In the News June 12

People in the U.S. Oppose More Police Powers and Demand Their Rights Be Upheld

Failure of Federal, State and Local Officials in Uvalde, Texas Shows Long-Standing Government Racism

As more and more information surfaces about the mass killing in Texas of 19 children and two teachers on May 24, the racism of the U.S. state at all levels becomes more clear, as does the social responsibility taken by the fourth-grade students, their teachers, and many parents.

The young students courageously made numerous calls to 911, even while shots were being fired. They had the insight to play dead to protect themselves and fellow students. The two women teachers were killed attempting to block the shooter, Salvador Ramos, from killing their students. Parents immediately came to Robb Elementary School, striving to intervene to protect the children only to be blocked by police, who forced them to remain outside while they did nothing.

Nearly all the early official reports about the “outstanding” job police forces did were false. They did not intervene outside the building, as was first reported; they did not barge into the room but waited outside for nearly an hour; Ramos did not have protective armor yet was not stopped; and so forth.

Many people are outraged and angered that their children were treated as expendable and their own efforts to quickly intervene blocked. About 200 student walk outs took place across the country on May 26 in support of Uvalde and the families directly impacted. Thousands of students were involved, all demanding action to keep their schools and communities safe. These included demands such as Counselors not Guns, reflecting the demand for the right to quality education for all, not more militarization of schools. More actions took place June 7 and more than 450 demonstrations occurred across the country on June 11.

School walkouts took place across the U.S. on May 26, 2022 and June 7, 2022.

Uvalde is a rural working class town that is about 80 per cent Mexican and Mexican American, as is the school district and Robb Elementary. Many have family both sides of the border, including those who have lived in the area for generations, even before the U.S. violently annexed Texas from Mexico in 1845. It is also a town with a history of common bonds and culture that the border cannot prevent. Like elsewhere, there has been a struggle against government-imposed segregation.

There is growing concern, especially among youth, that violence by policing agencies — including Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), both well-known in Uvalde — will now increase in the name of “protecting” students. Many families in the area have undocumented members who are targeted by ICE and Border Patrol for deportation.

Border Patrol’s Tactical Unit (BORTAC), which reportedly eventually killed Ramos, is now being promoted as a “protective” force, better than local police, etc. BORTAC in fact is among the most racist and brutal forces and responsible for killing unarmed immigrants and refugees, including those standing in Mexico.

Human and immigrant rights activists stand alongside youth in demanding full funding for the right to education, demilitarization of their communities, an end to deportations and the removal of ICE and Border Patrol and the many troops stationed along the Texas border. There is growing recognition that state violence is the danger, and that security lies not in more policing but in stepping up the fight for rights.

Students in Buffalo hold minute of silence in memory of the children killed in Uvalde, during their school walkout, May 26, 2022.

TML Daily, posted June 12, 2022.