on the city commission?

At the time of his hiring, there was effusive praise for his skills from the mayor and GBIC Asst. CEO Jerry Briones in a local business mag. And will Briones peacefully go along to get along and succeed his boss in as "interim" CEO, later to be named formally to that position once the dust settles? 

“Bret’s vast experience and proven leadership in economic development make him an exceptional choice for this critical role,” said John Cowen, Jr., Brownsville City Mayor and GBIC Chairman. “His expertise will be instrumental in our pursuit of sustainable economic growth and development in Brownsville.”

“We are confident that Bret will lead the GBIC group to new heights, and we look forward to working with him to fulfill the corporation’s mission and achieve its goals,” said Interim Executive Director of GBIC, Jerry Briones.

DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS HERO OF THE MAIN LIBRARY SHOOTING IS?

It was just before noon this past Saturday that a man (later identified as 33-year-old Humberto Paz) sitting at a table in the Readers Mark Cafe in the lobby of the Brownsville Main Branch Library shot a man across the table (identified as 71-year-old Vahid Khaled) in the head and killed him with a Luger. The explosive thunder clap shattered the relative quiet of the library. Some people thought it could have been a book shelf that had collapsed and had crashed onto the floor. Others thought it might have been a file cabinet smacking the floor. Others, like the three patrons using the PCs in the computer around the corner some 25 yards away room looked at each other and asked "Could it have been a gunshot?"

Their suspicions were confirmed moments later when people started to stream into the computer room looking scared, no horrified, and being encouraged toward the far right corner where three people using the computer stations stood, and where, after passing through glass door, were right next to the emergency exit with the warning sign that an alarm would sound if the door was opened.

The rushing patrons were being evacuated by a very businesslike female library employee who was urging them to hurry, buy not to run or panic. As they approached the three computer users by the emergency door, one of them pointed to the bar running across the door of the emergency exit and asked with his eyes whether they should open it: she nodded and signaled "yes" with her eyes, and the people followed her streaming out and ran toward Central Boulevard and congregated in a bus shelter next to the street. Many were shaking with fear and using their cell phones to tell their families what happened and that they were safe.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, but the police haven't arrived. The woman librarian then went back into the building, despite knowing that there was a dead man on the floor and the gunman was still inside. She was seen again at the entrance of the emergency exit going into the building and guiding panic-streaking patrons outside who didn't know which way to run. 

She can be seen in the top photo pulling more people out wearing a red Polo shirt and jeans. Then a lone cop arrived brandishing a A-R 15 and walking toward her, as she is heading for the exit again to assist others inside seeking a way out. All this time she had been on the telephone asking other library employees whether they were safely outside and if there were any other people in the building. 

Unmindful of the fact (or perhaps fully knowing) that if the gunman had headed toward the emergency exit, she would be in his – and the policeman's – line of fire. By that time, the library parking lot was full of police units and officers soon after are seen emerging the from the library's side door facing Veterans Park with the shooter in custody.

As the police secured the building, she can still be seen on her cell phone, possibly inquiring of the safety of her fellow library employees who had been inside when the incident occurred.

We received this account and these photos from someone who had been in the first group she helped to evacuate and asked some of them if they knew her name, but no one did. She is one of those library employee who perform their job and do so efficiently and without fanfare and seem to remain in the background. Some said it might have been Head Library Manager Brenda Treviño. Others say it might have been Library Branch Manager Josephine Balboa, or another female library employee. 

We tried to contact Juan Guerra, city library director, but the library was closed Sunday and Monday and no calls were being taken. Guerra rushed to the scene after receiving a call (from her?), but was detained at the rear entrance of the parking lot by police. If one of our eight readers know her, we would appreciate letting us know so we personally thank her for her courageous and professional performance.

FACEBOOK PAGE OF ALLEGED KILLER REVEALS TROUBLED MENTAL STATE, AND PARANOID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Brownsville resident Humberto Paz, 33, who was arrested for the Saturday shooting death of 71-year-old Vahid Khaledi, of Houston  at Brownsville Public Library was arraigned Sunday morning and issued a $3,250,000 bond for Murder (1st Degree Felony) and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon (2nd Degree Felony).

