By Juan Montoya
During his campaign for election to the Pct. 4 Cameron County Commissioner position, Gus Ruiz's propaganda made much of his service in the U.S. Marine Corps as a fire team leader in Iraq. It continues on his county website where he is posing in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Harlingen.
In other words, as as Marine, he could take take a hit and keep on coming.
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That's why it was so surprising that after facing sharp criticism from the public at a meeting for his performance during the flooding at Santa Rosa he became unhinged at his critics.
And it only got worse.
The people there, who were still under water a week after the flooding event, were desperate and exasperated at the slow reaction from their elected officials.
One of them, a Santa Rosa resident named Joel Alvarez Jr., who was living in a car and whose parents were flooded out of their home for days, attended the meeting and sent Ruiz a nasty email afterwards telling him, among other things, “Go fuck your self you piece or shit,” and also, “Burn in hell.”
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Ruiz became alarmed at Alvarez's message and called the Cameron County Sheriff's Department and filed a complaint against him for harassment. Justice of the Peace Sally Gonzales issued a warrant and he was arrested, booked and released pending trial.
The complaint by combat veteran Ruiz - who served, it is assumed, to protect our freedoms - started that he felt harassed, tormented, and feared for the safety of his family.
This is curious because as any law enforcement officer can tell you, they are subject to this and worse. Does that mean that they can file on just about anyone they ever arrest?
For example, Ruiz sent a letter to Precinct 5 Constable Eddie Solis May 17, 2018 after he received a missive from the lawman.
In it, Ruiz wrote that: “As a County Commissioner that happens to be a lawyer, I must inform you that there are federal and state laws that protect me from intimidation, obstruction, retaliation, abuse of office, prosecutorial misconduct, and malicious prosecution. It is obvious that your motivation for writing and sending your Letter is Political retaliation because you are “"Butt Hurt.”
If this isn't harassment, what is it? And he has a kid arrested for telling him to "Go fuck yourself" and "Burn in hell?"
During Tuesday's public comment commissioners court meeting, San Benito resident Raul Castillo gave Ruiz a primer on free speech, the First Amendment, and abuse of power.
"It's illegal to arrest people for wearing at them," he said. "Some of us are here because we're concerned about our local political impotence when it comes to flooding and drainage. Others are here because we feel that many of you dropped the ball after said flooding. I'm here because of the latter. Because not only have you dropped the ball when you handled public discourse after this flooding, but I believe some of you have acted in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
"You know what I'm referring to. No politician or judge is above the law, or above criticism. Now, I know no one likes to get told to go burn in hell, I know I don't. But I would just like to propose a simple question to you: Who is more of a threat here, a desperate houseless (sic) citizen who after receiving no answers from his local officials emails a local politician telling him to burn in hell or the politician who uses a vague harassment statute in the Texas Penal Code to arrest said citizen?
"You are setting a future precedent of intimidation to anyone else who would otherwise want to speak out. Shame on you for violating your most basic obligation. And shame on the judge who signed this warrant knowing the precedent it would set for future political discourse in South Texas.
Judge Eddie Trevino: "Thank you Mr. Castillo..."
"I promise you this will not stand. We will not be intimidated. "We will challenge you every step of the way."
To see Castillo's statement, click on link: http://cameroncountytx.swagit.com/play/07302019-842
He will be the first speaker in the public comment section after the pledge of allegiance and moment of silence at 0:23.
During his campaign for election to the Pct. 4 Cameron County Commissioner position, Gus Ruiz's propaganda made much of his service in the U.S. Marine Corps as a fire team leader in Iraq. It continues on his county website where he is posing in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Harlingen.
In other words, as as Marine, he could take take a hit and keep on coming.
That's why it was so surprising that after facing sharp criticism from the public at a meeting for his performance during the flooding at Santa Rosa he became unhinged at his critics.And it only got worse.
The people there, who were still under water a week after the flooding event, were desperate and exasperated at the slow reaction from their elected officials.
One of them, a Santa Rosa resident named Joel Alvarez Jr., who was living in a car and whose parents were flooded out of their home for days, attended the meeting and sent Ruiz a nasty email afterwards telling him, among other things, “Go fuck your self you piece or shit,” and also, “Burn in hell.”
Ruiz became alarmed at Alvarez's message and called the Cameron County Sheriff's Department and filed a complaint against him for harassment. Justice of the Peace Sally Gonzales issued a warrant and he was arrested, booked and released pending trial.The complaint by combat veteran Ruiz - who served, it is assumed, to protect our freedoms - started that he felt harassed, tormented, and feared for the safety of his family.
This is curious because as any law enforcement officer can tell you, they are subject to this and worse. Does that mean that they can file on just about anyone they ever arrest?
For example, Ruiz sent a letter to Precinct 5 Constable Eddie Solis May 17, 2018 after he received a missive from the lawman.
In it, Ruiz wrote that: “As a County Commissioner that happens to be a lawyer, I must inform you that there are federal and state laws that protect me from intimidation, obstruction, retaliation, abuse of office, prosecutorial misconduct, and malicious prosecution. It is obvious that your motivation for writing and sending your Letter is Political retaliation because you are “"Butt Hurt.”
If this isn't harassment, what is it? And he has a kid arrested for telling him to "Go fuck yourself" and "Burn in hell?"
During Tuesday's public comment commissioners court meeting, San Benito resident Raul Castillo gave Ruiz a primer on free speech, the First Amendment, and abuse of power.
"It's illegal to arrest people for wearing at them," he said. "Some of us are here because we're concerned about our local political impotence when it comes to flooding and drainage. Others are here because we feel that many of you dropped the ball after said flooding. I'm here because of the latter. Because not only have you dropped the ball when you handled public discourse after this flooding, but I believe some of you have acted in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
"You know what I'm referring to. No politician or judge is above the law, or above criticism. Now, I know no one likes to get told to go burn in hell, I know I don't. But I would just like to propose a simple question to you: Who is more of a threat here, a desperate houseless (sic) citizen who after receiving no answers from his local officials emails a local politician telling him to burn in hell or the politician who uses a vague harassment statute in the Texas Penal Code to arrest said citizen?
"You are setting a future precedent of intimidation to anyone else who would otherwise want to speak out. Shame on you for violating your most basic obligation. And shame on the judge who signed this warrant knowing the precedent it would set for future political discourse in South Texas.
Judge Eddie Trevino: "Thank you Mr. Castillo..."
"I promise you this will not stand. We will not be intimidated. "We will challenge you every step of the way."
To see Castillo's statement, click on link: http://cameroncountytx.swagit.com/play/07302019-842
He will be the first speaker in the public comment section after the pledge of allegiance and moment of silence at 0:23.