Cabrera says she won’t take latest city offer on statue

An artist and the city have been in a legal battle for months now over a sculpture that was reportedly taken down by the city without the knowledge of the artist.

Margarita Cabrera is the creator of “Uplift,” which was supposed to be a part of the new country club road. She said the city has approached her with a new settlement, but that it’s about more than just the money.

“This whole effort and investment by the city, by our citizens, by myself, by the community that has participated, it has all been wasted,” Cabrera said. “It took three years in the making, and they’re offering me $25,000 as a settlement offer, which includes the money they owe me.”

Cabrera said she has no intention of taking the city’s latest offer from a new, outside attorney. She gathered with supporters like fellow artist Angel Cabrales to talk about the impact not just on her project, but on the city as a whole.

“It’s really bad,” Cabrales said, “because if El Paso wants to draw in more artists, I see this as something that’s going to push artists away.”

The city has said it removed the sculpture because of structural concerns, and because it deviated from the original design, when Cabrera added gun fragments.

Freelance journalist Debbie Nathan, a Chucopedia founder, obtained dozens of city emails concerning the project under the Texas Public Information Act sent between March 13 and the end of April that were posted on the Chucopedia Facebook page. The emails show the sculpture was ordered removed less than an hour after a complaint came in on march 13th.

“There is no trust to make a deal,” said Julie Cabrales, a business owner in the area, “a contract or something with them if they are not going to be responsible enough as leaders of the community, to keep their word.”

The city has repeatedly refused to respond to requests for comment on this issue.
saying they can’t comment on ongoing legal disputes.