He is being held at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center at Olmito. The Brownsville Police Department reported that at approximately 12:04 p.m. Saturday officers responded to the library located at the 2600 block of Central Blvd for an "unknown disturbance."

Eyewitnesses to the fatal shooting say that what had started as a discussion turned into shouting match between both men and resulted in Paz pulling out a handgun with which he allegedly shot Khaledi point blank in the head. Paz, with Khaledi dead or dying on the floor besides their table, then sat and waited for the better part of half an hour for the police to arrive. 

(One eyewitness reports that right before he was shot, Khaledi leaned back and told Paz that he wasn't worried because "I work for the federal government.")

Paz offered no resistance when police arrived and was arrested and taken into custody. 

On that same day, a Facebook page allegedly owned by Paz was posted online by unknown parties that – if real – reveals a bizarre profile of a man bedeviled by a paranoid personality haunted by dark conspiracies theories and what can only be described as extreme psychotic delusions. 

(His behavior, according to personnel at the Cameron Count Clerks Office where he worked under former county clerk Joe Rivera, say he had an abrasive personality and was constantly harassing female employees and that he often walked through local HEB stores exhibiting his handgun. New county clerk Sylvia Garza-Perez said Paz left for another job shortly after she took over the position.)

In an updated photo in a post just one day before the shooting, Paz, wearing a Hanna HIgh School sports jacket, face mask and goggles, alludes to a woman he identifies as Billie Smith, which he said attracted him with "your molecular language (the genetic instruction that was created by your parents signaled me with the pheromone molecular genetic language to matrimony (marry?) you Billie Smith..."

The FB page is peppered with multiple photos of Paz in a military uniform and references to military service in secretive assignments where he was unwillingly exposed to weird neurological experiments. According to this page, he lists himself as a Command Sergeant Major of the Army at 2nd Batallion, 54th Infantry Regiment 192nd Infantry Brigade Staff. April 18, 1905(?) - Present

He also mixes mythological mental structures and forces which he said had permeated from Pre-Hispanic Mexico and which have evolved into the conspiracies that still remain in the modern world today.  

In one post, he identifies himself the "Commander of the International Geneva Convention."

In another, he charges that "Since 1910, Tejas has been injuring the scout boys, Scout girls, and Girl Scouts, because Austin Tejas has been 111abusing the military federal command system. They have been abusing the military federal command system. 

"They have been abusing of the parental control area of the brain with their encephalitis, as you have noticed many of those so-called aren't  uniform service members have they attempt to code to a military law with their encephalitis, those extreme organisms that thrive on the extremes are pussing the brain of innocent scouts, boys and girls, teens, young adults, adults, etc. with their intentions of criminal terroristic to be the fungus. 

"The bacteria thrives in the extremes that is always attempting to hijack the brain with their pussing swells the brain eventually kill the organism....Cycle repeats they have a molecular language that is infected with pussing because it is fungus that they have tattooed on the dermis. 

The protein blocks of life have been PUSSING by an infected needle by needles that are not abiding by the military, federal government law, etc...hi the physician surgeons of three generations are bariatric of Tenochtitlan ancient alien asked the priest, military federal government of ancient government, ancient world knowledge information etc. of our ancient multi universe of ancient macro multi universe of our ancient multi macro multi universe of our ancient multi micro macro universe ancient multi macro micro universe."

In another post, he claims (President Joe) Biden is a "criminal terrorist" and charges that someone named Lupita Strong and her husband are pretending to be phone operators when in reality

they are performing surgery through the telephone.

To link with the Paz Facebook page, click on link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088556995441&mibextid=LQQJ4d

The victim's family, his niece Sarah Khaledi, meanwhile, has posted a GoFundMe page in which they ask readers for contributions to transport his body back to Houston. 

"We want to give Vahid Khaledi the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes. I am currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of my uncle's funeral. 

We need to raise $18,000 in order to be able to afford the funeral service as well as the cost to move his body from Brownsville, Tx to Houston, Tx, where the majority of his family lives. 

