by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Top picture: screen capture from City of Uvalde Livestream.

  Prior to the Uvalde City Council vote to adjourn Tuesday night’s April 22nd meeting, Mayor Pro-tem Everardo “Lalo” Zamora presented the City’s official statement on the independent JPPI Report former Mayor Don McLaughlin and the City Council commissioned.  In the statement, it both acknowledges that the City’s police officers did follow department policies but lacked the necessary training  and equipment to adequately protect the community. 

 While Brett Cross, Kimberly Rubio and other victim’s parents have demanded the firing of several City of Uvalde Police officers who responded to the May 24th Robb Elementary School Tragedy, according to the City’s statement, it appears the City Council is focused on supporting Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado’s plans to implement sweeping changes planned for the City’s police department rather than going back to address or reprimand individual police officers.

  Emilia Amy Marin, a survivor of the Robb School massacre, addressed the Council at the beginning of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. 

  “The families of the victims and survivors are tired, exhausted of playing the waiting game. We are exhausted. You as City officials need to be the change the whole world to see,” Marin said.

The city council convened into a closed door executive session  at 6:33 PM and then reconvened into open council meeting at 7:05 PM where at that time Zamora read the following statement:

 “We have a statement with the City Council commission the independent investigation at the request of the former mayor in the immediate aftermath of the Robb Elementary shooting. With the goal of having an objective outside assessment clarity to the events of the tragic day.

According to the report, Marin quoted the following: “‘We located the following 16 transmissions that were not relayed and/or acknowledged by the dispatchers that may have helped the officers.’ Have y’all read that?

  “The address of the crash was given but the name of the school was left out. The dispatcher did not repeat traffic, ‘Shots fired. Shots fired at Robb School,'” Marin said with strong emotion.

  “You know what needs to be done but you are not doing it.” Marin said. She concluded by saying, “Be the change and do something good.”

    Pastor Daniel Meyer also spoke, leveling harsh criticism towards the council.  “Our community is divided. It’s hurting.” 

    We acknowledge the report was presented in such a way that did not foster the city’s effort to help the community heal.”

   Based on the report’s finding as supported by other consultants who contributed to the report the conclusion supported the officers complied with UPD policies at the time of the shooting however the bottom line is that members of our beloved community were not adequately protected that day by Uvalde Police Department.

   The Uvalde Police department’s policies were outdated and the department lacked the proper training equipment to protect our community: that is changing.

  At the direction of Council and the city manager as part of Chief Delgado’s recently announced Guardian initiative, Uvalde Police Department is undertaking a detailed review of all department personnel policies, procedures, training and equipment to make sure the entire police force is operating at the top of its potential.

  The City will not commission another report. 

  We are focused on Chief Delgado rebuilding the policy, the police department in which he will evaluate all aspects of the Uvalde Police Department and make the necessary changes or improvements to ensure our community is safe, “Zamora said,

 Brett Cross responded lividly to the City’s statement on X formerly Twitter: “Uvalde contines to Fk us over.”

Article Submitted by Otto Arnim, Republican Primary Run-off candidate for Uvalde County Sheriff

(The Uvalde Hesperian will publish one article submitted by any run-off candidate before the run-off election)

  After careful thought in reviewing the meeting on Thursday concerning the report on the Robb School shooting, Uvalde Police Department response, these are my thoughts.  The report is a complete SHAM!  As many are saying, it looks as though the city has received a report that mitigates the liability the city may have in this disaster.  I believe Mr. Prado’s instructions when he took on this case was to merely determine if any policies of the department were violated, that’s all. This would certainly benefit a court case.  There are, however, the citizens of Uvalde must take into consideration when forming an opinion on the report.  Law Enforcement is a quasi- military organization and therefore has a strict chain of command which goes from the top to the bottom.  Officers follow orders from a superior, that way the organization operates as a cohesive unit.  

  The report did point out the fact that there was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that stated the UCISD police would be in control of school related incidents, therefore the Chief of the school district was the incident commander and in charge of the Robb School shooting.  When supervisors of the police department arrived on location and realized that the UCISD police were incapable of handling the emergency, they should have taken charge.  The Acting Chief of the Uvalde Police Department at that time was responsible for the implementation of that order.  The fact that this decision was not made contributed to the further suffering and death of individuals in failing to act did not relegate the obligation that police had a duty to stop the shooter.  The moral obligation of officers who swear an oath to protect supersedes any policy an agency may implement.  

  When the Uvalde County Sheriff arrived on the scene, it was the obligation of the highest law enforcement officer of the county to take charge and implement a strategy to take control of the chaos that was evident.  For the third time, this did not happen.  Officers in some of the agencies that were present have left their prospective agencies because of conflict within their moral conscience which has led them to that determination.  

  Families who lost loved ones are seeking justice for the failure that is evident from the Department of Justice (DOJ) report.  Keeping in mind the military style of law enforcement agencies, the heads of the agencies are responsible for the failures of May 24th.  All officers cannot be held to the same standard.  The lack of leadership and training are the primary causes of the disaster.  The national protocol for school shootings is to go in immediately.  With so many school shootings over the years, agencies should have anticipated the need for specialized equipment.

