It’s hard to ignore the online trolling aimed at Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo following what critics have dubbed the “rodeo gate” incident, but none have been more relentless than the Houston Police Officers’ Union.
Nearly two weeks after the controversy, calls for Hidalgo’s resignation have grown.
At the same time, HPOU has leaned into the moment with a steady stream of unapologetic satirical posts about the county judge.
The union’s most recent jab came Sunday, as the Rodeo began to shut down for the season. In a post tagging Hidalgo directly, HPOU wrote: “All the rodeo dirt has been relocated to the Red Lot at NRG. No ticket required. No credentials needed. No escort necessary. Whenever you make it back from Europe, you’re more than welcome to come walk it, inspect it, and enjoy the view. #CuzUrTheLandlord”
HPOU has made nearly a dozen posts about the situation since March 11, when Hidalgo claimed she was “manhandled” by Rodeo officials during a concert the night before. Rodeo officials strongly denied the allegation and later removed her honorary Ex-Officio Director position after it was revealed she did not have tickets for the prime seating area. And despite Hidalgo’s attempt at calling for security footage to corroborate her claims, she noted the investigation “has not shown any relevant footage.”
The union’s first post on Hidalgo’s faux pas featured an AI-generated meme depicting a figure resembling Hidalgo being escorted by an officer, with a speech bubble reading, “I’m the County Judge.” The caption read: “The face you make when you get kicked out of Rodeo.”
The post also included a disclaimer:
“Satire. Any resemblance to real persons, actual events from last night, elected officials, or people who believe the rules don’t apply to them is purely coincidental.” The post then shares two hashtags: #YouCantSitThere and #HarrisCountyDeservesBetter
HPOU shared two more AI-generated memes in the comment section of their original post: “No, you can’t be in the Llama and Alpaca Parade,” and “Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Chron has reached out to Hidalgo’s office for comment, but could not respond in time for publication.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has become the target of the Houston Police Officers’ Union social media posts. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap/Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
Despite the repeated trolling against Hidalgo, many of HPOU’s followers appear to be enjoying the satire.
“Keep these coming!!” One person commented. “I haven’t laughed this hard in a long while!!”
“Don’t stop,” another commented. “She called for this smoke.”
In fact, the day after their first post, the law enforcement union showed they couldn’t be happier with all the responses and reactions received: “Dear Internet, You’re welcome.” That post alone received more than 6,000 likes.
A few days later, the union celebrated another milestone, announcing it had reached 200,000 followers on Facebook.
Chron has learned their Executive Board runs the social media page, starting with the union president, Doug Griffith, whose Ex Officio Director status with the rodeo, HPOU, is to remain intact.
To be fair, Hidalgo isn’t the only County Judge the HPOU has gone after. The union has also taken aim at other Texas leaders in the past. Most recently, officials reposted an article on Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who was found guilty on money laundering charges.
Chron reached out to union officials for comment on the social media posts, but has not yet received a response.
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This article originally published at Houston police union keeps trolling Lina Hidalgo over Rodeo fallout.