"Vahid was like a Grandpa to all of his brother's grandchildren and was a peaceful man. He kept to himself and never caused any trouble and enjoyed spending time with my children as well as my nephew and nieces. He enjoyed reading anything and everything about current events and constantly spent time at the Brownsville library."

As of today, he page indicates that she had raised $4,704 raised of $18,000 goal.

To go to that page, click on link below: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/contribute-to-vahid-khaledis-memorial-fund

GARZA'S TOP 10 HONOR ROLL: # 10: FACEBOOK STUNT LEADS TO 2 MURDERS

 

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Did the release of confidential evidence linked to a Cameron Park homicide by Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza result in the execution-style homicide of a father and son found dumped along Old Port Isabel Road December 29, 2021, less than a year after Garza took office?

The family of  Inez Cruz, 49, and son Manuel Cruz, 29, have charged that Garza – in an interview with a local television station – revealed that sheriff investigators had obtained a DVR from a confidential informant that allegedly showed suspect Ruben Torres executing another man May 21, 2021.

 They charged that Garza had gone back on a promise that he would keep the information confidential and that when he revealed he had the recording, Torres and his associates put 2 and 2 together and figured out Inez Cruz had given investigators the tape.

That resulted in an unsuccessful  drive-by shooting attempt a week before the alleged killers abducted father and son and executed them before dumping their bodies.

Authorities said both men had gunshot wounds to their heads and that their legs and hands were bound with rope. There was tape over their mouths and black T-shirts over their heads.

“They (T-shirts) were tied over their heads. It appears to be execution style. It appears to be organized criminal activity,” said Mary Esther Sorola, Cameron County justice of the peace Precinct 2, Place 3, who pronounced the men dead.

The Cruz family was more blunt and laid the responsibility squarely on Garza's doorstep for revealing he had a DVR (which Inez Cruz provided investigators) and signaled him out for retaliation, allegedly by Torres and/or his associates.

That, in turn, led Laguna Vista Police Department Chief Anthony David to chide Garza for showing disrespect to the slain father and son by posting their mug shots on his Facebook page and called him a "Facebook cop."

If Garza hadn't revealed that investigators had received the DVR from the son,   would the killers have known that they had been implicated by Manuel Cruz? And would the killing of his father, who was dragged along by cruel circumstane have been prevented?

A commenter put it even more bluntly:

Garza is to blame for his, during the homicide that took place around may in Cameron Park, right after the arrest, Garza came out on the news saying that the arrest was made thanks to a DVR that was given to CID, well guess who turned that DVR in? CRUZ! The victim on this homicide, as soon as Garza opened his mouth releasing critical information Cruz was dead... and why? Because they knew Cruz had that DVR... and Cruz gave it to CID with the agreement that he was going to be a confidential source, but Garza stupid ass gave him away and now he is dead. Thank you Sheriff...another lawsuit coming to the county.

Authorities arrested Lawrence "Lencho" James Strong and Cesar Olvera in connection to the kidnapping and murder of the father and the son homicides March 20, 2022 and charged Olvera with the kidnapping and murder and tampering with evidence. He was arrested on Jan. 3. 2022.

It was determined that Strong was also involved in the murders, leading to arrests warrants for murder, aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. He was arrested by Everest Metro PD in the state of Wisconsin before being extradited to Carrizales Rucker Detention Center on March 29, 2022.

Strong's case is still working its way through the courts, as is the trial of co-defendant Ramon Torres, the subject of the tape that Inez Cruz handed to the sheriff showing Torres killing a man that led to his and his father's death. The next tentative date for trial is on June 12, 2024 in Judge Benjamin Euresti's 107th District Court.

Olvera, currently serving an eight-year sentence at the Texas Department of Corrections, is scheduled for announcements in the father-and-son murders June 26. His eight-year sentence was for a January 2023 conviction in the 357th District Court of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, cocaine.   

BROWNSVILLE MAIN PUBLIC LIBRARY CLOSED INDEFINITELY

(Ed.'s Note: Following the shooting death of a unidentified man and the arrest of his alleged killer around noon Saturday, the city has issued a notice that the Main Brach library – now a crime scene – will remain closed until further notice.)

