Haitians in Del Rio, TX

Angry white men on horseback, waving whips and guttural growls, chasing tired brown men down and insulting their women. This scene injures me, because inside of me, deep inside is a sore souvenir, a stain on my soul, passed on from ancestors who experienced this treatment on this very land by the Rio Grande. It's a river muddied with tears and blood and I have never felt good looking at it or crossing it, I have always thought it ugly and prefer the creek.

Long after the Haitian migrants have gone, long after our current President is gone, this town will always be known for the powerful and horrific images that were taken over the past few days. Photos and videos that remind us how nothing has changed along the river, and how the devil can still be found in a white man on a horse. It will also be known for the disgusting commentary and racist remarks so many Del Rioans felt comfortable sharing on social media.

I am disappointed in the townspeople of Del Rio, with their religion and Fiesta de Amistad Parade, with their lineages and cultural celebrations that cross the river into Mexico. They choose to forget their own roots. They choose to forget the ruin that was met when the floodwaters took loved ones, homes and livelihoods away one October. Instead they pass around judgement and that obnoxious phrase to "lock and load" and posture with their bigoted words on social media. Driven by fear instead of showing the courage and bravery it takes to look a Haitian migrant in the eye and try to understand and to be decent in thought and action towards them. 

Del Rioans should be outraged when a white man on a horse brandishes a whip and treats people like cattle. I am angry at the townspeople for encouraging hatred towards migrants while claiming to be a community that cares. It's not a community that cares. As citizens we only had to be decent with our words.

The attitudes surrounding this crisis will impact the future of this town. Now the town will find itself playing the victim when it could have grown a little by carrying a spirit of goodwill in the midst of chaos and disaster. There's a way to do things, ask any investor. I have written about this place for decades, but today I have lost all faith in it. It will never amount to anything.

 "Mwen regrèt...je suis désolé."