The date of May 24, 2022 will always live in infamy: 19 students and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School murdered by a disturbed young man who then took his own life, all while more than 350 law enforcement personnel of various types did basically nothing constructive.
Each year, this small town an hour from the border remembers that day in a more specific manner than is embodied in the numerous memorials which are apparent throughout the year. For example, those Robb parents who choose to do so have an invitation-only dinner; those who attend must pass through two levels of security.
This precaution is not inconsistent with the observation, by those who would know, that the level of drama and the presence of outside media (perhaps the two are connected) were both reduced from those of prior years. On a personal level, this was my first trip to Uvalde when there were no law enforcement vehicles in the parking lot at the Holiday Inn where I always stay.
However, the trauma of Robb will be revisited in depth when two local police officials come to trial in the Fall of 2025. (Must reading on the subject of trauma is “The Body keeps the Score.”)
You would assume that defense lawyers would argue strenuously for a change in venue. The response thus far has been along the lines of “what’s the point?” given that the Robb massacre has been well documented virtually everywhere, especially within Texas.
The mental health of those directly or indirectly affected by Robb is obviously uppermost in the minds of the multiple Uvalde organizations whose reason for being is therapy. Less direct but nonetheless relevant is the dual characteristic of the schools: greater absenteeism and poor academic outcomes. Some Robb parents have left the area, some have put their children in different schools. All are struggling to attain some movement forward.
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Sharing a conversation and a delicious breakfast in a Mexican restaurant, one of many in the area, it is not surprising to be contemplating the nature of community. In the common usage of the word, there is rarely anything negative attached. Yet, it is not difficult to do so: a community can be contentious as well as collaborative.
Tensions in Uvalde post-Robb have centered at times on who received what amount of money from the multiple sources that responded to the tragedy, what constitutes a suitable array of memorials, and whether some racial differences that had long been buried were affecting decision-making. In addition, there was an outside organization that had sold the town a bill of goods on its ability to save everybody and had mishandled everything. Mercifully, it is no longer in the picture.
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In Austria, there was a recent school shooting (10 killed). It was so unusual in this country that the reaction was immediate: increase the minimum age to buy a gun to 25 from 21, implement a 30-day wait time between first purchase and receiving the gun, and institute improved communication systems among relevant government departments and mental health professionals.
Meanwhile, the latest reaction to the on-going problem of guns in this country is a two-thirds reduction in the number of inspectors of gun dealerships. We don’t give a damn about our kids.
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What is the bottom line from these brief observations?
politically: advocate for gun reform
personally: hold your kids tighter, and the rest of the family too, and maybe even your enemy