Pain and anger in the aftermath of the killing in a school in Uvalde
Many residents of Uvalde, Texas, paid tribute to the 19 children and two teachers who died at their elementary school on Tuesday.
A young woman holding a sign “Do not forget their names”, in Uvalde, Wednesday May 25, 2022.
AFP
Dozens of people flocked to a small church in Uvalde, Texas on Wednesday to pay their respects to the 19 children and two teachers shot dead the day before by an unbalanced teenager at an elementary school.
Aida Hernandez cries as she leaves the place of worship, called Sacred Heart Church, a simple gray brick building near the main street of Uvalde. “I felt horror and pain. I knew the victims. I’m still in shock,” the 60-year-old teacher told AFP, who taught at the school until her retirement two years ago.
The city of 15,000 inhabitants, located 80 km from the Mexican border, was until twenty-four hours ago a small town without history, as there are so many in the United States, with its perpendicular and parallel streets dotted with malls, gas stations and fast food chain.
“Too many times”
But at midday on Tuesday that tranquility was shattered when an 18-year-old burst into Robb Elementary School with an assault rifle, barricaded himself in a classroom and started to shoot students, aged 9 to 10, and two teachers present, before being shot dead by the police.
This massacre, one of the worst in recent years in the country, has provoked the incomprehension and anger of the inhabitants. “When you teach in a class, it is your job to protect the students, and they have done much more than what was expected of them”, launches Aida Hernandez about the two deceased teachers.
A few meters away, Rosie Buantel, has had enough of the repeated shootings in the United States. “I am sad and angry at our government which is not doing enough to limit access to weapons”, explains this fifty-year-old woman after mass. “We have been through this too many times, and nothing is being done. They are still debating,” she asserts.
“Change in legislation”
Eddie, a resident of Uvalde who refuses to give his last name, is also outraged. “I came to pay tribute (to the victims) and also to push for a change in the law, so that the weapons do not fall into the hands of children,” he said while laying a wreath near the Robb school, still surrounded by the police.
Traumatized residents have also gathered in a municipal center where they can receive psychological help. On Tuesday, the families and friends of the victims of the attack had to wait hours to hear from their loved ones.
Iveth Pacheco, volunteer psychologist, traveled 120 km from San Antonio to support the residents of Uvalde. “It’s one of those situations where you just have to be there,” she explains. “You have to be prepared for any question a child may have and the same goes for adults.”
Published today at 00:03
You found an error?Please let us know.