Posted from Uvalde: "We are not a red state. We are a oppressed state."

[kpete]

So, I’ve been trying to decide if I should post or not. I’m from Uvalde, I currently live in Uvalde. I’m a few blocks away from Robb Elementary. I use to pick up my siblings from the school. It’s a poor neighborhood where wild chickens have run of the place. But regardless,

I’ve always felt safe here. I ride my bike around the neighborhood, people are friendly here. It’s a neighborhood filled with Latino families, I’m half Latina. We heard the shots. We knew to stay inside as the reports came in about a shooting on Diez st. Then we heard he was

Chased into the school. We are helpless. The cops do nothing but harass citizens they are suppose to be serving and protecting. I’m disgusted by our mayor sitting with Abbott and Cruz. Throwing bullshit rhetoric of thoughts and prayers. I need people to know.

We are not a red state. We are a oppressed state. Gerrymandering has put the power into the few. Stop telling us to just go vote. We vote. But the system is rigged. We need help. We are being held hostage by this corrupt government. It is such a helpless feeling.

I’m so angry. I’ve been angry. And I feel like I’m just screaming into a void. Abbott and Cruz, let us die in the cold two years ago. They let us die in the ongoing pandemic. And they will continue to let our children die with gun reform because of money.

I don’t know what more I can do. Sorry for this unorganized rant. I just don’t know what to do. #Uvalde #uvaldetexas

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1529871163312201728.html

[anarch]

1. fellow Texan here--could not agree more n/t

[Dustlawyer]

42. +1!!!

[spanone]

2. K&R

[Ninga]

3. Not quite. State wide offices such as Governor and Federal such as Senate are not gerrymandered.

The problem IS voting.

[anarch]

22. and the suppression of voting

that's also part of the problem

[FoxNewsSucks]

30. that's not their only dirty trick

JFC, when are people gonna acknowledge that G O T V alone is NOT enough ?

[lees1975]

4. Not everyone in Uvalde votes

The county is 72% Latino, but Latino voter registration accounts for just under half the total. That's typical for Texas, where many Latinos don't register, fearing harassment or accused of being "illegal."

Looking on a congressional district and state district map, you definitely are gerrymandered, as is most of the border area and Rio Grande Valley. However, it is getting harder to do, as the new maps this year proved, a couple of 50-50 districts had to be created in order to preserve the current Republican configuration in Congress and in the state level because most of the population growth that created the need for the new districts is around San Antonio, El Paso and the Houston area, and 80% of new residents were Latino.

I lived in Texas for 25 years, some of that time in those scrub-brush ranch lands southeast of San Antonio. You've got a Democrat who is genuinely working for your interests in Beto O'Rourke. He can't do it alone but he came as close to beating Ted Cruz as any Democrat has done in decades, and people have to help put boots on the ground and get those voters to register and then to the polls.

[LeftInTX]

47. There are various reasons, but harassment isn't

I had someone say, "No. I don't want to get stuck with jury duty"

I was sent to canvass for our mayor in a very unengaged community. He had no idea who the mayor was.

[napi21]

51. I liveda in SanAntonio for about 9 years some time ago. Voting didn't seem to be important

to most of the people I worked with. I'm not sure why, but it felt like they just didn't care, or maybe felt their vote wouoldn't change anything so why bother. I HOPE their mindws can be changed thiws time!

[Lovie777]

5. Gerrymandering and voter suppression . . . .

the system is rigged.

[MarcA]

18. +1000 n/t

[walkingman]

6. I'm a Texan also - the only way to change things is to VOTE. There is no other way.

I despise my States politics but decades of electing these sorry people got us into this situation.

Bush, Perry, Abbott have turned Texas into a shithole. Not that complicated.

[IronLionZion]

7. Any good candidates running against your mayor?

This is a good year to make it an election issue

Texas 23rd district is purple. It has elected Dems to congress before and voted for Obama in 2008, Hillary in 2016, and Beto for Senate in 2018.

