Arlington Democratic Mayor Jim Ross refused to address questions from The Dallas Express on Tuesday about a resurfaced 2018 video in which he made vulgar remarks toward a Christian street preacher whose wife has Parkinson’s disease.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the video was recorded by Vice News at the Southern Decadence festival in New Orleans, an LGBTQ event held every Labor Day weekend. In the footage, Ross, whose face was blurred, can be heard confronting preacher Ruben Israel with profanity.
In the video, Ross then asked Israel, “You don’t think anal sex is good, do you? Have you ever f*cked your old lady in the *ss? I’ve f*cked your old lady in the *ss.” (conversation with Ross begins at 11:47 in the Vice News video below).
Christian leader Rich Penkoski, of Official Street Preachers, identified Ross as the man in the video. He also said Israel’s wife, Colleen, has been bedridden in an assisted living facility for years due to Parkinson’s disease.
“Ruben’s name is Ruben Chavez, and his wife is Colleen Chavez. Colleen has Parkinson’s disease and has been living in an assisted living facility for a long time, bedridden because she can barely walk or do much on her own,” Penkoski told The Dallas Express. “So to say something like that to a man whose wife is dealing with such serious health issues only magnifies how cruel it is.”
After multiple unanswered requests for comment, The Dallas Express approached the Democratic mayor at Tuesday’s Arlington City Council meeting to ask about the video.
When asked if he planned to address the Vice video, Ross responded, “Not for you.” Pressed further, he said, “No, I don’t want to talk to you.” Asked if he would apologize to Israel’s family, the Democratic mayor replied, “No.”
Ross ended the exchange by saying, “I’m done with you.” At that point, an Arlington police officer stepped between the Democratic mayor and The Dallas Express team. An officer said, “I think he is done answering questions.”
The controversy has drawn criticism from Arlington City Councilmember Bowie Hogg, who urged the Democratic mayor to address the matter publicly.
“I do not condone the inappropriate language or actions from our mayor, even if it was in his past,” Hogg told The Dallas Express. “I believe Mayor Ross should address the public as soon as possible, share his perspective on what happened, and explain why he felt his actions were appropriate. This clear commitment to transparency would go a long way toward rebuilding trust and confidence in our mayor’s office.”
The original video has garnered over 10 million views, and national outlets, including The Daily Wire and The Daily Mail, have picked up DX’s coverage. Major North Texas media organizations, most notably the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News, have refused to report on the Democrat mayor’s remarks.
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