SAN ANTONIO – A protest Thursday morning by family members of the Uvalde school shooting victims, aimed at administrators with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Parents, other relatives and community members began gathering outside the school administration building before the sun came up.
Parents and relatives of victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting protest outside district offices on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, after reports showed that Uvalde CISD hired an ex-DPS trooper who was under investigation. (KSAT)
They planned to block access to the building, hoping to force the school superintendent to talk to them, but no employees showed up.
Group members had a number of issues to discuss, but at the top of their list was a report that the school district police department had hired Crimson Elizondo.
According to the story by CNN, Elizondo is a former Department of Public Safety trooper who was at Robb Elementary the day of the mass shooting.
The report included body camera video that appears to show Elizondo both outside and inside the school May 24 as a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers.
She is among seven troopers who are under investigation for their alleged inaction.
“She was one of the first ones on scene and she did nothing because it was not her child in there,” said Nikki Cross, whose son, Uziyah Garcia, was killed in the May 24 massacre. “I want to know why she was hired and I want her fired right now.”
Although the protestors stood ready to demand an explanation, they did not get one at that time.
The school administration building remained closed throughout the morning.
“I think angry is an understatement,” said Laura Garza, whose niece, Amerie Jo Garza,was among the victims. “The person in charge of these kids can’t even have the decency to get with (the parents) or meet with them or reach out to them.”
Irene Mungia, who currently has two children attending Uvalde schools, stood in solidarity with the group.
She said the no-show by school administrators was not really a surprise.
“I’m pretty sure they knew that we were all coming. But regardless, we were gonna be here. We won’t give up,” she said.
Like her, several other parents said they planned to stay put. They say they will continue their protest until someone with the school district talks to them, face-to-face.