Uvalde is 78% Latino. Time to encourage those folks to vote Dem and find some sensible balance to avoid school shootings while still being able to shoot wild hogs or whatever they want AR-15s for.

[Lars39]

8. Are they like the town whose citizens had all those outstanding warrants

for bullshit citations? That very effectively kept people from voting, so that the white people remained in charge.

[calimary]

16. Aha!!! I bet that's another strategy designed to short-circuit the right to vote.

I never thought of that one…

Devious these gun-jumpers and massacre-machine fans are.

Very devious. Just more to keep in mind, and counter-strategize against.

[Lars39]

17. Yep!

Wish I could remember the shooting and town. I confess I can't keep up.

[calimary]

24. No kidding, my friend!

I’m having trouble keeping up, too.

How many mass shootings is this, by now,

How many victims, total, from these legions of willful massacres. How many shattered families?

None of these, not one, was an accidental shooting. Not one. Each one was PLANNED pain, death, and bloodshed.

Planned pain.

[Butterflylady]

45. United States leads the world with 288. Mexico comes second with a whoping 9.

[anarch]

23. it's not particularly about the guns; it's the white supremacy

[2naSalit]

33. Ferguson, MO?

[Lars39]

36. Maybe...I remember there were people trying to pay

off outstanding warrants so that people could vote without being arrested.

[2naSalit]

37. That was Florida in particular back in 2020...

And also Georgia but I think there were other states doing that and people like LeBron James stepped up with (I think) Stacy Abrams to make that happen.

[Lars39]

38. Ah, ok. Thanks!

[Traildogbob]

9. Needed to be said

Same here in NC. Why my district gave you Meadows and Cawthorn. The next batter up is just as bad, full on trumper. And the WNC version of Jesus, worships them. November is terrifying with all the voter theft happening in states like us and Texas. And even if we win, they plan to through out electors, with guns. My apologies to Texans that are not stupid, just that they had their voices thrown out.

[mgardener]

21. My district, NY 21

Gave you moral coward extraordinaire, Elise Stefanik!

[Traildogbob]

34. Wow she is

Very bad, but all phony, playing a part for trump and his cult. . Meadows and Cawthorn are evil and stupid. Not an act for them. But yea, we have a deep rooted cancer that is being fed fertilizer to root deeper and consume the country. Billionaires, Right wing media and fake religion. Fox is control central.

[Wild blueberry]

10. Feel the same in Wisconsin

We are oppressed by the GQP minority, ever since Wanker (2010).
Only saving grace is our governor, Tony Evers. We must re-elect him.
Thank you.

[delisen]

11. We hear you. We will be with you. This is a turning point.

[calimary]

25. I HOPE it's a turning point.

Not all that confident that it is, but I guess one can always hope. Not much encouragement there, though. None, in fact.

[Boomerproud]

41. What gives you optimism that there will be change?

Is anyone talking about Sandy Hook or even Buffalo any more? I agree 100% with the OP.

[Paladin]

12. Thanks so much for posting these profound sentiments.

Uvalde is such a good community. I have great memories of the town, going all the way back to my childhood. So sorry this gruesome incident happened anywhere---but it's even worse, happening in a place that I know and admire. God bless the children, the teachers, the families, and the town.

[Novara]

13. Voting is the perfect solution if our votes are counted equally

But gerrymandering and voter suppression makes sure our votes are not counted with equal weight.

Don't you see it in the differences between public opinion and the representation we actually have? The majority of the country supports abortion; abortion is going to be banned. The majority of the country supports gun restrictions; we have unfettered access to guns now. Republicans get a LOT of money from the NRA and special interest groups and they answer to THEM, not us. That is NOT how it's supposed to be. We are ruled by the minority.

Abolish Citizen's United.

Abolish gerrymandering.

Abolish the electoral college.

Abolish the filibuster.

