UVALDE, Texas — Voters across Texas will be heading to the polls for the midterm election on Nov. 8, but few other counties in the state have garnered more national attention than Uvalde. Since May 24, when a 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, Uvalde has been the epicenter of a national debate about gun safety.
Since the shooting, the parents of some of the victims have rallied locally and in Washington, D.C., with some parents testifying in front of Congress, calling for gun reform measures they say will prevent another massacre.
In their attempt to hold officials accountable for the shooting, some parents of the victims have been engaged in months of protests and advocacy both at the local and national levels. Some of the protests have been aimed at the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District's police force, whose officers were among the law enforcement officials that waited over an hour outside of a classroom before they attempted to stop the shooter, according to a state investigation.
"I said 'listen this is exactly what is supposed to occur.' They're not used to the status quo being challenged and you've instituted changes. It feels like dominoes, knocking them down and falling down like that," said Lopez."I think it makes them feel uncomfortable that they're bucking the system, they're going against the establishment of what has traditionally been in Uvalde.
Lopez said the parents' advocacy is making a strong impact on communities across the country and at home. He said more volunteers have signed up to canvas for Democrats than in previous years. The shooting has also prompted Javier Cazares, the father of 9-year-old Jacklyn Cazares who was killed in the shooting, to run for local office. Cazares is running as an independent write-in candidate for county commissioner.
"We want to support the families, and we do have your back, but we cannot hang around with you and go places with you, if you're going to be ugly and be in people's faces and demand stuff in the way you're demanding," Vigil said.
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