El Paso memorial mourns 'attack against heart of our community'

Four years ago, heartbroken El Pasoans mournfully gathered at Ponder Park to grieve and pray in honor of the 23 victims killed in the Walmart mass shooting on Aug. 3, 2019.

It was the first of many memorials for those killed by a white supremacist who traveled to attack Hispanics in El Paso's binational community.

Hundreds had gathered at the park near the Walmart in the wake of the shooting to show solidarity and Borderland pride. Among the mourners four years ago was a family of three wearing T-shirts that read: Hecho en Chuco, Proud future – UTEP and Strength. Stitched together, those words described the heart of El Paso.

As beautiful white doves were released to the heavens, El Pasoans return to Ponder Park on Thursday morning to ensure the world doesn't forget the names of victims or the racist motive that fueled one of the worst attacks on Hispanics in modern history.

The Border Network for Human Rights memorial brought together El Pasoans determined to speak out against evil and hatred.

"This was an attack against the heart of our community," Border Network for Human Rights Executive Director Fernando Garcia told the crowd. "Let's not forget about it. It's racism, xenophobia and white supremacism."

This year's annual memorial, near the Walmart where shoppers were massacred by a gunman using a semiautomatic assault-style rifle, came less than a month after the white supremacist gunman was punished with 90 life sentences in prison in federal court after pleading guilty to numerous charges. He now faces a still-unscheduled trial in state court, where prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

The event’s podium emblazoned with the words El Paso Firme was flanked by two oversized banners, one in English and another in Spanish, which heralded the messages of the day: "We Will Never Forget" and "Stand Against White Supremacy, Racism and Xenophobia."

As the memorial began, a single drum pounded loudly as people picked up 23 crosses, each etched with the name of one of the lives lost four years ago, and started their slow, somber procession from the park to the nearby Walmart.

Among those carrying crosses were El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin and Rev. Michael Grady of Prince of Peace Christian Fellowship in El Paso, whose daughter was shot three times in the attack.

Pastor Grady called on political leaders at all levels to denounce white supremacy and racism and urged those gathered to "say to hatred, we will not come to this place anymore."

The heartbreak caused by the attack remained fresh.

Pat Benavides, whose husband Arturo was among those killed in the 2019 attack, took the microphone and told her story.

"It feels like it just happened yesterday," Benavides said through tears, recalling the 34 years of marriage that ended in violence and one man's hatred. "I miss him terribly ... most of the time, I feel like he's (still) taking care of me."

Garcia condemned former President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, describing both as a party to the violence that gripped El Paso and continues to paralyze the nation. The gunman's online tirade, posted before his attack, echoed language used by Trump, Abbott and other prominent elected officials to describe immigrants and immigration.

"Today, Texas is more violent than before," Garcia said, asserting that state leaders have done nothing to stymie the rise in racist rhetoric or decrease the number of guns being placed in dangerous hands. "The possibilities for an attack, from four years ago to now, have tripled."

El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado called for the construction of a permanent landmark to remember the lives lost.

"We are El Paso humble," he said, "El Paso proud, El Paso united and El Paso strong."

The crowd clutched candles and quietly listened as the names of all 23 victims were read aloud. As each name was read, the single drum boomed and a wreath was placed on the corresponding cross.

Hopeful words and phrases such as "Dignity," "Peace," "No More Gun Violence" and "No More White Supremacy," were read after each victim’s name.

Twenty-three doves were released. They fluttered before the eyes of the spectators, circled the park, and then disappeared out of sight into the Borderland blue sky.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso remembers victims of racist attack in Walmart mass shooting