By Juan Montoya
In what has become a predictable dirge from Erasmo Castro, one of the Position 2 candidates for the board of the Brownsville Independent School District, he is charging that one of his opponents, former trustee Herman Otis Powers, threatened him with bodily harm during a recent forum.
Powers, of course, denies it, saying that after Castro made numerous insinuations of him influence-peddling and back-dating contracts of BISD employees he had had enough and told Castro that "if he wanted to take the gloves off, we could."This is not the first time that Castro has yelled "wolf" at other politicians.
Not that long ago, after he made public comments accusing the City of Brownsville Budget and Oversight Committee members of openly violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, he filed a complaint with the Brownsville Police Dept. saying that commissioner Ben Neece had confronted him in the hallway and that "I fear for my life and well being.
I fear for official retaliation by Commissioner Ben Neece using the powers of his elected position and the resources of the City of Brownsville.
I ask for protection from local law enforcement."
That petered out into nothing, but elicited the predictable sympathy from his small cadre of Cheezme worshipers.
Now, as he seeks to disavow comments he posted in his Facebook page comparing BISD school girls and boys to "whores," hood rats" and "ghetto wercos and wercas," he is again diverting attention by an alleged threat from one of his political opponents. (Click on graphic to enlarge.)
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"He just threatened me! He just threatened me on live videotape!" Castro yelled into the microphone during the forum held by B.E.S.T., an acronym for Brownsville Educators Stand Together, a teacher's union group.
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Believe it or not, Alberto Alegria's Texas Valley Educator's Association endorsed him over Powers and Carlos Elizondo.
Go figure.
This is despite Castro's disdain for the union's endorsement of Caty Presas-Garcia over him the last time he ran for the BISD board. At that time he posted (again on his Facebook page) that the union's endorsement wasn't worth much. (See graphic. Click to enlarge)
Those who have seen the YouTube version of the forum cannot detect the alleged murderous threat.
Hopefully, with just a little over a month before the Nov. 6 election, Castro will survive these life-threatening confrontations in one piece to stay alive until after the voting.
Believe it or not, Alberto Alegria's Texas Valley Educator's Association endorsed him over Powers and Carlos Elizondo.
Go figure.
This is despite Castro's disdain for the union's endorsement of Caty Presas-Garcia over him the last time he ran for the BISD board. At that time he posted (again on his Facebook page) that the union's endorsement wasn't worth much. (See graphic. Click to enlarge)
Those who have seen the YouTube version of the forum cannot detect the alleged murderous threat.
Hopefully, with just a little over a month before the Nov. 6 election, Castro will survive these life-threatening confrontations in one piece to stay alive until after the voting.