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Medrano / Remapping Efforts

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Interviewer-"So, lets see, lets hop over to 1990, considering how much time we have, [?] Garcia Tomet. Mr. Medrano-Ok. Interviewer-"You were part of their remapping of district boundaries in 1990?" Mr. Medrano-Right, right, right. Interviewer-"What got you to that point, like we're you [?]" Mr. Medrano-First of all, I knew what re-mapping was in the beginning [?] we don't get them right, we're not going to get people elected [?] wrong. So, all three was [?] Domingo knew that and [?] knew that. Why don't we just turn around and I'll work to see what re-mapping is, you know its like parenting and , at that time, when I was a, what you call, mostly a street person, that they know where there's allies and the streets and the dead ends and everything is [?] I aint got time to know where Sylvester is and Rosewood and Guam, and Jim and Miller, I'm going to tell you streets that I know. I know where houses are at and once they start drawing [?] No, no, no, you don't want that pocket there and same thing with Joe [?] he's right, he's right, we need to bypass the railroad track, cross over here [?] So, you knew exactly where the rollers were and he didn't have, whether Hispanics or you want this job, you can see it, but no, no you gotta cut and paste, cut the [?] bisect it, split that precinct and cut it [?] just like they did to us. They can draw a district 80% Hispanic and 20% Anglo and they still can win. They sure can with 20% Anglo, knowing that there's where the voters are at and they know where the undocumented cause they know studies in elementaries schools-free lunches and Micas, you know the Mica, and the know they don't have social security numbers, so then the school requires to have an enrollment number, so once I ask for a social security, I can't [?] in school, I don't have one, they said, "Ok, you need a Texas ID number," How many of people are going to that school that have a Texas ID? You know a social security number, yea, yea. Now, you know, those are there, put em 90% put em in there. And we're looking at where registered voters are-American citizens able to vote, that kind of stuff. [?] When Domingo did VC, the original district from Fort Worth, Arlington, he just looking at Hispanics. He told, You don't do that, you don't do that, you got a little further [?] ran right, he took every undocumented agent, almost 80% Hispanic Congressional district. And he didn't kick in too good. Interviewer-"He lost" Mr. Medrano-He did lost. Interviewer-"OK" Mr. Medrano-Cause you have to, its a Joe [?] was an architect, a [?] population, he took everything into consideration, he took the council and elementary school as one, then he took history, look at the voters, [?] comes out, he looked at voter history of a given precinct, so thats a given, so you just draw because its Hispanic, no, they'll wipe you out so fast [?].....

Interview Interview with Robert Medrano
Subjects Citizenship › Definitions of Citizenship
Citizenship › Voting and Voter Registration
Race Relations › Black-Brown Race Relations
Geography › Places (Cities, Towns, Neighborhoods, and Intersections)
Court Cases › Single Member District Court Cases
Electoral Politics › Voter Registration
Electoral Politics › Electoral Districts
Class and Status › Intra-racial/ethnic Cross-class Collaboration
Electoral Politics › Electoral Districts › Gerrymandering
Electoral Politics › Electoral Districts › Single-Member Districts
Tags Garcia, Domingo
May, Joe
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Interview date 2015-06-10
Interview source CRBB Summer 2015
Interviewees Medrano, Robert
Interviewers Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés
Locations Dallas, Texas
Duration 00:04:00
Citation "Remapping Efforts," from Robert Medrano oral history interview with Moisés Acuña-Gurrola,  June 10, 2015, Dallas, TX, Civil Rights in Black and Brown Interview Database, https://crbb.tcu.edu/clips/888/remapping-efforts, accessed November 12, 2025