The police have not released the name of the victim or his alleged killer, or the motive that led the shooting suspect to pull out a gun and shoot his victim point blank, reportedly after a discussion that turned into heated argument before the alleged shooter drew out a gun and killed the other.

The gunman remain seated at the table of the Reader's Mark coffee and stayed inside the library. He offered no resistance to police as they entered the building and gave himself up without incident.) 

BREAKING: MAN SHOT TO DEATH INSIDE BROWNSVILLE MAIN LIBRARY: SUSPECT OFFERS NO RESISTANCE, ARRESTED BY BPD

(BPD officers arrest suspected killer who shot another man inside the Main library.)

By Juan Montoya

Exclusive to El Rrun-Rrun

A man was shot to death in the Brownsville Main Library at 2600 Central Blvd. Boulevard around noon today and his alleged killer was taken into custody after eyewitnesses said the two had been involved in a discussion that turned violent and resulted in the suspect pulling out a handgun and shooting the other in the head from across the table.

The man, estimated to stand about six feet tall,  then calmly remained seated in the Reader's Mark Cafe table as library staff started rushing patrons our the rear exists before police arrived. Police covered the rear and front entrances to the parking lot and did not allow anyone to leave or enter through the main doors as they surround the building and entered the library fully armed with AR-15s and body armor.

The single shot from the suspect's gun thundered through the building just past noon. Patrons at first thought something heavy like a file cabinet might have dropped on the floor but started looking for an exit when they saw people being rushed to the rear emergency doors by library staff. Then the trickle of people turned in to a torrent as they rushed out the rear exit door. Library staff urged patrons not to panic as they rushed them out the door.

(Armed with AR-15 rifles and body armor, BPD officers surrounded library) 

Less than 10 minutes after their arrival, officers of the Brownsville Police Department were seen escorting a tall man wearing a sports jacket and a a hoodie into a police unit and taking him away as EMS crews stood around prepared to attend to any wounded. No one emerged after half an hour to request their services and they remained at the scene assisting shocked patrons who hyperventilated from the trauma.

(Panic-stricken parents and terrified children race outside the library and gather at a nearby bus shelter on Central Blvd.)

According to a man who was in the coffee shop inside the library, he heard the two men sitting at a  table arguing loudly and at some point the victim leaned back on his chair and told the alleged shooter that "I'm not worried about it. I work for the federal government," at which point the alleged shooter calmly reached under the table for his weapon and pulled out the gun and shot him point blank in the head.

"He then just sat on his chair and didn't do anything," the man said. "He is somewhere between 25 to 35 years old, I estimate," he said. "I had my son with me and and I brought him out. But he wasn't moving. He was just sitting at the table and the other guy was dead or dying on the floor."

Meanwhile, as the killer sat at the table, patrons rushed out the rear as parents hugged children who were shaking with fear and and trundled them to safety and gathered in a bus shelter on Central Blvd. A woman in the bunch said she was in the private room when the sound of the bullet being fired rang out a scant 25 or 30 feet from her.

"I've never been so scared," she said, her voice breaking as she tried to control her shaking. "My God, this is a public library. I hope he didn't shoot anyone else."

(Officers and various law enforcement agencies including the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Cameron County Sheriff's Department, and Pct. 2 Constables  rushed to assist the BPD who arrived first and arrested the suspect at the scene.)

A MILLION HERE, MILLION THERE, THE HELL WITH CLEAN AIR

ON DAY OF EARLY VOTING SOUTHERN DEMS HOLD SHERIFF DEBATES, TAX OFFICE CANDIDATES Q&A...AND IN THIS CORNER

PARLEZ VOUS LATIN? ET VOUS? ENTIENDES LATIN, LATONA?

Quid Pro Quo

When entering into a quid pro quo arrangement with someone, you're promising to do something for them, if they do something in return — it's a trade-off. In Latin, it literally means something for something, and it was coined in the 16th century as a medical term to
swap out one treatment for another.

Bona Fide
This hopeful expression translates to “with good faith” in Latin. It's used today to describe anyone or anything that is legitimate or has strong credentials. In fact, the word has been reworked into a slangy noun – suggesting someone has "bonafides" means they come with strong recommendations or demonstrable wins under their belt.

