Subsequently, Troop D was increasingly harrassed and violence was threatened against them on Nov. 20, 1899. Presuming an assault on the garrison that evening, Post Commander 2d Lt. E. H. Rubottom ordered extra guards and scouts as gunfire erupted between residents and soldiers. When the gunfire exchange escalated, Rubottom ordered a Gatling gun to be shot to quell the violence, resulting in one minor injury.

Official federal and state investigations and proceedings failed to assign culpability to the citizens of Rio Grande City, and unsurprisingly, the Starr County grand jury found the soldiers acted without provocation and the US Army stated Rubottom had acted unwisely.]]> The Monitor (McAllen) in November/December 1968 describing the protests and walkouts and subsequent actions taken by Edcouch Elsa administrators.]]> The Monitor]]> ]]>
However, on May 26, 1975, a confrontation between union organizers and El Texano Ranch, in Hidalgo, Reynosa, Mexico erupted into violence as ranch supervisor C.L. Miller shot 11 protestors for intentionally damaging his melon fields.

In the subsequent days, organizers continued to protest and local law enforcement were called in on behalf of the growers, who sought to drive the interloping union members off their land. These events galvanized protestors and farmworkers throughout the 1975 melon season and spread across Texas to farms in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle.]]>
As TFW attempted to negotiate higher wages for onion pickers, their efforts were ended prematurely by Othal Brand of McAllen, who brought in his own farmworkers and bought out all the produce in the fields.

During the same period, United Farm Workers led a strike of Gulf Distributing Company's fields near Mercedes. UFW advocated for farmworker wage increases from $0.60 to $2.00 per bag of onions. Farmworker unrest spread throughout the Valley, including "sit-down" strikes in Weslaco and Alton.
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