  I am seeking the office of sheriff to restore the leadership and experience that is absent from the Uvalde County Sheriff office.  I need your vote in the upcoming runoff election on May 28th.  I would like to hear your comments and questions.

  Finally every citizen of Uvalde County owes Councilman Hector Luevano a debt of gratitude for having the courage to stand up in opposition of the Uvalde PD report and failing to allow family members to ask questions following this report.

Picture from Zavala County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page

Article by Michael Robinson

The Uvalde Hesperian spoke with two Zavala county residents about the realities of living in an area where high speed pursuits and bailouts are a daily occurrence. Due to the nature of the subject matter, the two residents wish to remain anonymous and will be referred to with pseudonyms: Both will be referred to as she. Both residents live on properties near Highway 83 not far from Crystal City and Carrizo Springs.

Each day, Martinez listens to police scanner channels covering Uvalde, Zavala, Kenney and Frio Counties on a smartphone app. Martinez also posts reports of illegal aliens referred to as IA’s are a daily occurrence and happen many times a day at all hours. Yesterday, she posted reports of bailouts and high speed police chases on her personal Facebook page. “Eastbound 140 high speed chase…LE losing it,” Martinez posted. In another post, she wrote, “120 mile an hour high speed chase about to hit 35.”

Because many of the bailouts happen close to their properties, Martinez sometimes says they have what is known as “bail-gate parties”  where residents sit outside of their homes watching the law enforcement pursuits and bailouts of IA’s near their residences.

Martinez and her husband goats and many of the fleeing migrants crash into the fences which makes it hard to keep the goats from escaping. When asked how often she and her husband have to repair the fences, she said it is a weekly occurrence and happens so often, fencing materials need to be kept on hand. “There is no time to drive to Uvalde to pick up fencing materials when the fences and gates are damaged.” she said. Martinez went on to say that the broken fences have to be repaired quickly as the goats can get out.

Both Smith and Martinez say they when going outside, it is important to always stay armed as IA’s have been found on the properties before. Sometimes, Smith said migrants will knock on the door looking for food and water. That said, many are looking for outlets to charge their cell phones. For example, when a couple of migrants came to the door asking to charge their phones, Smith told them. “Sorry, I can’t help you.” A few hours later it was discovered the migrants went onto the property and found an electrical outlet in a nearby shed.

                                                                                                                                                          Constant Vigilance

Smith and Martinez say the migrant activity has brought them and other neighbors together creating an unofficial neighborhood watch. Smith said they each look after each other letting them know of potential incidents and threats. Both say it is not advisable to go out on property at night as it can be unsafe.

While driving and at home, the police scanner is always on. According to Smith, when one listens to the chatter, one learns how to interpret the 10 codes and pick up on the terminology used by law enforcement or LE. “When driving to and from home, I can tell by the way the vehicles are driving that they are local or possibly smugglers,” Smith said.

She went onto say one has to always be on the lookout for vehicles fleeing LE. Even when getting out of the truck in the carport near the house, family members are always checking on each other. Smith said recruitment ads for human smugglers are placed on Craigslist and other sites on the internet and depending on the distance of the drive, the pay offered is high.. Many of the smugglers who are caught often carry large amounts of cash. Migrants also carry other items as well referring to narcotics like Fentanyl.

By- Michael Robinson

On Tuesday, May 23rd, The Uvalde Hesperian sent an email to 38th District Attorney Christina Mitchell with questions about the investigation and release of information pertaining to the Robb School Tragedy.

Below are the Uvalde Hesperian questions sent to 38th Judicial District Attorney  Christina Mitchell and her responses.

 Uvalde Hesperian:  Will you be releasing any information to the media and the public this week regarding any information pertaining to the Robb School Tragedy?  

 District Attorney Mitchell: “I will be issuing a statement later on today or tomorrow regarding the status of the investigation.  I have been responding to emails from the press as best I can; but they are numerous.  I had originally not wanted to issue a separate statement outside of the one issued by all of the community leaders so as to keep the focus this week on the healing and grieving of the families and our whole community, who is still in anguish.  I have previously briefed the families so they are aware of the status of the investigation. “

Uvalde Hesperian: You had stated back near the end of 2022 you would need another 6 months for your pending investigation before investigation details would be disclosed by your office.

With all due respect, it has been 6 months.

District Attorney Mitchell: “An investigation of this magnitude should be expected to take over a year.  A regular murder case (if there is such a thing) normally takes about a year before I receive the investigative report.  I was cautiously optimistic that I would receive the DPS Texas Rangers’ investigative report by the one year mark of the Robb Elementary mass shooting based on the timeline expressed by DPS from the Austin office.  However, when I did not receive it, I was not surprised.  (Just by way of example, this morning I received an offense report on a smuggling case that happened over a year ago.   Our law enforcement is extremely busy especially given the amount of smuggling cases we are all receiving in south Texas.)  I want the Texas Rangers’ to submit a complete investigation, that is thorough and deliberate, and because of that it should not be surprising that it has taken over a year. “

  Uvalde Hesperian: Are you available for an interview with the media? Will you be holding a press conference this week? 

