Residents petition in support of local activist; grant highlights presented

Last Tuesday, members of the community gathered outside City Hall to once again protest the charges against resident and activist Rebekah Hinojosa and demand an investigation of Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez for “abuse of power.”

Equipped with signs and outfitted in green, several protesters spoke during the city meeting’s public comment period in support of Hinojosa, who was arrested Feb. 16, 2022, and charged with a class B misdemeanor for allegedly spray painting  “gentrified” and “stop SpaceX” on the BTX mural downtown, which was paid for by Elon Musk, the company’s founder.

Hinojosa said after her release, Mendez “publicly attacked” her by publishing her mugshot and employment information on his official Facebook page.

In an interview with The Rider before the meeting, she said the city never responded to over 1,700 petitions delivered on Feb. 7.

“Our petitions are asking for the city to write a letter to the [district attorney] and ask him to immediately drop the charges against me and to investigate the mayor for abuse of power,” Hinojosa said. “And so, we’re back here again demanding a response.”

During the interview, she held a stack of more than 200 additional petitions, which the group later delivered during public comment.

Hinojosa also described her arrest as “politically motivated” and said their goal was to get the commission to “stop ignoring” constituents’ concerns about SpaceX.

“He made it clear he was lashing out against me because I’ve been very outspoken about SpaceX operations for years,” she said.

Hinojosa asked residents to learn about the “negative impacts of SpaceX.”

“There are serious issues with SpaceX,” she said. “And we will not allow politicians in the pocket of a private space corporation to intimidate and silence us.”

During public comment, resident Xandra Treviño said Tuesday was also Hinojosa’s birthday.

“The last time I was here, we were celebrating the birthday of the city,” Treviño said, referencing the Feb. 7 city meeting. “… Today we are celebrating another birthday. … Today is Bekah’s birthday. I mean, I’m not Bekah. I don’t know exactly what she wants, but I feel like it would be fitting for her to receive an apology from our mayor.”

The commission does not take action or respond during meetings to public comments, so no response was given during the meeting. 

Other than asking residents to state their name before speaking and informing them when their three minutes were up, Mendez offered no response. While residents spoke, he watched silently and at one point sifted through papers on his desk.

In other business, officials from the Brownsville Grants and Community Development Department gave a presentation about the department’s efforts and highlights during the 2021-22 Fiscal Year.

Grant Manager Olga Moya said the team looks for opportunities that “align with the commission pillars and meet department needs” and collaborates with city departments to gather information for grant applications.

Grant Writer Samantha Cienfuegos said the department applied for 33 grants, totaling $7.8 million in potential funding. 

“Last fiscal year we were awarded 15 of those grants, totaling $2.2 million,” Cienfuegos said. “Looking back at the grants awarded over the past few years, the grants department has seen a consistent increase in funding.”

Of the $2.2 million awarded, 13.3% was for infrastructure, 20% was for quality of life, 40% was for public safety and 26.7% was for economic development. 

The city was awarded $1 million for the first phase of the Brownsville Emergency Operations Center, training facility and a future fire station, according to the presentation. 

Cienfuegos said the project is “of the utmost importance to the city” and that it is the first time Brownsville receives this award.

“We are continuing to seek additional funding opportunities to complete this project,” she said.

Grant Analyst Eryka Dubernery presented ongoing projects, such as the Cultural and Tourism Grant fund. 

Brownsville received $65.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to “combat the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 in the community,” $2.62 million of which was allocated to help rebuild nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that attract tourism to the city, according to the presentation. 

Dubernery said Brownsville was one of eight cities in the nation to be selected for a Choice Neighborhood Planning grant of $450,000 to improve the quality of life for residents in the International/Southmost area. 

“The plan is centered on the redevelopment of Victoria Gardens housing, which includes 46 units of low-income housing,” she said. 

The team is in the drafting stage and is set to submit a final plan in November.