Oral history interview with David Riojas, 1996 [videorecording].

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Oral history interview with David Riojas, 1996 [videorecording].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/426941824

David Riojas begins with his family background and recalls his early political interest in the Chicano Movement during his high school and college years when he was involved in the election campaign of Ramsey Muñiz and in the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO). He explains his decision to return to Eagle Pass as an attorney and his entry into Maverick County politics. He describes the political set up which began under Judge Robert Bibb and gives details about the political corruption operated through 'las trabajadoras' (female government employees who worked the system to buy votes) in Maverick County, and was later controlled by Frank Chisum. He tells about the Raza Unida Party's election ventures, including Riojas' 1993 election to the city council of Eagle Pass. He refers to the election of Enriqueta Diaz Lane over incumbent Rudy Bowles for county judge and her ensuing scandal, and reviews the finances of various campaigns. He notes the changes he effected to the city charter to gain control of the city's boards and points to the interests of Mexico's Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) in the construction of a second international bridge over the Rio Grande connecting Piedras Negras to Eagle Pass. He expresses his concerns for the local economy and the competition between local laborers and Mexican nationals for limited job opportunities in Eagle Pass. He addresses the problems of colonias (poorly planned communities in unincorporated areas) created by unscrupulous developers and discusses the need for economic development in Maverick County. He touches on the efforts of the Kickapoo Indians to bring gambling opportunities to the area and talks about his work for Texas Rural Legal Aid (now Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid) on cases involving school attendance, wages, disability, and jail standards. He mentions the potential for natural gas and coal mining in the area involving financial backing by Carlos Salinas de Gotari (a former president of Mexico) and debates the conflicting interests of Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass.

1 videocassette (VHS) (1 hr., 39 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 55 p. ; 28 cm.

eng,

spa,

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 7452666

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Related Entities

There are 14 Entities related to this resource.

University of Texas at Arlington. Center for Mexican American Studies

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63c6s61 (corporateBody)

Partido Revolucionario Institucional

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63r6588 (corporateBody)

Bowles, Rudy.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pg51p4 (person)

Gutiérrez, José Angel,

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62r404b (person)

José Angel Gutierrez was born Oct. 25, 1944, in Crystal City, Texas. An activist, educator, organizer, and lawyer, Gutierrez co-founded the La Raza Unida Party and played many leadership roles in the early Chicano civil rights movement. He served as President of the Crystal City Independent School District Board in the early 1970s and as a County Judge for Zavala County, Tex. (1975-1980). In the 1980s, Gutierrez pursued a teaching career and moved to Oregon where he taught at Colegio Cesar Chav...

Riojas family.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w18c6h (family)

Diaz Lane, Enriqueta.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6j13bt5 (person)

Chisum, Frank.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6rf93fm (person)

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6j168wc (corporateBody)

Salinas de Gortari, Carlos 1948-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tb4g58 (person)

Bibb, Robert.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hq77qp (person)

MAYO (Organization)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kw9rsw (corporateBody)

Raza Unida Party (Tex.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d262nv (corporateBody)

The Raza Unida Party (RUP) was first established as a third political party in Crystal City, Texas, in January, 1970. As an alternative to the two-party system in Texas, Raza Unida sought social, economic, and political self-determination for Chicanos, other minorities, and the disenfranchised through local and, later, state politics. At its start, the party organized around county, local, and school district elections in south Texas; winning city council elections in Cotulla, Carri...

Riojas, David, 1953-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6g1987c (person)

David Riojas is a first generation Mexican American born in 1953 and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas. He was first involved with the Chicano Movement as a senior in high school when Ramsey Muñiz made his election bid for governor of Texas. David Riojas earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Ethnic Studies and Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) where he was a member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO). He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech Un...

Muniz, Ramsey.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64n1057 (person)