By Juan Montoya
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However, the union supporters say that the members are merely exercising their First amendment rights of freedom of speech.
"The BUC has endorsed candidates ever since we can remember," said a union supporter. "Up to now no one - including all the candidates for office - has said there was anything wrong."
Supporters of candidates challenging incumbents Tony Martinez, Jessica Tereau and Rick Longoria say they were questioned by officer of the Brownsville Police Dept. and an undercover officer as they campaigned for their candidates and passed out sample ballots on their behalf Wednesday afternoon at the Southmost Library.
That followed an encounter at the Central Library where the supporters of the challengers were threatened with arrest for jaywalking that ended after Martinez was seen darting between cars soliciting voters' support. A lawyer present at the site confirmed the officers were warning the candidates' supporters.
Police told Tetreau there that she could not park her black Tesla along the red curbside in front of the Central library and made her move it after receiving complaints from people campaigning for her opponents. (See graphic below. Click to enlarge.)
At one point later in the afternoon, Tetreau arrived in the black Tesla and charged the women there that they were in violation of the law for passing out fliers with the fliers endorsing of the Brownsville Union Coalition for her opponent Catalina Press-Garcia, mayoral candidate Trey Mendez, Nurith Galonsky, and John Cowen.
At the heart of the dispute are allegations that the Brownsville Union Coalition (the BUC) was in violation of the law for endorsing the four candidates, a charge that the unions' supporters and endorsees deny.
The anti-union cite state law that prohibits unions from supporting individuak candidates. They say the law is clear.
"It's illegal for a union to endorse a candidate," wrote one. "It's like a corporation cannot endorse a candidate. Where is the Cameron County District Attorney (Luis V. Saenz) in this?"
However, the union supporters say that the members are merely exercising their First amendment rights of freedom of speech."The BUC has endorsed candidates ever since we can remember," said a union supporter. "Up to now no one - including all the candidates for office - has said there was anything wrong."
The women were handing out the sample ballots with their candidates' names and inviting the voters to a chicken plate after they emerged from the voting site. The fliers bear the logo of the BUC and recommend that voters cast their ballots on their candidates behalf.
When Martinez arrived at the Central Library voting site, a contingent of six police cars arrives simultaneously and spoke to the campaigners warning them about fighting or obstructing traffic. No fights had been reported, the campaigner said.
At Southmost, a contingent of policemen arrived and talked to the women, but left after no apparent violations of the law, but later an undercover policeman arrived and looked into the matter.
"They told them that they were part of an investigation and asked them why they were wearing red t-shirts and who was paying them," said a man holding a Cowen sign. "This was the use of the police to intimidate voters. Someone is desperate if they have to use the police to harass the campaign workers of their opponents."
They said that as closing time was approaching, another group of policemen also arrived and asked them who was paying them and who had paid for the chicken plates they were giving voters.
"Is this the way the police is supposed to be used, to harass voters?," asked one of the women. "No one was breaking the law. We were trying to get people to vote."