Austin community, Moms Demand Action commemorate Uvalde victims, demand gun reform

Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read
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The overcast sky parted for a moment as members of Moms Demand Action and other community members gathered Wednesday on the sidewalk in front of the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Austin to honor the 21 people killed at a mass shooting at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School a year ago.

“We’re opening our hearts for people who have had incredible trauma and tragedy, who have dedicated the rest of their lives to keeping this from happening to anybody else,” said Jim Rigby, pastor at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. “To me, that’s the true prayer.”

The roughly 50 people in attendance bowed their heads for a moment of silence in front of portraits of the Uvalde victims and a display of flowers, teddy bears and other items the children had loved.

Volunteers with the group Moms Demand Action read the names of the victims and relayed stories about them to those gathered.

Rojelio Torres loved the TV show and card game Pokémon. Maite Rodriguez wanted to be a marine biologist. Jackie Cazares wanted to visit Paris.

The ceremony was meant to accompany memorial events Wednesday in Uvalde remembering and honoring the lives of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the May 24, 2022, shooting.

People observe a moment of silence Wednesday in front of the Governor’s Mansion at a memorial for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting. Dozens of people gathered to remember the children and teachers on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting.
People observe a moment of silence Wednesday in front of the Governor’s Mansion at a memorial for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting. Dozens of people gathered to remember the children and teachers on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting.

The tragedy has forever changed the community, Uvalde resident Melissa McDowell said.

She wore a “Uvalde Strong” T-shirt and stood with the volunteers in front of the victims’ portraits.

“It’s hard to know that this is how Uvalde is known,” McDowell said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s so much more than this tragedy.”

“After just watching these families be retraumatized by coming back here over and over again asking for such a small thing, we’re just heartbroken for them,” said Robin Breed, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action.

In early May 2022, she and her family had taken a trip to Uvalde and considered relocating to the small town. It was a safe place, McDowell had told her husband at the time. Two weeks later the shooting happened. Her family never made the move.

Nicholette Menzel holds a sign at a memorial for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting at the Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday May 24, 2023. Dozens of people gathered to remember the children and teachers on the one year anniversary of the shooting.
Nicholette Menzel holds a sign at a memorial for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting at the Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday May 24, 2023. Dozens of people gathered to remember the children and teachers on the one year anniversary of the shooting.

Now, the world feels more dangerous for her children, she said.

“Every morning, I think a lot of parents wonder if this is going to be the last day you see them,” McDowell said.

This year’s legislative session has been a frustrating one for Moms Demand Action, Breed said.

Uvalde victims' relatives drove the three-hour trip to the Capitol dozens of times this session, many of them weekly, to ask lawmakers to pass gun reform legislation. Many family members had set their eyes specifically on House Bill 2744, which would raise the age to buy AR-15-style, semi-automatic rifles in Texas from 18 to 21.

Emily Watson cries at the memorial for the Uvalde shooting victims.
Emily Watson cries at the memorial for the Uvalde shooting victims.

Although two Republicans joined Democrats to pass the bill out of a House committee, lawmakers never placed the bill on the House calendar for a vote.

“We don’t have to live this way,” Breed said. “Our lawmakers, if they choose, can do something to make meaningful gun reform.”

Violence such as the Robb Elementary shooting has a way of changing towns, said Monica Muñoz Martinez, a University of Texas history professor who grew up in Uvalde and attended the vigil Wednesday.

“It shapes communities for generations,” Martinez said. “The impacts are profound.”

The community still has a significant amount of healing to do, she said.

Jeannie Williamson writes messages in chalk outside the Governor's Mansion.
Jeannie Williamson writes messages in chalk outside the Governor's Mansion.

The vigil was held in front of the governor’s mansion to show Gov. Greg Abbott that the state's inaction with gun control will continue to affect Texas families, organizers said. Abbott’s education priority this session has been school choice, rather than school security, which has frustrated the shooting victims' families.

The state has had eight mass shootings under Abbott's watch.

State lawmakers have proposed $327.8 million in school safety funding that would tighten state auditing requirements for school security and give districts $15,000 per campus to improve safety features.

That legislation, however, is tied up in a conference committee over disagreements between the House and the Senate.

Preventing mass shootings has become a national conversation, Breed said.

“For everyone who thinks this won’t affect your community, you’re truly burying your head in the sand,” Breed said.

The children who died a year ago, with all their future dreams, represented the best part about Uvalde, McDowell said.

“Hope for something better,” McDowell said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: In Austin, residents commemorate Uvalde victims, demand gun control