Op-Ed: Elon Musk, Donald Trump and House-Shakings in the RGV
Story by Nina Alegre
Edited by Abigail Vela
The Rio Grande Valley has captured the attention of many questionable figures and businesses, including Elon Musk/SpaceX, President-elect Donald Trump and Rio Grande LNG. Many changes are rapidly advancing in our region, which can damage and harm our environment. Especially when our local city officials are delighted by the arrival of such figures and businesses and even go as far as to congratulate them on the “groundbreaking work” they are doing.
Despite all this, non-profit organizations such as the South Texas Environmental Justice Network (SOTXEJN) and Our Zero Waste Future (OZWF) are constantly raising their voice against Elon Musk/SpaceX, Donald Trump and LNG, which is more than any politician can hope to do.
While we know the fight is never over, we have to remember that many in our community do not think the same way we do or hold the same political beliefs and ideologies. If we want to change the system and influence people to join us in our true groundbreaking efforts, we must educate them and show that what they believe in harms everyone in the Valley.
The RGV Against Multi-Billionaires
Together, Musk and Trump make billions of dollars, which is more money than we can hope to see in our lifetime. We are often sold the idea that we can make that a reality if we work hard. But more than that, Musk has spent an estimated $200 million helping Trump during his campaign. Musk even went as far as to offer people a large amount of money if they pledged to cast their vote on the ballot for the U.S. Republican representative, Donald J. Trump.
Musk’s efforts, however unfair, were unfortunately successful. As the saying goes, the world is indeed run by money, but there are still things that money can’t buy. One thing Musk hasn’t been able to buy and make a reality is his attempts to rename Cameron County to StarBase, and thankfully, his efforts have not been fruitful. This is a small win in many big defeats in the name of SpaceX, but it’s a win nonetheless.
While the RGV has constantly rattled against Musk and SpaceX, there are still many SpaceX supporters, residents or non-residents of the Valley, who have joined in on observing the sixth flight test.
On November 19, Brownsville saw the arrival of President-elect Trump to our city as he arrived from the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, the town of Brownsville stood by the intersection of Boca Chica Boulevard and Vermillion Avenue as they cheered their support for a president who would be more than willing to deport them or their family members.
But this isn’t to say that everyone in the RGV thinks the same way. SOTXEJN and OZWF were just two organizations that published press release letters against SpaceX on Tuesday, November 19, as the sixth flight test was launched at the Boca Chica Beach site.
SpaceX House-Related Damages, Opinions and Feelings
On November 19, an article published on Chron.com stated that SpaceX launches could damage nearby homes. Edward Leslie, a man from Waco, is suing SpaceX for damages caused to the foundation of his home due to the vibrations from a space rocket engine testing at its McGregor facility. The damage to the homes is not the only cause of stress and worry for Texans but also for residents of the RGV who have expressed their opinions and feelings on SpaceX through environmental awareness or simply feeling fear and frustration.
In the RGV, Isabel Vuittonet (she/her), a full-time student at UTRGV majoring in political science who works at H-E-B as a part-time cashier, doesn’t have positive opinions on Elon Musk and SpaceX. Vuittonet commented, “I think what he’s doing is very damaging, and I think that he’s essentially gentrifying the Valley, especially Cameron County. I feel like he and his company kind of treat the Valley as collateral damage in his quest for space exploration.”
Vuittonet shared how during the SpaceX launch on October 13, she “was woken up at six or seven in the morning” because she felt her house shaking, and “it felt like an earthquake.” Vuittonet expressed her frustration: “It was a little scary, but I was mostly frustrated ‘cause I live 50 miles away, I shouldn’t be feeling this.”
Dex (any pronouns), another student at UTRGV, is from Los Fresnos. Dex shared about their experiences with the launches and how it has affected them and their family, “So my house will shake really aggressively for five-ish minutes, maybe a little bit less. It usually wakes me up in the mornings when the launches happen. The windows [would rattle], and the whole house will shake. The first time, I wasn’t aware a launch was happening. It actually really scared me and my family because we didn’t really know what was happening. I also have friends whose windows even shattered.”
Dex also shared their thoughts about the most recent launch on November 19, “It’s quite upsetting because I really don’t think that there’s any concern for wildlife, property damage, damage for just scaring anybody. I also think it brings unnecessary attention to certain areas of the Valley to be further developed.”
Lastly, Dex talked about Boca Chica Beach with love and heartache, “I used to go to Boca Beach all the time as a kid. Some of my best memories are building sand castles, playing in the water and riding ATVs up and down the beach. That can’t really happen anymore, and it is upsetting to have such a cherished place for a lot of people in the Valley be developed the way it has.”
Melinda Melo (they/them), the Texas Community Organizer for OZWF, expressed their opinions on Musk and how Musk views the land, “Elon Musk quite clearly said that, right? He said that if something happens to this area, it doesn’t matter because there isn’t really anyone around. That’s infuriating, given the fact that the Valley has over 400 years of history, if not more.”
Melo stated that they didn’t experience shaking but shared that their dogs noticed something was up, “In Mercedes, the day that the last launch happened, my dogs started […] crying and barking and freaking out like crazy.”
Looking Out Into Our Future
Many organizations in the RGV, such as Ruido Studios and La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), have been working hard this past month to create spaces that allow our community to collectively resist people such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk: From creating spaces that allow for conversations to happen to hosting gatherings that allow others to express their love through letter writing.
However, organizations are not the only ones taking the lead in creating action on social justice topics. The Flower Shop Art Residency, along with Resistencia Fronteriza, hosted a banner making workshop to create banners with messages of resilience against President-elect Donald Trump.
With so many changes and challenges happening in our country, we can strengthen each other and our communities by fighting against the politicians who do not speak for us. Stay in touch with us as we find ways to advocate for the RGV, and in 2025, we hope you stick with us and our stories as we envision a better future for all.