Persona Non Grata
Whether the ex-spouse, or a disgraced celebrity, once labeled a persona non grata, they're simply not welcome. It’s one of more recent Latin terms adopted into English, coming from what’s called new Latin; it was first used around 1877.

Carpe Diem
A longtime favorite for tattoos and painted mottos, this short and sweet phrase is considered analogous

to “seize the day.” More broadly, it comes from an ancient Latin poem — “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the next one.” It’s a nice sentiment, but decidedly less succinct for body art.

Status Quo
The status quo as often used as a replacement for "same old, same old." In Latin, the original phrase, in statu quo, translates into “the state in which.” It’s an even shorter take on a longer phrase that meant “in the state in which things were before the war.” In other words? Maybe the status quo isn’t always a bad thing.

Et Cetera
The Latin phrase literally translates to "and the rest," and the abbreviation "etc." is still used to imply there are more similar items included in the list. It was first used in the Middle Ages and has remained one of the most persistent uses of Latin in modern English.

Ad Hoc
When doing things off the cuff, on a whim, or without a formal plan in place, that's ad hoc. In Latin, it literally means “to this” or “with respect to this.” While unplanned, using ad hoc properly will give some indication toward the topic or purpose. “We’re having this ad hoc meeting on safety procedures before we have another accident.”

De Facto
In Latin, this phrase translates to “of fact.” It's used a little differently in modern parlance – for suggesting the default, assumed, or clear meanings or intentions, if not explicitly stated. To use it in a sentence, you may say, “Beyonce was the de facto leader of Destiny’s Child.”

Vice Versa
This early 17th-century Latin expression means “in-turned position.” Modern English speakers use it to indicate things two things that are completely interchangeable, such as, “I can housesit for you this weekend, vice versa the next weekend.”

PARA TODAS LAS MADRES DEL VALLE, LAS AMAMOS, MADRES

SHERIFF GETS "F" FOR MAKING AN ARREST ON A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, BUT SCORES WITH ABUELITAS VOTANTES

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Remember the riot at the old Cameron County Jail Thursday, April 18?

At that time, it was reported that a handful of inmates reacted violently when they witnessed the delayed response of the jail guards to a prisoner's medical emergency – a disabled veteran – and caused a small riot which took a score of deputies to contain it.

According to a commenter to this blog, "The story is huge. A disabled veteran's family is demanding action that although several inmates told the deputies he was on the floor having a seizure, they ignored the inmates until he started to foam at the mouth, and they were cleared out so the veteran could receive an IV and immediate medical attention.

"Also, the same inmates are claiming there were no deputies to help because they were dispatched to a section of Carrizales to deal with a possible riot in Carrizales. (Cameron County) Sheriff Eric Garza clearly has no control over the jail."

Well, the commenter's story was confirmed by various sources who said that an inmate transport van was delivering several prisoners to Rucker-Carrizales correction facility in Olmito that afternoon.

We can now confirm that the disturbance was contained in two cells which held seven to eight prisoners each. The deputies and sheriff's investigators filed affidavits and complaints against the inmates allegedly involved in the disturbance but Magistrate Judge Gabriela Martinez rejected the first original affidavit and complaints because the failed to show probable cause for the arrests. 

Probable cause, say lawyers, is the lowest standard to hold someone criminally accountable. The complaints failed to allege what each specific prisoner was accused of committing. 

In despair, the sheriff department requested the assistance of personnel in the Cameron County District Attorney's office to amend the complaints and were submitted to a judge and signed as warrants to be served upon the prisoners.

It's hard to believe that three and one half years after Garza took over the sheriff's department, the simplest tasks required of his staff – to draft a basic  affidavit or complaint and acquiring an order for arrest – is till beyond his, and his jail administrators, grasp. 

And the jails continue to cause him problems. Inmates associated with various prison gangs are said to control their side of jails. Just this week, three days ago, we got a report that an inmate at Carrizales was brutally beaten by members of the "Vallucos" gang and that two jail guards could only stand by and were unable to control them.

