Life after tragedy

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 23rd of August, 2022.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. First up today: Returning to Uvalde.

Almost three months ago, the small city of Uvalde, Texas was full of reporters and volunteers. They rushed to the town after 19 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed on May 24th at Robb Elementary School.

REICHARD: After the shooting, WORLD reporter Addie Offereins traveled to Uvalde. She recently returned to see how the community has changed.

AUDIO: [RAIN, JESSE RIZO OPENING DOOR]

ADDIE OFFEREINS, REPORTER: On August 15th, long-hoped-for rain pounds the ground outside a terracotta-colored house in Batesville, Texas, a tiny town of about 1,700 near Uvalde. Jesse Rizo opens the door and speaks of the last time he and his extended family gathered here. Three weeks before the shooting at Robb Elementary, they threw a party to celebrate Jackie, his brothers’ nine-year-old niece, after she took her First Communion.

RIZO: After the communion, we all came over here. And then we had tables, we had a battery here we had tables on both sides, the whole family came in and the food was on that side of the house and she had a minute. And there was this part of the house we had brisket and potato salad, and, of course, tons of people.

At the party, he turned on the radio and a country song came on.

AUDIO: [RIZO DANCING WITH JACKIE]

RIZO: And so when we finished dancing: you look so pretty Jackie. You look beautiful. But she's the one that brought us together that day. It’s the last time that we all got to see her as a group like that, you know, together, the whole family.

On the day of the shooting, Rizo texted Jackie’s mom, Gloria.

RIZO: I asked if she was okay. All she said was no.

At first, like the rest of the victims’ families, Rizo was just angry—especially after the family found out that Jackie had a pulse when first responders took her out of the classroom. She probably could have lived if they had gotten there in time.

RIZO: I mean, you just lost somebody. And that's in anything, what are you?  You're mad, you're angry. So your attack is very broad. And you go in and you're attacking the school district, you're attacking the board, you're attacking them, almost personally. But with time, just like if you're at war, you begin to focus on certain aspects of it.

Since the shooting, Rizo has gone to city council meetings and school board meetings to ask the hard questions on every parent’s mind. Why couldn’t the shooting have been prevented? It took law enforcement over an hour to enter the classroom where trapped students repeatedly called 911. The exterior door to the school couldn’t be locked from the inside. Neither could classroom doors. The automatic locking mechanism had been disabled.

RIZO: Like, for example, the last meeting, the last meeting that I asked, I asked Dr. Harrell, “Have you considered conducting just like the city, and just like the city and the county, are doing the external investigation?”

Dr. Harrell is the school district superintendent. The school district is putting up fences at some schools. Thirty three Texas state troopers will be deployed throughout the school district this year.

RIZO: You can build me a fence, you can show me a bag full of money. You can build the best cafeteria, you can hire all these troopers. But you haven't convinced me that you learned anything.

Rizo’s laptop is open as he works on the speech for tonight’s school board meeting.

RIZO: I’m having a hard time writing this.

He feels the tension between allowing things to settle and holding those in authority accountable.

RIZO: It almost seems like I shouldn’t even bring it up anymore…but these are questions that need to be asked if you want to restore faith in the community.

AUDIO: [SCHOOL BOARD MEETING]

This evening’s August 15th school board meeting starts at 6:30. This was supposed to be the first day of school. Instead, Uvalde children will start later this year on September 6th.

Pastor Mark Tews of Trinity Lutheran Church in Uvalde opens with prayer:

AUDIO: [SCHOOL BOARD MEETING]

A woman in a purple T-shirt holds two white signs with “Massacre @ school. School is liable” and “Fire them now” written in black letters. A woman in the back of the room holds a picture of Jackie with angel wings against a pink background. Several people in the group clap and cheer as residents voice their frustration during an open forum.

AUDIO: [CLAPPING]

Rizo steps up to the podium. He has three minutes to give his speech.

AUDIO: [JESSE SPEAKING]

Rizo is also helping to put together a committee that will decide on a permanent memorial.

School starts in a little over two weeks. In the meantime, the community is finding ways to support one another and come to terms with their new normal.

AUDIO: [LA PRYOR EVENT]

In the small town of La Pryor, about 20 miles from Uvalde, family members and local supporters gather for a festival hosted by a local entertainment group, Gutierrez Productions. Proceeds from the event will go to the families of the victims.

Several different bands take turns playing under a large pavilion. Jesse Rizo attends both events and he films the bands as they play. A red food truck serves tacos. Couples two step in a circle. D.J. Steven Garcia, also known as Freestyle Steve, closes the event. He lost his daughter, Eliahna, in the shooting.

AUDIO: [FREESTYLE STEVE PLAYING]

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Addie Offereins in Uvalde, Texas.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.