Texas was part of the Spanish colony of New Spain. After Mexican independence in 1821, Texas became part of Mexico and in 1824 became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. Mexico's government, hoping to increase the population of the area invited people to come live in Texas. This act was called the Empresario System.
On January 3, 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 300 Anglo families along the Brazos River in present-day Fort Bend County and Brazoria County, primarily in the area of what is now Sugar Land. The political center for the colony was San Felipe, a settlement on the Brazos River where Empresario Stephen F. Austin and William Travis lived.
The colony grew and soon sought to steal the land from Mexico and rose in revolt. Among the key events of the period was the Battle of the Alamo. The 19th-century battle between Mexico and invading Anglos who styled themselves ‘Texian’ ended in the defeat of the traitors. The so-called Texians included both Anglos and Tejanos (Mexicans who lived in Texas). With the war cry - Remember the Alamo! Anglos eventually succeeded in wresting the land from Mexico and incorporating it into the United States.
The ghost of the origin of the state continues to haunt present day Texans.
An analysis of the May 12 election demonstrates Anglo El Pasoans, “voted almost universally on the basis of race to reelect Anglo politicians,” says an Anglo political observer. “The Mexicans better wake up to the fact that while they may think they are American, Anglo Americans don’t think so and reject them out of hand.” Another Anglo political observer noted, “The Bank of the Whites were orgasmic at having shown the Mexicans they will be thrown out of downtown. That’s what cleaning up downtown means. They are not interested in picking up trash. They are interested in cleaning up downtown of Mexicans.”
A third Anglo political observer noted, “I spoke to Republicans and while they are whopping mad about taxes, they voted along race line. Don’t be naïve, its about race in El Paso and the Anglos are out to prove they can still control this town, its banks, its schools and its institutions. In their mind, this is America and America does not include Mexicans.”
Taken aback by the comments by Anglo political observers, I asked if they were suggesting that people should organize around race lines. This strategy goes against everything I stand for and given the diversity within my own family and friends, seems counterproductive. One of the observers responded, “I know how you feel. I feel the same way. We are so way beyond racialism but do you honestly think Anglo conservative voters on the Westside voted for O’Rourke and Lilly because they support higher taxes and open spaces? No. They voted for them because they are white and they needed to send a message to the Mexicans running they are in charge of this town and will never give it up. Watch now how O’Rourke is already putting Holguin down in public to show the Anglos they did the right thing. Dionicio Dorado had it right.
“Progressive” means Taxes, “Open Spaces” means “Away from Mexicans. For Westside whites, Remember the Alamo! is a mantra and they are not giving El Paso up to a bunch of f…. Mexicans. Just look at how they fought Holguin. If you look closely at the vote, Anglos voted against him. Holguin is Mexican and Indian to boot and he is not one of them.”
I responded to the frank commentary by pointing out Steve Ortega and Presi Ortega are Hispanic. One Anglo observer responded smiling, “On the one hand, you are talking about people that are completely bought off. A Mexican dilettante is just as superficial as an Anglo one. You really think Stevie thinks of himself as Mexican? You really think Presi give a hoot about the community? Wake up and smell the Café Latte. It’s the Alamo: Anglo invaders and a few Anglo wannabes. That is what is happening here in El Paso. You are spending all your time talking about issues and informing the people. What have you accomplished? Nothing. People say they care about the issues but what Anglos really care about is maintaining control of the city and county. The FBI is just the latest effort to ensure keeping the Mexicans down.”
Again I protested that I could not in good conscience go down the road of mobilizing by race. There are many good and decent people that are not like that. Joe Pickett comes to mind.
The retort came immediately, “Look. Yeah there are good people. Joe is a stand up guy. But they are few and far between. The bottom line is this. If you want to get your issues on the front burner for the good of the city you need to face reality. You can’t do a great deal of investigative work and then go home and watch election results. You have to organize. No one cares about the issues of the elite, taxes and public assets. You may but no one else does. The only thing Anglos care about is getting away from Mexicans and constantly reminding them who is boss. The only thing Mexicans care about is working and a six-pack after work. The wannabe Anglos care about how much money is put in their pocket. You can keep creating illusions and hoping things will change but it ain’t going to happen. Remember the Alamo? In this town, it happened on May 12. They remembered.”
Listening intently, I ordered cheesecake.
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This perspective first appeared in Border Observer, Jaime O. Perez, Editor