As we have documented in the past, the fiery rise and subsequent crash of the Cheezmeh "community advocacy" group cum "cult" and its defectors and now detractors has become one of this city's favorite spectator sports.
Originally hailed by its Great Leader "The Cheez" – aka Austin resident Erasmo Castro – and his sister and right-hand man Linda Dragustinovis, a Los Fresnos resident, as a benevolent agent of progressive change, it quickly succumbed to the temptations of the opportunistic fast buck and is now allied with the Ernie and Erin Hernandez vote-harvesting political machine.
But if it veiled its tendencies before under a cloak of feigned benevolence and benign hipness, the gloves are off now as its principals try to reign in its dwindling following through transparent charity scams and an air of assumed projected political might.What many thought was a group dedicated to lead the masses to progress and a New Order in Brownsville has thrown its considerable weight behind the fortunes of the Hernandezes and their Grand Plan to establish a machine based on patronage and favors that will allow control the political landscape with their handpicked candidates.
There was always a projected air of turpitude that emanated from their activities. Whether it was Erasmo's felony conviction for forging official documents to attain a BMW in the past or their being sued by immigrant legal representatives for allegedly running a continuing criminal enterprise as notary publics and fleecing applicants by filing immigration forms and document for which they were not certified, all those chickens have come back to roost.
As a result of the group shedding all pretense of their former persona, it has now become the target of its detractors, many of them former Kool Aid drinkers who used to be counted among Erasmo and Linda's ardent supporters.
Bloggers like Jim Barton who joined forces with Cheezmeh is now one of its most acerbic critics. And the initial love affair between it and the blogger of the Brownsville Voice fell part almost at once when they fought over credit for downing the Air Frontera charter service proposed by their nemesis Carlos Quintanilla, president of Accion America from Dallas.
The list goes on. The bikers groups and members of the firefighters and paramedic unions quickly came to a parting of their ways with the Cheezmosos as did independent-minded professionals who saw through the smoke and mirror devices utilized by Erasmo and sister Linda.Among their perceived archenemies is Zeke Silva,a former candidate for city commissioner who sided with Cameron County District Attorney's Office candidate Luis Saenz while Cheezmeh plugged for Carlos Masso, the eventual losing candidate in the runoff. Saenz also beat off Republican challenger Chuck Mattingly, another Cheezmeh candidate.
Needless to say, there is no love lost between Silva and the two principals at Cheezmeh.
So when the group announced that they would hold their Xmas party and it became publicly known that it would be at the home of newly-elected Justice of the Peace Erin Hernandez Garcia, the plans changed overnight. The party was held elsewhere and featured some novel fundraiser activities.
Most notable of the scores of photos posted by the group and disseminated all over the web was the dollar dance where the lucky patron could place the greenback down Linda's front.Critics wasted no time in copying photos off the Internet posted by Cheezmeh in its Facebook page and gleefully pointing out them, warts and all, plus a little bit of Linda's llantitas and a chunk of Erasmo's considerable ones.
Plastic surgery, they wrote, can only cover up so much and Erasmo's jacket could keep a poor family warm if used as a blanket.It's a cruel, cold world out there in cyberfeudland, indeed!
The sparsely-attended affair featured Erasmo and others singing karaoke while visitors drifted in and out. Some of their friends remain loyal, including former Brownsville Independent School District candidate Donald Clupper who showed he could still put down a cold one and croon a song with the best of them. And Erin also made her cameo to give Erasmo and her pal Linda the traditional Xmas abrazo.
With the city commission elections coming up in May, the group may try to salvage its dismal political scorecard backing the candidates they can entice to join them in their movement. We suspect that its detractors will be there right behind them watching for missteps to point them out.
When you get tired of watching the History Channel, tune in to the Brownsville Cyberfeud. It's always good for a laugh!
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