HAYS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
During the open comment section of a Commissioners Court meeting in January, Hays County official Meredith Keller sharply criticized Hays Judge Ruben Becerra, calling attention to what she believed to be censorship of her post on his official Facebook page.
“Becerra removed my comments and blocked me from his official Facebook page, where he engages with the community on matters of government, where he renders opinions on matters of government, and where he happily accepts praise on matters of government,” Keller said. “Becerra unblocked me eight days later, he acknowledged that I was blocked.”
Keller requested that the Court review Becerra’s actions as well as the Hays County’s social media policy.
“He does not have the right to censor those with whom he doesn’t agree, or people he doesn’t like, or political opponents,” Keller said. “We all need to hold ourselves and others accountable in the political arena.”
Keller, current chair of the Hays County Civil Service Commission and former Hays CISD school board trustee, was referring to her post regarding Becerra’s comments on a letter he received from San Marcos CISD.
This letter stated that the school district would cease negotiations on the proposed sale of the land adjacent to Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos. Located at 211 Lee Street, El Centro stands at the former location of Southside Elementary and the Bonham PK School, a past summarized on a Texas Historical Commission marker at the site.
The Hays County Commissioners Court had previously directed its legal team to negotiate a contract with San Marcos CISD, which currently owns the land. Hays County Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said in August that there has been an offer to buy the property by a developer that plans to build an apartment complex.
The Becerra Facebook post Keller reacted to stated that “I’m deeply disappointed that the school board chose not to work with the City & County to protect the property next door to one of our oldest neighborhoods - a place that offers real cultural value and opportunity for our community.” The remainder of the post encouraged SMCISD to reconsider their decision to cease negotiations.
In response to this post, Keller posted: “Apparently Becerra didn’t get his way and is throwing one of his usual fits. He likes to use pejorative language to gaslight in a passive aggressive way. Notice how many commenters on this thread aren’t buying what he’s selling anymore? People are waking up and taking notice of his behavior and bad actions.”
This post was blocked on Becerra’s Facebook page for eight days, according to Keller. Becerra claims that his social media team removed the post by mistake, and he re-activated the post.
“I want to clarify the situation and move forward. No one’s First Amendment rights were violated,” according to a statement Becerra made on his Facebook page. “A temporary block was made by a team member after the discussion shifted away from the issue and into personal attacks. Once I became aware of it, I reversed it immediately.
“Criticism of my record, my votes, and my conduct in office is always fair. That comes with the job, and I welcome it. My only expectation is that conversations stay focused on the work and that my family be left out of it. That standard applies to everyone and keeps discussions productive.
“Please accept my apologies - It has been reinforced - do not block anyone. It’s been made clear - CLEAR.”
Keller’s response on Becerra’s Facebook page: “Becerra, you are the responsible party for violating my rights, whether you blame an assistant, which is likely false, or not.
“Denying that you violated my First Amendment rights just proves that you are either willfully ignorant of the law or believe you are above it.
“I did not violate any rules which would allow a government official to delete comments or block residents. I did not use foul language and certainly never mentioned your family. I criticized you and your actions/behavior as a government official.”
At Commissioners Court, Keller reiterated her stance from her Facebook posts. “I respectfully request that you Commissioners spend some time considering what remedy or consequence would be best for his self serving violation of the Constitution of these United States,” Keller said.
The Daily Record reached out to Judge Becerra’s publicity team for comment on this story but did not get a response.
Gilbert D. Martinez, who teaches Media Law and Ethics at Texas State University, said that although he was unfamiliar with this example, that Becerra’s move to unblock the post was appropriate for the official social media site of a government official.
“I don’t know a lot about this particular situation, but a temporary block that was quickly remedied and explained (I presume the following day) would be the appropriate response by the public official.
“The general rule is that an elected official who uses a social media platform for government business cannot block followers. However, if the official is using a social media platform for purely personal reasons, that the official can block,” Martinez said.
