A review of the warrant list published by the El Paso Times in its Sunday edition demonstrates the publication had only one intention: to humiliate El Pasoans unable to meet financial obligations.
The most egregious fault of the biased publication was headlining the list, “Criminal Warrants.”
The fact is there were only 900 criminal warrants listed, yet, 5,000 were listed for bad checks and a huge 78,000 names were published as having unresolved traffic issues.
The powers that be evidently believe that stigmatization of minors needs to begin as early as possible lest they grow up to become upstanding citizens.
The published list included the names of 15 minors, 14 of them with Mexican last names. It is never too early to start putting the fear of God into those who need to know their place in El Paso society.
In a city of 700,000 residents, to list 83,900 persons means more than one in ten people are 'criminals' according to the Times. How many families were affected by this listing? You can be sure at least half of the families in the entire county were affected by this attack on the community perpetrated by the Times.
Chief Richard Wiles, County Attorney Jose Rodriguez and Editor Don Flores are no doubt rejoicing in the humiliation of El Paso families.
And why not? It is good business for the three. Chief Wiles stays in the good graces of the city manager by issuing tickets and forcing more 'criminals' that will stay away from voting booths lest they be caught. County Attorney Jose Rodriguez becomes the new man on campus turning his back on his constituents and gaining more money for the County and the City and the Times laughs at El Paso families all the way to the bank. Never mind their own personnel have recently been arrested for defrauding bank customers. But it is more important to humiliate working people for not being able to afford insurance and so much easier to bury criminal news.
One in ten people in El Paso are subject to arrest at any time. It boggles the mind. One elderly woman who survived with a wood chimney this past winter said, “I paid a ticket but they told me they have no record of it and that I have to pay again. I asked if I could make payments and they said no. I am so afraid they are going to come and arrest me.”
The Texas Family Code affords protection to minors. Article 58 explains the identity of a minor should be kept private in any legal proceeding. Subsection .007 goes as far as requiring the protection of a minor’s identity even if the commission of a crime included an adult.
In Texas, a minor is anyone under the age of 16 years of age and anyone 17 and 18 under probation.
Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion OR2003-0317 that the identity of minors should not be published. The inclusion of minors in the so-called “criminal warrants” list does not have legal justification.
The humiliation of El Paso families is part of the ongoing best practices and harassment policies of those that want to hold El Paso down. The message is unmistakable. Through control of the Times, the Police Department and the County prosecutors, the population has been assaulted directly by those whom do not share their values.
Freedom Is Lost When Good Men & Women Do Nothing
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This perspective first appeared in Border Observer, Jaime O. Perez, Editor