Post by Admin on May 26, 2022 20:44:58 GMT
Mourners gathered at a community vigil
The Uvalde County Fairplex typically hosts happy celebrations like quinceañeras and weddings. But on Wednesday night, the arena became the site of an emotional vigil.
Roughly 2,000 community members gathered to remember the victims, to offer prayers and to comfort their neighbors.
Ministers from three local churches spoke to the overflow crowd, leading them in prayers for the victims, their loved ones, the city and all those impacted by Tuesday's tragedy.
Texas Public Radio reports that it was standing-room only at the vigil, with a constant stream of residents, law enforcement officers and journalists entering the arena.
Volunteers offered water and soda to attendees, while golden retrievers were on standby to soothe mourners. Community leaders were in attendance, as were Abbott, O'Rourke and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Morning Edition co-host A Martínez watched as a woman made a beeline for a crying teenage girl headed toward the exit, then hugged her wordlessly for over a minute. They didn't seem to know each other, he said, but at that moment it didn't matter.
"That's what we do here in Uvalde, we hug and we love," said the woman, Lea Rentch. She described the community as tight-knit and small – her own grandson goes to school in Uvalde but wasn't at the Robb Elementary campus that day.
The grief of Uvalde residents was palpable and overwhelming, Martínez said, adding that the vigil was unlike anything he'd previously covered.
"It was impossible not to feel how vulnerable and violated this community is right now," he said. Listen to more of his reporting here.
The Uvalde County Fairplex typically hosts happy celebrations like quinceañeras and weddings. But on Wednesday night, the arena became the site of an emotional vigil.
Roughly 2,000 community members gathered to remember the victims, to offer prayers and to comfort their neighbors.
Ministers from three local churches spoke to the overflow crowd, leading them in prayers for the victims, their loved ones, the city and all those impacted by Tuesday's tragedy.
Texas Public Radio reports that it was standing-room only at the vigil, with a constant stream of residents, law enforcement officers and journalists entering the arena.
Volunteers offered water and soda to attendees, while golden retrievers were on standby to soothe mourners. Community leaders were in attendance, as were Abbott, O'Rourke and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Morning Edition co-host A Martínez watched as a woman made a beeline for a crying teenage girl headed toward the exit, then hugged her wordlessly for over a minute. They didn't seem to know each other, he said, but at that moment it didn't matter.
"That's what we do here in Uvalde, we hug and we love," said the woman, Lea Rentch. She described the community as tight-knit and small – her own grandson goes to school in Uvalde but wasn't at the Robb Elementary campus that day.
The grief of Uvalde residents was palpable and overwhelming, Martínez said, adding that the vigil was unlike anything he'd previously covered.
"It was impossible not to feel how vulnerable and violated this community is right now," he said. Listen to more of his reporting here.