DEFIANT CASTRO READS THE BOARD, ATTORNEY, THE RIOT ACT

By Erasmo Castro
Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Censures are not our board's policy, a practice of any school district in the State of Texas, and not even Robert's Rules of Order allow for a vote of censure in the manner it was proposed (and followed through.)

This censure vote was contrary to the law, motivated by retaliation and a naked attempt to silence my voice. The only other time in the history of the Brownsville Independent School District  when a board member was censured was orchestrated by current board attorney Baltazar Salazar, and presided and instigated by board president Minerva Pena, fueled by retaliation when the previous board member spoke out against illegalities tolerated and supported by both. 

That ended up in a federal lawsuit based on charges that it constituted an infringement of that board member's First Amendment rights.

Funny how history does repeat itself.

My social media page and my “I am the Cheez” commercial trademark is one of my sources of income. I advertise and have marketed myself to where I have 186,000+ followers and friends who have liked my page more than 6 million times.

Any action taken by the board to limit my opportunity to continue to earn income from my page(s) clearly constitutes tortuous interference that will cause me to lose substantial amounts of present and future revenue.

Any prior restraint of my First Amendment constitutional rights as a citizen-journalist (as recognized by Breitbart), blogger, talk show host and editorialist will prevent me from performing my duties. Such restraints significantly limit my ability to earn revenue. You have suppressed me. You are suppressing me and it appears that you wish to continue to suppress me and hence are infringing on First Amendment Constitutional rights. 

Whether it is of your liking or not, this is the way I make my livelihood. It is who I am. It is whom the voters elected onto this board. Nothing I have done, am doing, or will do on social media is illegal. I ask that this board cease and desist with their endeavors at harassment.


I believe that these actions are a form of whistle blower retaliation. On February 14, 2019 at 1 p.m. I visited with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in regards to my concerns with vendors stating that a board member had taken money from them in exchange of offering their services to the district. Later I spoke with our board counsel Baltazar Salazar and informed him of my concerns.

Salazar stated that he knew how the feds worked and said they were not coming to BISD anytime soon. 

It is my belief that Mr. Salazar informed the board member in question. Mr. Salazar's contract then was extended prior to its termination just this September 3, 2019, and upped from $280,000 to $25,000 a month, a $20,000 raise to $300,000. Quid pro quo?

The former board majority did the same with Dr. Esperanza Zendejas' contract, something I voted against. From that day forward, Mr. Salazar has  worked against me to the point where he sent me two threatening text messages. I have submitted a formal complaint with the Texas State Bar, considering that as board counsel he is our attorney as a collective; he is my attorney.

I have hired my own attorney to address these board items as Mr. Salazar has made himself unwilling and failed to make himself available to me as evident by non-answered phone calls and emails.

His actions against me, as is obvious in recorded board meetings during open session, have been unethical to say the least. Mr. Salazar boasts that he puts money in board member’s pockets, frequently flaunting that he gives board members $10,000s  for their election bids. Do these monies constitute gifts to public servants prohibited in his contract and guarantee his perseverance as board counsel?

The board of the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District Board recently terminated Mr. Salazar for some of the same shenanigans he is perpetuating at BISD. Before being terminated there he stated that he had gathered information concerning unspecified illegalities by some members of the RGCCISD board. Could he be holding information on the members of our board which guarantees his paycheck?

Mr. Salazar should have recused himself from these censure proceedings, as it is a blatant conflict and dereliction of his duties. Last week he emailed our secretary to place this item on the agenda supposedly on behalf of the board, when as a member I was not consulted.

To censure me is a move of desperation intended to silence, harass and intimidate. There have been two false police reports from this board’s president  encouraging people to file grievances (both board president and secretary named in grievances), being written up and now censure. Do unto me as you may, I will continue to be the voice of my community.

I constantly hear from my colleagues that their people are calling them upset about me. I remind my colleagues that their people didn’t vote for me, my people did. 

I was elected with the greatest number of votes and the least cost per vote in the history of local politics. Unlike my colleagues, I took no money from vendors to win my communities' seat. My colleagues can continue to be the voice of their people; I will continue to be the voice of our community.

I am putting the board on notice that further repressive acts against my right to freely voice my concerns on behalf of the citizens who elected me to represent them will elicit an appropriate legal response.

I am the Cheez... there can be only one...