Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she was roughed up by staff at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Tuesday night when she tried to get onto a dirty floor.
“First there was a man yelling at me, then multiple men, then multiple men pushing me,” Hidalgo told Eyewitness News in an exclusive interview.
Rodeo officials told Eyewitness News they were unaware of any physical altercation but confirmed Hidalgo and her guests were denied entry to the floor due to a lack of slide seat tickets.
As county judge, Hidalgo is the rodeo’s ex-officio director and has a seat in the county suite. NRG Stadium, where the rodeo is held, is owned by the county.
Rodeo officials said Hidalgo’s team requested and received nearly $9,000 worth of floor tickets for Hidalgo and her guests for the first three nights.
But they said Hidalgo’s team was told she wouldn’t be allowed in Tuesday night because Meghan Mulroney’s concert was sold out.
“When I set out, someone on my crew mentioned to me very briefly, ‘We heard the dirt was full,'” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo said she and her five guests, including West University Place Mayor Susan Sample and Sample’s two children, were allowed to sit in the county suite.
At some point, Hidalgo said, they decided to try their luck at the floor passage.
“I’ve never needed a wristband,” she said.
Hidalgo said two of her guests, the parents of a deceased Air Force veteran, were allowed onto the floor, but she and other guests were blocked.
“At some point, they said, you know, these are paid seats. I said, ‘Well, I’ll pay for it,'” Hidalgo said.
Rodeo officials said Hidalgo was asked multiple times to return to the county suite and was eventually asked to leave the rodeo after she refused.
In the recording she provided, you can hear a man telling her she needed to leave the property.
“They escorted me out of Harris County Stadium, right behind me, and frankly, reminded me of cattle,” Hidalgo said.
The rodeo performer insists Hidalgo left unescorted and that her guests were never asked to leave.
Her guests said they were asked to leave, including the mayor of West University, who by then had returned to the county suite.
“I don’t know what it is, but it’s not the spirit of rodeo, it’s not the spirit of this community, and frankly it makes me more worried about those in our community who don’t pass for whiteness,” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo said surveillance video from NRG Stadium supports her claims that she was roughed up. She said she was working hard to get it.
Chris Boleman, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, released the following statement:
“On March 10, during a sold-out Megan Moroney concert, Judge Lina Hidalgo attempted to enter the dirt area without valid chute seat tickets. Additionally, she attempted to bring several guests, who also did not have chute seat tickets. Rodeo security advised that only chute seat ticket holders were allowed access to the dirt area, with premium tickets priced at $425, and the group was directed back to their seats.”
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