02-09-25

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Top Photo: Anti-Immigration protestors demonstrate in front of the U.S. Federal Building in San Antonio.

 Photographs and information provided by J. Anson Bills

 Approximately 45 protestors of President Trump’s Federal Deportation Policy assembled in front of the U.S. Federal Building at the intersection of North Alamo Street and East Houston Street near the Alamo Plaza Saturday, February 8th around 2 PM. “Join us in fighting back against Trump’s Immigration policies that target both undocumented migrants and U.S. Citizens,” a Facebook post said a day prior to the protest. 

 Uvaldean J. Anson Bills, who was at the Plaza stated that Alamo Rangers who were accompanied law enforcement and supporters from the kept at a distance from the Alamo Cenotaph. Bills said over 200 Texans were there to keep the protest peaceful.

The Alamo Rangers are in charge of protecting the Alamo and the Alamo Plaza. The protestors were not allowed in these areas because the Alamo is a place to honor the Alamo Defenders.

  Bills also said several surveillance drones could be seen positioned overhead in the sky.

  Other anti-deportation protests occurred Saturday in Dallas and across the United States,

An official statement was received this afternoon from Uvalde CISD regarding yesterday’s student walk-out event:

“On Wednesday, April 5th, Uvalde CISD had between 100-200 students walk off the Uvalde High School and Morales Junior High campuses with a current enrollment of 1,810 without permission. As a district, we will remain sensitive to gun safety issues and try to work with our students on an appropriate process for voicing their concerns over gun laws and safety.

Although each campus attempted to provide a safe and secure area for students to participate in the Student Walkout on campus, many chose to leave campus without checking out or getting permission from their parents or administration before leaving campus. We immediately engaged our Uvalde CISD Police to escort students participating in the Walkout to ensure their safety until they arrived downtown.

Interim Superintendent Gary Patterson has been asked if our students will face consequences for yesterday’s actions. We would rather focus on working with our students as partners and seeing what we can do to have student voices heard without facing some of the issues we saw yesterday. Mr. Patterson has been informed that these protests will be ongoing.

We will not enforce negative consequences on any of the students for yesterday’s actions. However, in the near future, if walkouts are called for, any student that does not follow administration, law enforcement, or teacher directions, and wants to leave campus without signing out or calling parents, will be held accountable for their choices. We cannot and will not allow hundreds of students to walk off campus each time any local or national group calls for action. That is not in the best interest of operational safety, security, or classroom instruction.

We ask parents to have conversations about good choices, following school rules, and trying to understand the difficult challenge these activities present in keeping track of and keeping all students safe under our care.”

Headline Picture Credit: Jennifer Gilliland

Report By Jennifer Gilliland- At approximately noon today several UCISD students participated in a walk out. The event was organized by a group of high school students determined to make changes regarding gun laws as well as more safety measures in our school. The students ‘walked from the high school, junior high, and Uvalde Elementary down Getty to the Plaza where they peacefully protested till 5 PM then walked to Robb. 

 Report by Michael Robinson: The Uvalde CISD School District sent out a statement to parents early Wednesday morning setting the rules and parameters for allowing students to participate in the larger National Student Walkout Protesting Gun Violence.  

  According to the statement, the district would allow for its students to demonstrate outside within the confines of the school grounds from Noon to 1 PM. At noon,however,  the students started walking off the Morales Jr. High and Uvalde High School campuses and eventually climbed over fences and through the Uvalde High School Tennis court area to take their signs and actually walk beyond school grounds. About 75 to 100 students marched from the campuses towards the Uvalde Downtown area where they assembled on the Uvalde Downtown Plaza at 1 PM. 

  School District Police Chief Josh Gutierrez and another Uvalde CID Resource officer followed the students. According to Diana Olvedo-Karau who spoke with Gutierrez. She was told by Gutierrez that he followed the students to ensure their safety off campus.

Photo Credit: Gladys Gonzales Twitter

Word of a possible student walkout protest was obtained by the Uvalde Hesperian Thursday evening, March 30th from a reliable source. Upon further inquiries the planned school walkout, it was learned that  the walkout was part of a larger nationwide protest for Transgender Rights and against Gun Violence.  It wouldn’t be clear until later on Friday, March 31st how many parents would not be sending their children to school that day.

Upon reaching out to Uvalde CISD on the attendance numbers, according to Anne Marie Espinoza the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing of Uvalde CISD, the district wide attendance that day was 70.28 % down from 84.43%.

Update:

There were some Uvalde CISD students who did participate from school property. 

At a special school board meeting held Monday, March 27th at 5:3o PM, the Uvalde CISD Board Members addressed a Level 3 Grievance by Adam Martinez about him being effectively trespassed from attending School Board Meetings. Martinez received a letter from Superintendent Gary Patterson following the February 2023 School Board meeting effectively notifying him of the decision. Martinez received the letter following the Monday, February 13th school board meeting where Martinez approached  Josh Gutierrez, the district’s Interim Safety and Executive Director and Police Chief and presented information about new hire officer Pedro Huizar for the district. 

