Brownsville weighs a new midtown entertainment district — here’s what you need to know

City of Brownsville leaders are seeking ways to maintain a bustling nightlife scene while ensuring business owners are accountable for rowdy patrons in the new Midtown Entertainment District. 

There’s been a string of violent altercations and underage drinking associated with bars along Pablo Kissel Boulevard — especially at one plaza with more than a dozen bars. 

“We need to put a stop to it now. I am very, very upset,” Brownsville Commissioner Gustavo De León said. “I’m all about small businesses, one hundred percent. But I’m not going to take responsibility for a citizen getting hurt or killed. We already have one in the hospital right now because of someone’s bad intentions.” 

Councilmember Pedro Cardenas, who has run Mi Pueblito Restaurant Bar and Grill for more than three decades, says he understands the difficult balance.