“Let me tell you about Salvador,” says Jamie Arellano, who attended Uvalde High School with Ramos. “He would go to the park and try to pick on people and he loved hurting animals.”
An 18 year-old who shot up a school killing 19 children and 2 teachers had a long history of anger and aggression that was somehow overlooked for far too long. Those who knew“Let me tell you about Salvador,” says Jamie Arellano, who attendedThe pattern of violence goes back as far as almost anyone can remember.“He would try and call people names and start fights,” said Arellano. “I remember there was one time we saw him beating a little dog senseless.
“Sure, we have some therapists here locally but they aren’t really qualified to handle something like this guy,” said Ariel Silva, whose child attends school here in Uvalde. “This school never has enough money to really do all of the things they need to do. This is not a wealthy community.” “I am sure they do what they can,” she says. “But we just don’t get the funding that other schools seem to get.”
“The state ties our hands,” says local resident Lydia Martinez. “They just look at us like ‘those poor hispanic people’ who live out near the border.”Residents here have to fight for everything they get. She said no matter how hard they scramble to get their fair share of the pie, Republican lawmakers cater to their big city constituents and pay zero mind to the challenges of these rural Texans.