By Juan Montoya
Why anyone would want to buy Rusty Monsees' 21.5 acres he calls 'The Farm," is beyond us.
On the west side is a stretch of border wall angling south along the curve of the Rio Grande. Across the street of Monsees Road is another section of wall that cuts toward La Posada neighborhood abutting the Southmost barrio.
And on the east is a wooded monte used by smugglers to ferry drugs and human beings across the river. In fact, the entire south side of the Monsees property is facing the Rio Grande River.
Monsees inherited the land from his mother and remained alone after she died and his wife also left.
To the east, and over the stretch of levee that crosses Monseees road, lives Pam Taylor, a transplanted English nurse who came to the United States and also found herself on the south side of the border wall like Rusty.
A former Cameron County Precinct 1 road and Bridge foreman recalls that the Monsees named the road after their last name without asking Taylor or other of their few neighbors if it was alright with them. Taylor objected strenuously because she wanted to name the road Taylor Road after her husband's last name. The road is actually the curving section of Esperanza road that starts on Southmost Road and curves around and hits is again after passing the Monsees property.
"We had a hell of a time with those two," recalled the road crew foreman. "When the Taylor and Monsees feud over the naming of the road erupted, Rusty dragged a big tree trunk and laid it across the road so no one could pass to make Taylor angry. But it also blocked the road for other people and we had to make him move it."
The foreman also recalls that he would often see Monsees supervising laborers clearing brush on his property who were obviously undocumented immigrants. The Monsees property was a popular crossing point for smugglers.
"I don't think he paid them anything for their work," he said. "I think he made them work when he caught them crossing the river and over his property."
More recently, "The Farm" became a camp for upstate self-styled militia members who Monsees invited to stay on his property. Two of them ran into trouble with federal authorities after they clashed with Border patrol agents along the river who confiscated weapons and ammonia nitrate after they were arrested in their hotel rooms for being felons in possession of firearms.
Soon after the incident, authorities learned that one, “KC” Massey, had a criminal history and arrested him outside a Brownsville motel where he was staying. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized more than 2,600 rounds of ammunition and two .45-caliber pistols. They also found four identification cards of Honduran nationals in his motel room.
To the east, and over the stretch of levee that crosses Monseees road, lives Pam Taylor, a transplanted English nurse who came to the United States and also found herself on the south side of the border wall like Rusty.
A former Cameron County Precinct 1 road and Bridge foreman recalls that the Monsees named the road after their last name without asking Taylor or other of their few neighbors if it was alright with them. Taylor objected strenuously because she wanted to name the road Taylor Road after her husband's last name. The road is actually the curving section of Esperanza road that starts on Southmost Road and curves around and hits is again after passing the Monsees property.
"We had a hell of a time with those two," recalled the road crew foreman. "When the Taylor and Monsees feud over the naming of the road erupted, Rusty dragged a big tree trunk and laid it across the road so no one could pass to make Taylor angry. But it also blocked the road for other people and we had to make him move it."
The foreman also recalls that he would often see Monsees supervising laborers clearing brush on his property who were obviously undocumented immigrants. The Monsees property was a popular crossing point for smugglers.
"I don't think he paid them anything for their work," he said. "I think he made them work when he caught them crossing the river and over his property."
More recently, "The Farm" became a camp for upstate self-styled militia members who Monsees invited to stay on his property. Two of them ran into trouble with federal authorities after they clashed with Border patrol agents along the river who confiscated weapons and ammonia nitrate after they were arrested in their hotel rooms for being felons in possession of firearms.
Soon after the incident, authorities learned that one, “KC” Massey, had a criminal history and arrested him outside a Brownsville motel where he was staying. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized more than 2,600 rounds of ammunition and two .45-caliber pistols. They also found four identification cards of Honduran nationals in his motel room.
The other, John Frederick Foerster, was indicted and convicted for for unlawful possession of firearms. He received a two years and six months for illegal possession of a firearm, federal prosecutors said.
The "Patriots," as they called themselves, called originally called the Monsees spread Camp Lone Star, but after the arrests it became known simply as "Camp Rusty."
According to statements Monsees made to the local daily, he made the decision to put his property up for sale comes around the same time the Department of Homeland Security, under orders from President Donald Trump, has said it plans to build a 1,827-mile border wall along the United States-Mexico border. About 500 land owners in Cameron and Hidalgo counties own property along the Texas-Mexico border, officials said.
As of Friday, Monsees said he had not been contacted by the DHS seeking rights to his land.
As of Friday, Monsees said he had not been contacted by the DHS seeking rights to his land.
7 comments:
that guy in picture looks like DA BLIMP! Related?
It's strange for me to live so close to a beautiful river that is basically off-limits.
I can't believe you used a Ben Neece picture!
What a freakin ugly dude!
DA BLIMP! ha ha ha/ ha ha ha/ haha haha
I remember that guy! He called me a "Nigger loving porch monkey"!
Antonio Castillo
Don't compare Mrs. Pam Taylor to Rusty Monsees!!! Mrs. Taylor is a classy lady who served many of us students when we were at Cummings Junior High and Porter High School. She worked her behind to help her husband John make their land a "homestead" for her children. Then she is placed behind a wall, giving the assumption that she lives on the other side when the river is further south than her property. As for the street name, who authorized the change of the street name and where was the post office when such was done. Mrs. Taylor can always call her side of the road to Taylor Road. She stands her ground because she loves the land that she and her husband developed when they were young. Why did they put the fence so far away from the river. Put it so that the river hits the fence and make it harder to climb and don't leave any spaces wide open.
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