  “This evening I am here to speak in support of Adam Martinez. I know the grievance you will be listening to tonight is one that is very discouraging to myself to members of this community who have been passionately advocating for accountability and justice for the tragedy of May 24th.” Diana Olvedo-Karau said

 “I think that the actions that were taken by your interim Superintendent Mr. Patterson are harsh, unwarranted, unfair and it’s incumbent on this board as you say you want to rebuild trust in this community that you rescind this decision,” she said.

 The second person who spoke during the open forum was David Binkey.  He said, “Simply put, where is the equity? The board meetings… May through August: People were upset for hours, and the fact that one individual, Mr. Martinez, who is probably engaged in a protected activity, did you ban all of those folks that made noise or disrupted the meeting or because he came up and tried to say, ‘ Hey, there is maybe some information y’all need to have?’ Is that really the equitable solution that y’all have?”

 Kim Hammond was the last to speak before the special meeting. She stated to the board she was at the meeting where Martinez stood up and asked a question. “It didn’t disrupt me, I didn’t even know it happened,” she said. She went on to say other allegations that were made against Mr. Martinez about him using the F-word numerous times and the accusation he was seen urinating on a fence  (It) didn’t happen. She referred to these allegations as bully tactics.

After the board reconvened at 6:39 PM from closed executive session, Board President Luis Fernandez moved to deny Mr. Martinez’s Level 3 Parent Complaint against the interim Superintendent.

“Additionally, I move to deny all his remedies sought by the parent. Due to Mr. Martinez  having been granted the opportunity to attend his children’s functions, pick up and drop off from school and  attend practices that take place on Uvalde CISD property. This is not mean that we view Mr. Martinez as a criminal or  threat, However he has continuously,  repeatedly interrupted UCISD board meetings and therefore our decision to deny,” Fernandez said.  The motion was seconded by Board Member Javier Flores. The motion passed unanimously. 

During the time the board convened in its closed door executive session, Juanita Martinez, the Chairwoman of  Maverick County Democrats, spoke to the audience stating they have had success getting rid of school board members. In an interview with the Uvalde Hesperian, she said she came to the school board meeting in support of Adam Martinez. “I have experience dealing with difficult school boards,” she said.

  She went on to say that they plan on focusing on the upcoming school board elections and try to get rid of this board.

  The Uvalde Hesperian met with Brett and Nikki Cross Sunday morning at the Uvalde CISD Administration Offices.  

  According to Brett Cross’ post on Twitter it has been 122 hours since the protest began. “122 hr update. Still here. Still chilling. Still not going to backdown,” Brett Cross wrote on his Twitter channel @BCross052422

  Since the time of the protest, Brett and Nikki Cross have been joined by a number of other family members who also lost children at Robb School during the May 24th school shooting massacre. 

  According to Brett, there have been many who have brought the group food to the group there but mostly people from out of the Uvalde area. 

   “105 hr update. Having friends and family here makes it worth it. Between our support via Twitter, donations, and attendance, you guys are the ones that are keeping this going and giving me the emotional strength to continue,” Brett wrote on his Twitter update Saturday, October 1st. 

  “Hour 90. I’d like to take this time to thank every single one of y’all that have supported us. Y’all’s love have kept this going. There are moments where I wonder if this is worth it. 90 hrs since I’ve been home, which is less than 5 minutes away. 5 90 hrs since I’ve slept in,” tweeted Cross.

  Cross has met with Uvalde CISD officials. He wants accountability pertaining to the Uvalde CISD Police Officers who responded to the May 24th massacre but waited to engage the shooter as the shooter was shooting and 911 calls were being placed from inside the classroom pleading for help.  In a short video Cross posted on Twitter, he was inside the building talking with a school district official. The district official asked him not to record the conversation on video. Brett suggested that he could call his wife Nikki and have her on the phone during the meeting. 

   In a Facebook Page post by KSAT 12 Reporter Leigh Waldmen, she wrote, “Brett Cross met with Uvalde CISD superintendent Hal Harrell briefly and privately this morning. Harrell says he cannot suspend the officers at this time because the district needs them. Brett asked why the DPS on campuses cannot fill those roles. In this video, Harrell says an investigation has been launched into UCISD PD, however this is the first we are hearing of it. In a statement yesterday, UCISD said JPPI Investigations was launching an independent review. No where was an investigation mentioned. I called and emailed the district. Waiting to hear back at this point.”

   In a recent tweet, Cross has expressed concern that by installing a new gate, school district officials may be attempting to cut off donations of food, water and other donations getting to the group. 

   Brett Cross has over 30 thousand followers on Twitter. Additionally Cross has started an organization called Lives Robbed which has a Facebook Page.