EPISD board members file police report after online threat

An online comment on the El Paso Times website hasEPISD board members fearing for their lives.

EPISDboard president Isela Castanon Williams and board member Alfredo Borrego tell us they are frightened not just for themselves but also for their families.

Could free speech have gone to far?

“People of El paso, we need to revisit our Second Amendment. The second amendment is the right to bear arms and rid our selves of these parasitic group of people. That’s pretty strong language, that is pretty much a threat,” saidEPISD board member Alfredo Borrego, reading out the comment that was posted by Facebook user Sue Lin, following a El paso Times article. Borregofeels the comment , which reads: “we need to revisit our Second Amendment” is a threat. “If they don’t like somebody in the School Board what she is saying here is let’s get rid of them. Let’s useour Second Amendment right and bear arms and get rid of them and that’s a direct threat to me, to my colleagues and every elected official,” said Borrego.

Borrego told ABC-7,he’s not just fearing for his own safety. “My family is scared, my wife and my daughter that live here, my two children in Chicago are scared for my life, for their mom’s life, for their sisters life,” said Borrego.

What also bothers Borrego is the amount of time the post remained on the website.

“The El Paso Times let this comment go on for more than 11 hours yesterday,” said Borrego.

Borrego’s daughter told ABC-7she first noticed the article at around 6:30 Friday morning.

When she finished up her day and came home she says the post was still up at 6 o’clock in the evening.

“I think it’s an indicator of how out of control this newspaper has gotten,” said EPISD board president Isela Castanon Williams.

Williams says she’s also afraid. “I am concerned for my sons.I am concerned for my family members,” said Williams.

Borrego and Williams filed a police report early Saturday.

“I don’t know what to do but I’m at least going to file a police report so that the police department knows, if something happens to any of us they have that report,” said Borrego.

Borrego’s daughter did tell ABC-7 once she notified the El Paso Times about the innapropriate comment, the newspaper removed it withinfive minutes.

Bob Moore, editor for the El Paso Times, tellsABC-7, they don’t review every comment and as soon as they found out, they banned the user from posting any more comments.