The Extraordinary Hypocrisy of the City of Brownsville on Downtown Parking

"For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers". .  .  .St. Matthew 23:4

Free Parking for Mayor & City Commissioners

While not a devout Christian like Tony Martinez or others on the City Commission, even as an agnostic, I recognize truth in Jesus words above.  They fit the City of Brownsville like a glove with how they've handled the downtown parking "problem."

For those of you not familiar with the so-called Good Book, the Pharisees, self-righteous religious experts of twenty centuries ago, used to control the common people with a myriad of rules they themselves did not follow.  

Interim City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez
Parks Free Downtown

The City of Brownsville has identified the "problem" for downtown as minimum wage earners "pumping quarters" into parking meters all day.  When interim City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez recites that phrase over and over to make himself believe it's true, it sounds as if drunken gamblers in Vegas are greedily feeding the slots to hit a big payoff.  Actually, these folks are simply trying to earn a living in the "poorest city in the United States" by working in what may be the most neglected downtown.

City Attorney Mark Sossi's Land Rover,
Parked FREE in a metered space

Ramiro and the rest of city administrators, most whose salaries are 4 or 5 times what the employees of downtown businesses make, enjoy FREE parking.  Most do not even bother to use city parking lots, but simply find spaces nearest the City Commission building, placing City of Brownsville I.D. cards on their car's dash or rearview mirror so they can park FREE. Interestingly, Monday, March 31 was a holiday for the city and the normally full lot at 10th and Washington was half empty, yet downtown CITY employees were never mentioned as part of the problem for all the spaces they take up FREE,  only the minimum wage employees of downtown businesses who were PAYING to park. 

Even when the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation meets monthly, hoods cover parking meters on E. 10th so these professionals can park FREE for their daytime meeting.

Several meters at 10th and Elizabeth remain empty 99% of the time, used twice a month so the mayor and city commissioners can park FREE.  Are we sensing a theme here? 

City Commissioner Tetreau-Kalifa

At the 3/18/14 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa, just before she voted to double the parking rate downtown, as she promised not to do at the town hall forum, asked Planner Gonzalez:  "What about offering the employees of downtown businesses free parking as was suggested at the town hall forum?"

"Well, it's just $30 per month.  Originally, it was going to be $60.  The $30 is primarily so Traffic can track it. . . . There are some costs, printing the cards and laminating," stated Planner Gonzalez with almost a straight face.

I must admit when I heard those words roll out of Ramiro's mouth I screamed an unchristian "bull shit" at my TV tuned to Channel 12. A laminated card costs maybe 2 or 3 dollars to produce at most. Minimum wage downtown parkers will pay $360 per year for as many years as they work downtown.    Maybe those cards should be laminated in gold.

Near empty top floor of City Plaza during downtown's
busiest day.  This pic did not make Ramiro's power point.

Let's examine the claim by the city that downtown workers may have to walk 3 or 4 blocks but they will be paying "half" of what they used to pay. Ramiro must be using the "new math."  Yes, the downtown workers would pay $60 if they worked 30 days per month.  Even a full-time worker normally works 5 days per week or only 20 days per month.  Yet, many downtown workers are not full-time, but part-time on minimum wage.  Some are called in to work during peak hours, maybe even sent home if things are slow.  They may still be better off "pumping quarters' while keeping their vehicle close.  Ramiro's numbers are off.

Bishop Daniel Flores

Actually, I thought Brownsville's most prominent religious leader might speak out on this parking issue and the potential loss of Lincoln Park by Brownsville least represented.  His favorite book does recommend supporting the little people:

   

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  ."  .  .St. Matthew 25:40

Bishop Flores did complain heavily that the county's 8-liners were taking money Brownsville's poor used to put into the Church's collection plate, but he's been noticeably silent on these "least of these my brethren" issues.