Garza has long blamed his jail troubles on the county commissioners who he says are tying his hands by not giving him more money for jail guards and that it is stretching the department's ability to provide a safe environment for inmates.

But his constant campaigning has overstretched the department's capabilities and manpower. Just today, in time to campaign for Mother's Day votes at the area's adult day care centers that he relies on for votes from elderly cast by gullible clients, he pulled investigators off their duties and had them answer phones while the rest of the shift – armed with roses for the mamitas and cookies and candies and political materials for the guys – campaigned for his reelection.

The itinerary for the sheriff's staff had a schedule for their time of departure and arrival, and a tally of how many rose bouquets, cookies and candies, and promotional material for his campaign. We're sure that the mothers with sons and daughters of non-gang inmates at Carrizales must feel warm and fuzzy with half the sheriff's staff out soliciting votes from the elderly clients.

We know the county taxpayers are paying for the officers' salaries as they campaign for Eric, but we wonder who paid for the flowers and cookies?   

He faces Manuel "Many" Treviño in the upcoming runoff election with early voting from Monday, May 20 to  Friday, May 24.  Election day is Tuesday,  May 28.

THE WRITING ON THE WALL: DALES ATOLE CON EL DEDO

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Greater Brownsville...what?

This May 4 general election on the two proposition that would decide whether voters wanted to create a Municipal Development District (GBMDD) and do away with the scandal-plagued Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) and the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) shows just how manipulative this city commission and its administration have become.

Instead of just giving voters a straight up yes or no on the propositions (A: Yes to establish the GBMDD, B: YES to de-establish the BCIC and GBIC), the masters of sleigh of hand gave voters the algebraic formula. If X, therefore Y, but only if you vote Yes on A and YES on B.

Uh?

That is, if you vote Yes to increase the sales tax revenue by $400,000 through voting for a GBMDD, it'll pass only if you vote YES yes on proposition B, and do away with the GBIC and BCIC which are sharing $12 million of the sales tax. The GBMDD will simply increase its take by $400,000 increasing the collection of additional sales tax in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). 

Simple math, right? And if you voted NO to Proposition B to do away with the GBIC, it would only happen if you had voted "YES to Proposition A to create a GBMDD. Simple, they said.

Or so they thought. 

In fact, as you can see in the graphic above, the mural was ready to go with the GBMDD and new slogan "Empowering Economic Growth Transforming Brownsville." 

But, oh, those darn voters. 

They just didn't do what they were supposed to do. As a result Mother Superior Helen Ramirez jumped the gun and started the painters on the sign before the election announcing the passage of the GBMDD. What to do now with the mural since the confusion created by the wording of the propositions led residents to vote NO on A to reject the district, it effectively nullified any meaningful decision Proposition B, which was contingent on the passage of A?

So, in effect, nothing has changed. That election  that was rigged in favor of the GBMDD backfired on the manipulators and left us exactly in the same place we were before the election, with the additional $400,000 that was to be collected by the ETJ dissipating into the ETJ periphery.

We want a refund.

This leaves the $6 million that GBIC and BCIC each pocket from sales tax receipt to their individual boards and susceptible to the whims of their boards, the same inept, corrupt, gang whose performance has been borderline criminal handing out thousands to elected officials and their friends and relatives, board members and their fiends and families, and handing out public money to charter schools to the detriment of public school, who are barely surviving against the charter.

If you're already bored, bear with us just a bit with a little more tedium.

Take the BCIC, please! 

With much fanfare and a drum roll, the BCIC board, just scant days before the May 4 election, held a "special" meeting where they allotted $1,003,345 to build 32 bus shelters and improve the "quality of life" for bus riders. Readers of this blog know we have been vocal about the meager number of shelters and benches for the city's 600 bus stops, with less than one third offering as much as a roof and a bench.

The city – after bungling around for two years – finally is getting around to build 30 of them, simple affairs with benches, metal-screened walls and solar-powered florescent lights. With any luck, one of them may be  operable soon. But after saying that they would cost the city around $611,270 for the construction of 30 shelters, they tweaked down the construction cost to $345,067, resulting in a savings of $266,203, to average about $21,906 per shelter.

