Mayor & Council Failing to Protect El Pasoans

Everybody relax...I took a break from blogging for awhile, but now I’m back. 

And to usher in more commentary from my blog, I can think of nothing better to discuss than the failure of city leaders to deal with COVID-19. 

We are facing more cases than we ever have before. We have an unprecedented spike in cases. Our hospitals are teetering at capacity for ICU beds. Our healthcare system is at the breaking point. 

And most of our city leadership is failing us right now. 

Republican leaders have been pushing for reopening of the economy from the get-go. Simple and basic things like wearing a mask have become politicized by conservatives as though its some sort of battle cry for their various conspiracy theories. 

I’ll admit, I have a lot of friends that I didn’t know were total idiots until the ‘Rona happened. But there they are spouting stupid conspiracy theory after stupid conspiracy theory like they were the second coming of Alex Jones. 

You see its easy for the uninformed to buy into pendejadas when it doesn’t affect them directly. Thats why its so easy for them to call it a hoax, say that its all gonna disappear after the election, or politicize the issue and say that its one big effort to get Trump. 

The ones that say it will disappear after the election are a special kind of stupid - and it is their inability to accept reality that is costing so many people their health and for far too many, their lives. 

But policy makers are the ones that are supposed to find the solutions to problems to protect people. Its their most basic function. And that isn’t happening right now. 

Republican leaders that pushed for the re-opening of the economy are the problem. They put profits above people. And many bars are big culprits in the spike in cases. 

Bars are reopening as restaurants in order to get back in business. The problem is, there are rules they are supposed to be sticking to in order to re-opening as safely as possible during this pandemic, and the rules aren’t being followed. 

I kept noticing that the parking lot of a bar in East El Paso was full several days a week. So, I wanted to find out if they were complying with the rules and to my (naive) surprise, it appears that they aren’t. I went in on a Sunday night, wearing mask and gloves - and I was the only person in the place that was actually wearing a mask. I observed a bunch of young people that were mostly in their twenties, all sitting close to one another, pounding drinks like we aren’t in the middle of a global pandemic. 

No one - and I mean no one - in that place was eating food. There was a stray paper food boat here and there on a couple of tables that might have had food at one point. But it is very difficult to see how the majority of their profits come from food sales. 

Very little distance between tables. Apparently no limit to how many people sit together. 

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Here’s some video and pictures. 

That establishment is in my district - City Representative District 6. My city rep is Rodriguez and quite frankly - she blew me off and was patronizing. And quite frankly it was two months of the ineptitude of her office that inspired me to come back. 

Someone saw me taking pictures and video and he came over to ask me why. He identified himself as the owner - and just a few minutes earlier I saw him taking shots with other guests - and offered to buy me one. He said they were just trying to “avoid any trouble”. 

Not, hey were are doing the best we can to make sure no one gets sick. Just that they wanted to “avoid any trouble”. 

And that isn’t the only place that appears to not be adhering to the rules. 

I went to El Rey Muerto that is located on George Dieter and Montwood and it was a similar situation. There appeared to be no social distancing. The bouncer was a stickler for having a mask when you walk in, but then no one wears them once they are inside. Tables close to one another and the bar area is packed. But my favorite part is that there are signs all over the place saying you must buy food - no exceptions. 

No one asked me to buy food. Not even an attempt. They just came over with a bar napkin and asked me what I wanted to drink. 

Same thing at Coco Miel and La Unica. They all post that you have to order food, but no one asked me to buy food - nor mentioned that it was a requirement. 

Not all establishments are like these. A few places seem like they are doing their best to comply with the rules to keep customers safe. 

Border City Ale House…they require a food purchase and they have a menu that is obtained by scanning a QR code, so that that you browse their menu on your own cell phone. 

Funkmeyers has tables split further than 6 feet apart. You cannot get a drink unless you oder food. Period, no exceptions. 

Applebee’s, which isn’t a bar but serves alcohol, has a staff member who wears a different uniform than every one else, who’s main purpose is to sanitize a seating area between guests. 

Council can direct PD to enforce the rules. No one has been prosecuted for breaking the rules. The Mayor and members of council can change that at any moment they want to. 

This bar situation has shown my libertarianism is a pipe dream. Under their beliefs, problems magically fix themselves by the magic invisible hand of “the market”. Well that clearly hasn’t happened. And here we are. 

Council should require that the bars that are now operating as restaurants are inspected first and given a letter grade for their compliance. The businesses should have to display those grades so that customers can make their own decision about what establishments to support. We should have the ability to make our own choices and about health risks - and to do so with information - not a sign a bar clearly doesn’t follow. 

This means that a place that isn’t complying with the rules isn’t rewarded with customers by lying to them about requirements to buy food - and allows people to, if they so choose, can still support that establishment regardless of that their letter grade is. But that is a decision that would then be on the individual. 

But the city can’t even publish the accurate numbers in terms of infections and hospitalizations. That is shameful and should be corrected now. 

Tommy Gonzalez should stop politicizing this pandemic. I get it, he and the Mayor are Republicans. But the Mayor should’ve put him in his place when he attacked City Rep Svarzbein in a recent meeting. He works for the Mayor and Council. Not the other way around. 

Council should make clusters public. Because the people have a right to know. That way they can make informed health decisions. 

And we should not be afraid to talk about what we all know, but are somehow tip-toeing around. We have members of council that are bar owners. We have a mayor that is closely tied to the insurance industry. 

An industry that could potentially be impacted if cluster numbers are released. 

The health of El Pasoans is a bigger priority than the profit of wealthy members of council. 

Its good to be back….