Divided over protests
Stacey Monroe at the pro-Palestine protest where she was arrested. (Photo courtesy of Stacey Monroe) Owenwood says Stacey Monroe lost her TEC salary because she ignored warnings regarding protests; Monroe says protesting is part of the mission CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer CaroSavoWrites@gmail.com After Garland police arrested trans woman Stacey Monroe and 22 other pro-Palestine protestors on March 7, Monroe said she found her world turned upside down.
She was director of Owenwood Farm and Neighborhood Space’s Trans Empowerment Coalition, and after the arrest she got calls from several members of TEC’s advisory board, telling her they were resigning from their positions. “Everything went downhill from there,” Monroe said.
Once her board members started resigning because of her arrest, Jessica Hernandez, Owenwood’s executive director, contacted Monroe to let her know that the nonprofit was cutting ties with her.
Monroe had a six-month contract with Owenwood that ended on Dec. 21, 2023, and, while the contract did not bar her from protesting, Hernandez said Monroe knew through conversations with the TEC board and Owenwood’s board that she was not allowed to present herself as representing TEC when participating in any political movements that could interfere with Owenwood’s ability to keep and apply for grants funding TEC. “I knew I could get in trouble,” Monroe acknowledged. “But I don’t regret what I did.