Compare this with the $1,003,345 for 32 shelters that the BCIC approved in their last meeting. Divide that figure by 30 and what will it cost per shelter? Would you believe $31,354, or $9,448 more than a city-built shelter. Oh, well, it's Other People's Money (OPM). Will the BCIC shelters require that bus riders adhere to a dress code so as not to diminish the grandeur of the shelter?

Then there is another "quality of life" project that furthers city commissioner Rose Gowen's West Rail Trail to plant 150 native trees on both sides of the trail and create a "canopy" for hikers and bikers and their pets, dubbed the Rose Gowen Dog Pee Trail by her detractors, us included, at a cost of just $198,500 of OPM. This comes out to average $6,516 per sapling. 

But then there's the little matter of  restrictions that the Union Pacific placed on the Port of Brownsville, and then on the county and the city which prohibits any human contact with the dirt surface on the 100-feet right-of way (50 feet from center on each side). And if you are doing any digging for minerals, you can only do it when you pass the 500 foot depth. 

This applies to the abandoned track that was dedicated to the trial instead of a loop that would have prevented downtown congestion and would have gone around the west side to hook up with US 77/83 (I-69) . The rail-end points of the West Rail Trail are just north of 77 Flea Market (Railroad St & Frontage Rd) and Palm Blvd, across from Prax Orive (Sunrise) Park on the south. 

U.P. made sure it would incur no liability for potential chemical contamination of more than 100 years of use making the transfer in an "as is, where is" condition and states that the county (and then the Port of Brownsville and city) acknowledges that it accepted the land on the basis of its own investigation of the "physical and environmental conditions of the property, including the subsurface conditions and  (it) assumes the risk that adverse physical and environmental conditions may not have been revealed by its investigation."

Likewise, U.P. required that the county release it from "all claims, suits, actions, causes of action, demands, rights, damages, costs, expenses, penalties, fines or compensation whatsoever, direct or indirect, which (the county) now has or which (it) may have in the future on account of of or in any way arising out of or in connection with the property (including, without limitation, 

"ANY CONTAMINATION IN, ON, UNDER OR ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY BY ANY HAZARDOUS OR TOXIC SUBSTANCE OR MATERIAL), OR ANY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE OR REGULATION APPLICABLE,...INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT, THE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION AND LIABILITY ACT, THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT, THE TEXAS SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT AND THE TEXAS WATER CODE..." EXISTING, NEW, OR CHANGES IN EXISTING LAWS THAT WOULD "IMPOSE ON (UP) ..NEW LIABILITIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE PROPERTY..., REGARDLESS OF ANY NEGLIGENCE OR STRICT LIABILITY OF (U.P.) ITS EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS, SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS."

Good luck in dealing with that restriction. Remediation and mitigation to allow crews to dig holes anywhere within 50 feet on either side of the centerline might cost twice or more than the $198,500 the BCIC threw Gowen's way. And will they grow in the contaminated railway easement after 100 years of unregulated hauling of hazardous materials and countless spills during that time?   

But perhaps the two items in the BCIC's agenda merit a little scrutiny, too. The board thought better of funding a $445,441 proposal to build one bathroom with a attached canopy at vandalism-ridden Oliveira Park, itself built on a long-abandoned landfill but would be fenced off,  and would be closed to the public at night when there are no events scheduled.

The other proposal that was championed by Mother Superior Helen Ramirez and her BF commissioner Linda C. Macias was a plan to spend $965,000 (that's right, $1 million smackers of OPM) on specific vendor Musco Lighting. Why this specific vendor? Did the BCIC go out for bids, or was it just picked out of the air, maybe a "sole source?"

Oh, well, the girls shared a fine meal with a LED light vendor at an upscale restaurant just recently, as one of our eight eagle-eyed readers let us know by sending us this photo. A bit indiscreet, we would think. Was it a rep for Musco Lighting, perhaps? 

Now that the death threat to the BCIC and GBIC has been removed by the rigged election, maybe we can float for a new name for another district for the gullible, finicky, voters...say the Greater Brownsville Manipulating Dupes District (GBMDD). Has a nice ring to it, don't it?