  District Attorney Mitchell:   “I will not be holding a press conference.  I am ethically prohibited from discussing an ongoing criminal investigation in the media.  I am limited as to what I can say. “

Press release from the Office of Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez

Picture credit: Michael Robinson

  Austin, Texas – On Thursday, State Senator Roland Gutierrez sent a letter to Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steve McCraw, demanding an independent investigation into an incident that occurred Wednesday in which a DPS officer shoved a parent at Flores Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Body-worn camera footage of the incident was released late Thursday evening by ABC News.

  “I am glad that DPS has listened to our request and quickly released the bodycam footage from this incident. Now that we know that DPS can do this quickly without an investigation being completed, it’s time for them to release the Robb Massacre camera footage to the public. As in this instance, there is no reason to hide the ugly truth from the people,” Gutierrez stated, “Because we know DPS cannot be trusted to investigate themselves, I am continuing the call for an independent investigation so we can make sure a fair assessment is made in this situation. Every DPS officer working in Uvalde should have the sensibility to know the toll that the Robb Massacre has taken on the surviving families and DPS’ abject failure in protecting their children.”

  Since the massacre nearly 11 months ago, Gutierrez has demanded the release of all body-worn camera footage and 911 audio tapes to the public. DPS has hidden behind the Uvalde County District Attorney’s office, citing an ongoing investigation. Senator Gutierrez was only able to view the footage after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

  Gutierrez concludes, “We have to stop putting these families and this community through torture. DPS must know that they have caused irreparable harm to these families. The best they can do now is rip the band-aid off and release the Robb Elementary footage immediately, as they should have done May 25th of last year. I continue to call on Director McCraw to do the right thing once and for all.”

Thursday’s letter to Col. McCraw can be found here.

###

Roland Gutierrez has served as the Texas State Senator for District 19 since 2021, previously serving six terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and two terms as a San Antonio City Councilman.

A weekend cold weather system brought this year’s spring break week to a wintery close. Overnight Friday March 17 through early Saturday morning March 18th light snowfall was reported in Rocksprings and in Leakey according to the National Weather Service Office Austin/San Antonio. “We’ve had several reports of snow accumulating on grassy surfaces and on vehicles over the Edwards Plateau and western Hill Country,” the NWS Austin/San Antonio said.  Rain reports from several measuring stations in Uvalde County indicated about 1/2 inch of rain Saturday at several locations in Uvalde County.

  Saturday’s temperatures were in the mid 50’s accompanied by light rain most of that day. Up in Concan, the spring breakers put away their swimsuits and river gear and could be seen wearing coats and jackets. While Thursday’s warmer temperatures and sunshine allowed for some to have some river fun, the warmer temperatures did not last. 

  “Showers will continue this morning, but will mainly limited to the western portion of the area by mid-afternoon. Temperatures will be a few degrees colder than yesterday with overcast skies. These colder temperatures linger into early this upcoming week,” the NWS San Antonio office posted on Twitter last Saturday morning. 

   The colder temperatures and rainy weather did not deter runners from participating in the Eva Strong Memorial Race held in Uvalde that morning with approximately 450 participating.  The Race was held in memory of Eva Mireles, one of two teachers who perished in the Robb School massacre on May 24th, last year. 

  Tournament golfers hit the links Saturday morning at Frio Valley Ranch Golf course completing the second tournament day. 

Weekend rainfall results in Frio River water level rise.

  A one vehicle rollover accident occurring just before midnight on State Highway 127 east of Concan claimed the life of a 25 year old woman according to Texas DPS Officer Rene Cordova. 

  Cordova stated that the driver, Cassandra Siegel had over-corrected on a turn at 11:22 PM resulting in the one vehicle crash. 

  Siegel who is originally from McHenry, Illinois lived in Hondo, Texas and was employed as the Director of Operations at Michalak Ranch. She was previously employed at the Texas Hill Country River Region as its River Cleanup Coordinator, according to information from Facebook and Frio in Focus Magazine. 

  Additional information about the accident may be forthcoming from Texas DPS.

Editorial Note: Cassie Siegal was a beloved part of the Concan area and the Uvalde Hesperian is saddened by the news of her passing.

KSAT 12 Reporter Leigh Waldman reported on Twitter Tuesday, January 3rd, that Uvalde CISD is reviewing its cameras at the Dalton Elementary Campus.

LeighWaldman (@Leigh Waldman) Tweeted: “Chief Daniel Rodriguez says there’s no sign of forced entry into the school. He explained they’re taking these calls seriously and are ensuring kids are safe when they go back to school on Wednesday” https://twitter.com/leighwaldman/status/1610037854066860034?s=51&t=TGb6IU0mOp6JsZKqKkblig

In a second report Waldman wrote: “I’m told the district is in the process of checking their surveillance cameras now. At the districts end of year safety meeting, we were told 79 cameras were installed at Dalton Elementary”

The Uvalde Police Department posted this statement on its Facebook Page: