Report: Border Patrol Museum in El Paso Attacked by Protesters; Memorial to Fallen Ag
(Tweets at Link)
Report: Border Patrol Museum in El Paso Attacked by Protesters; Memorial to Fallen Agents Vandalized
February 16, 2019
Kristinn Taylor
There is an unconfirmed report from El Paso, Texas, that the National Border Patrol Museum was attacked by protesters on Saturday. A poster on Twitter, whose report about the attack was retweeted by a Texas Border Patrol union account, stated the protesters attacked every exhibit at the museum including the Memorial Room dedicated to agents who gave their lives in the line of duty. The poster, Gloria Ham, appears to be current or former Border Patrol by her use of the word “our” to describe the attack. Ham’s account states she is in El Paso. In some tweets she states she is a federal employee. Ham copied President Trump, his son Don, Jr., and Dan Bongino on her tweets.
“Today a group of protesters invaded the Border Patrol Museum and defaced all of the exhibits honoring our history including our sacred Memorial Room. These patriots died in the line of duty. Efforts to prosecute them will be pursued.”
“Today a group of protesters invaded the Border Patrol Museum and defaced all of the exhibits honoring our history including our sacred Memorial Room. These patriots died in the line of duty. Disgrace to decency.”
The Border Patrol union account, Border Patrol RGVTX @rgv3307, posted in reply to Ham, “Our Agency’s history and legacy is shared through those doors, and the memories of our fallen #BorderPatrolAgents are told through the BP Museum’s Memorial Room.”
The museum has not reported the attack on its website, nor has any mention been made on its Twitter or Facebook accounts. The last Facebook post was early Saturday morning.
A recent photo of the exterior of the museum.
Recent Gloria Ham tweets stating her background and support for President Trump.
A call to the El Paso police PIO Saturday night was not returned as of publication of this article. Nor was a request for comment from Gloria Ham replied to.
UPDATE: Another El Paso based account states the attackers were with Occupy Tornillo, a radical open borders group holding a long weekend of protests in El Paso from the 14th through the 18th.
Excerpt:
“While the group has called for disruptive Nonviolent Direct Actions at detention centers, and ICE field offices, across the nation, in solidarity with the Weekend of Revolutionary Love, Tornillo: The Occupation will focus its weekend efforts on the Tornillo/El Paso area.
“The El Paso region is ground zero for a corrupt and broke immigration system, there are many detention centers that are operating with impunity and are largely unnoticed. This weekend aims to continue the spread of a culture of resistance in El Paso, and across the nation.” Elizabeth Vega, organizer Tornillo: The Occupation.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...ts-vandalized/
Donations pour in to help vandalized Border Patrol museum
by Anna Giaritelli
| February 22, 2019 01:48 PM
Thousands of dollars of donations have been made to the U.S. Border Patrol Museum in Texas since it was vandalized last weekend.
The museum has received $15,000 in the six days since protesters trashed the facility in El Paso, Texas. Damage done by vandals included pasting pictures on the walls, including onto pictures of some Border Patrol agents who died in the line of duty.
"An unintended consequence of this, and it’s a good thing: We’re getting a lot of PayPal contributions," the museum's director, David Ham, told the Washington Examiner.
The museum is also receiving financial gifts from the Border Patrol Foundation, the Border Patrol Family Network, and at least one crowdfunding site.
Nuri Vitiello, founder of the Border Patrol Family Network and wife of former national Border Patrol Chief Ron Vitiello, said it was painful to learn that the museum's memorial room was damaged.
"I was mortified because I've gone with so many surviving families and I've realized this is their place," said Vitiello, who oversees a group that connects thousands of Border Patrol spouses and families nationwide. "We can go anytime and the memorial — where your fallen are honored — they're always there."
"So when I found out about the damage that was caused to that wall, I was just heartbroken," she said.
https://mediadc.brightspotcdn.com/di...07.27%20PM.png
Vitiello visited the museum last year, and two children whose father is memorialized in the remembrance room gave her a tour of the space. She posted the video on the organization's Facebook page and has had $3,500 in donations come through for the museum.
Border Patrol Foundation Executive Director Shannon Staples agreed the defacing of the memorial room was the "hardest to see."
"Agents who have given their lives in the line of duty protecting this country and their families who were left behind were disrespected in a way that is beyond comprehension," Staples wrote in an email.
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The foundation has had supporters give $6,300 to help the museum, which is apolitical and not federally funded. The rest of the donations have gone through the museum's PayPal page.
The Border Patrol is 94 years old. The museum was established in 1985 in the basement of a building in downtown El Paso. In 1994, it opened its doors in a new 10,000-square-foot building just outside city limits. It is open daily and free to the public.
Federal investigators have shut down the museum all week as they document the damage done to more than 110 pictures and property damage. Because the museum is based on Fort Bliss, charges against those who protested at the scene could be filed by the FBI if they decide there is a case.
Families of agents and retired personnel living near El Paso plan to help the museum clean up once the investigation has been concluded.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...-patrol-museum
