Candlelight vigil held for victims of Uvalde, Buffalo, shootings – Riverside, California

riversideJune 1, 2022

Riverside, California 2022-06-01 09:49:22 –

Naomi Tay was commuting by car last week when her niece called her. At the time, she said, “She simply didn’t register.”

Upon arriving at her office, a 61-year-old Corpus Christi resident immediately turned on her radio. The NPR report reflects what she just heard and details that an 18-year-old gunman rushed to an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen children and two teachers died in a shooting at one of the deadliest schools in the United States in nearly a decade.

Tay, a former elementary school teacher, said he immediately thought of the ex-student and the horror that the victims (9, 10, 11 years old) must have felt before the slaughter.

“I was surprised,” she said. “Recently I saw older children around the town. I don’t know, so I want to tell my parents to hug them more strongly. (Yuvarde’s parents) they will never again tell the children that day. I didn’t know I wouldn’t meet .. You never know. “

People pay tribute at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, just hours before President Joe Biden and First Lady Gilbyden visit on May 29, 2022. An 18-year-old shooter killed 19 students and 2 teachers at school. May 24, 2022.

Tay was one of the dozens of people who attended the prayer rally on Tuesday. Hosted by the Corpus Christi branch of the NAACP, vigilance was held to commemorate the 21 victims of the Yuvalde shootings.

Alerts also praised 13 people who were killed earlier this month in a shooting that fueled hatred in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. 10 days ago Shooting of Yuvarde. In Buffalo, about 1,700 miles from Yuvalde, an 18-year-old shooter allegedly sought a predominantly black neighborhood before targeting blacks specifically with deadly shootings.

Those who submitted to the Stone Rock Church for vigilance were handed candles to light the victims in honor of them. At the ceremony, community leaders and elected officials lit a total of 34 candles while photos of the victims were shown. This symbolizes the dead of both Yuvarde and Buffalo.

During the alert on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, the candles shine as a picture of the victims of the Yuvalde shooting appears on the back screen. Community members attended the NAACP event to mourn the lost lives in Buffalo and Yuvalde and call for action. ..

In addition, two representatives from the Corpse Christie Independent School District lit candles on two students at Ray High School. Died In a car accident on Tuesday morning.

Then, Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle, Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo, and Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales spoke to attendees. They expressed their condolences to the affected families.

For the past few weeks, the department has stepped up efforts to monitor the safety of local schools by placing police officers on campus and in parking lots daily, Markle said.

“It’s a sad commentary that we need, but it’s also what we can do,” he said. His comments come a few days after a viral social media post claiming a threat to Veterans Memorial High School.

Canales said the emergency management local offices had gathered to write a letter of sympathy and a fashion kilt to send to Uvalde. She said those efforts could continue later this week. She welcomed everyone in the community to join.

Guajard asked attendees to pray for the affected families.

“I’m sad because I’ve said it several times before the Buffalo incident, but the biggest gift is prayer,” she said. “It’s the best gift you can give to your family, students, siblings (and) broken parents.”

During most vigilance, the mood was calm and calm, but some attendees were tired of discussing what they could do next. Some people asked about changing their account from law enforcement after being shot by Yuvalde.

After Guajard spoke, 65-year-old Sylvia Campos called on the mayor to “do more” than “just give thoughts and prayers.”

Mr. Campos, who was unable to run for the city council in 2018 and 2020, said he wanted the city to implement a firearms repurchase program. Under such a program, the city obtains firearms from residents in exchange for money and other compensation to reduce the number of guns in the area.

“I know it can happen if we are willing to do it,” Campos said.

75 people, both Sandra Wilson and Doris Fillmore, reportedly scrutinized Yuvalde’s law enforcement authorities. Did not immediately engage the archer At school, the kids inside were calling 911 for help.

“I think there will be some impact from the top down in the end,” Wilson said. “Now the policemen who didn’t come in were told to wait, well, but here we’re talking about the kids. I think we shouldn’t have waited for them to come in.”

Fillmore said the conflicting explanations from law enforcement agencies for shooting were “extremely annoying.”

“I think we still miss a lot of stories,” she said.

Ministry of Justice publication Considering delayed police response to school shootings at the request of Mayor Yuvarde on Sunday.

Jeremy Coleman, president of NAACP Corpus Christi, said the organization initially set out to stay up all night after the Buffalo shoot, but changed plans to include Uvalde shoots because “both have a common denominator.” rice field.

Coleman said prayer alerts are not only intended to honor the dead, but also to call on members of the organization to take action. Contact local, state, or federal representatives to request changes.

“Whenever we’re talking about the massive shooting of innocent people, there’s something we can do,” he said, advocating stricter restrictions on the availability of AR-15-style rifles. And buffalo shooting. “We will do what we need to do by pushing, calling, writing, and holding meetings to express our concerns.”

Wilson said the seemingly random nature of the shooting was most relevant to her.

“It was the first time and older people in a (Buffalo) grocery store, and now it’s a young baby at school …. Too many of these are happening,” she said. “It’s kind of random, but it’s always like innocent and vulnerable people.”

Chase Rogers covers local governments and industries in South Texas.Contact him at chase.rogers@caller.com Or on Twitter @chasedrogers..You can support local journalism Subscription to Caller-Times..