Woman arrested over claim she painted ‘stop SpaceX’ on mural in Texas – Business Insider

Police in Texas arrested a woman accused of spray-painting anti-SpaceX graffiti on a mural paid for by Elon Musk's foundation, The Texas Observer first reported.

Bekah Hinojosa, a resident of Brownsville and member of environmental group Another Gulf Is Possible, told The Observer that four police officers knocked on her door, handcuffed her in her house, and drove her to the local police station.

Hinojosa sent Insider a copy of a press release which she and her attorney, Mike Siegel, published.

The arrest was over Hinojosa allegedly spray-painting the words "gentrified" and "stop SpaceX" beneath a new mural in downtown Brownsville, South Texas, according to the press release.

Brownsville is located 20 miles west of SpaceX's launch facilities on the Gulf Coast and is known for being one of the poorest areas in the US. Some residents, including Hinojosa, told Insider last year they were concerned about SpaceX displacing locals, raising prices, and ruining nature reserves in the area.

Hinojosa didn't answer The Observer's questions about whether she graffitied the mural, under the advice of her attorney, per the report.

The mural was paid for by the Musk Foundation and painted by Los Angeles-based artist Teddy Kelly, who was given $20,000 to paint the wall, ValleyCentral reported when it was revealed in September.

The officers told Hinojosa that she couldn't change out of her pajamas before she was taken to the police station, and was threatened with a charge of resisting arrest, she told The Observer.

Hinojosa was kept in a jail cell for more than 24 hours and interviewed by police, according to the press release.

"I'm out of jail & back at home!!" Hinojosa tweeted on Thursday. She told The Observer she was released on a personal recognizance bond.

"I was singled out and publicly attacked by Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez because I am outspoken about the destructive impacts SpaceX is causing to our environment and community," Hinojosa said in the press release.

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez posted a mugshot of Hinojosa on Facebook, saying she was "arrested and charged with a Class B misdemeanor stemming from the graffiti at the BTX mural in our historic downtown." Mendez said in the post that the incident was caught on CCTV cameras.

Texas law states that some Class B misdemeanors, such as graffiti, require a citation and not an arrest, The Observer reported.

Siegel said in the press release that he was calling on the City of Brownsville to dismiss the charges against Hinojosa, and investigate Mendez for "abuse of power."

"This is clear retaliation motivated by Rebekah's 1st Amendment protected conduct to challenge the environmental impact of SpaceX," adding that Mendez was "violating federal law."

Brownsville Police Department and Mendez didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In an interview with Insider last year, Hinojosa said SpaceX was "littering" the ecosystems which were " the community's lifeblood."

The Brownsville Police Department declined to comment to The Observer and Mendez didn't respond to its request for comment before publication.

Are you a resident of Brownsville? What do you think of SpaceX being in the area? How has it impacted you? Get in touch with this reporter via email (kduffy@insider.com) or Twitter DM (kate__duffy).

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Woman arrested over claim she painted 'stop SpaceX' on mural in Texas - Business Insider