THEN we'll see our votes count equally; our voices heard equally. Until then, our votes don't count equally and we are ruled by the minority. Turnout won't change that, not that I am discouraging voting, not at all. The more we illustrate the difference between the numbers of democratic votes and our votes not counting, the better chance we have to change it. You can bet if the system was rigged to favor Democrats, it would have been changed long ago.

[calimary]

26. You listed the four ESSENTIAL tasks ahead.

[LiberalArkie]

14. Back in the early 70's I had to go to the Bell Telephone office in Uvalde (I believe).

As I was driving through town I drove into an intersection that had a stop light with Green at the top and Red at the bottom. I almost ran it as the light at the bottom was lit.

Was this Uvalde or a town before I got to Uvalde?

[LeftInTX]

48. I think that crap is illegal now.

They had shut down Selma, TX.

[pandr32]

15. This perspective is important. Thank you for posting it.

Feeling powerless because of oppression, including gerrymandering so one has no representation, is a reality for many. Also, people need to hear that poor, Latino communities (among others) are filled with friendly people--families and others trying their best.

I have heard off-hand remarks about the numbers of "illegals" there--attempting to make the community an exception from "regular" ones. This bigoted baloney needs countering. It is past time for us to normalize the real-people-ness of communities too many consider not "regular". We need to more effectively fold them into the batter.

America is diversity.

[MarcA]

19. Sounds like another Ferguson. n/t

[Grins]

20. America is a shooting gallery.

And you and all of us are merely sitting ducks on a moving train to be picked off.

[pressbox69]

27. This Will All Be

Forgotten like countless other shootings have been forgotten. Perhaps that will change if there is some sort of major blowout at the GOP/NRA cash orgy this weekend.

[dugog55]

28. America needs a reboot and quickly. We have been under Minority Rule

for decades now. CA has 38 million people and two Senators, WY has 800,000 people and two Senators. There are more States like that giving the few way too much control. When the Constitution was created, there were only 13 million people in the original 13 States, there is no way the Founders could have foreseen such a huge population growth or how lopsided things could become. Same with the 2nd Amendment, that was put in to get Virginia to agree, but it was all about slave patrols that were called State Militias. That Amendment should have been eliminated after the Civil War, along with the Electoral College.

We live in oppressed states and pretty much an oppressed country. All because the Constitution is outdated (mostly number wise) and the Right has completely lost its mind over the last 40 years. Having over 700 Billionaires has also pushed us towards on Oligarchy that the Right Wing seems to cherish. Even the rank and file Repubs follow suit and consistently vote against their best interests.

I am angry too, and disillusioned. I do not see this getting any better, only worse. Covid sucks and is going to be here for years. Climate Change is going to make Covid look like a vacation in the next 10-20 years. I am in my late 60's and will probably be gone before things really get terrible, but I have three grown children and four grandchildren that will have to grow up in a hellscape. It is so depressing there are times I just withdraw, I can't hardly take anymore.

[happy feet]

29. I am so sorry.

My heart breaks for you and the community. As a POC I suspected from the very beginning that the callous disregard by law enforcement had to do with what I guessed was maybe a Latino community. I pray this is the tipping point for Federal Congress---outing the Repubs and specifically Mitch McConnell and the Repub Senate.

I'm sending my supportive thoughts and understanding your way.

[FoxNewsSucks]

31. They really don't give a damn

Neither does Manchin

[Javaman]

32. I continue to say, "texas: the only fascist state in the union". I live in Austin. nt

[Irish_Dem]

35. The GOP controls the votes, the voting machines, the electoral maps, the electors.

And the judges, courts and Supreme Ct.

Wake up America before we lose our kids and this country.

[UTUSN]

39. Thank you. BEGALA has said for years: "Texas is not a Red state. It's a non-voting state."

Please, I'm aware that the Uvalde native already said she and others *DO* vote, but are oppressed, repressed, suppressed. The non-voting applies to much of the rest of Texas.

[lees1975]

40. OK, here we are again, another whole thread of comiserating about why we can't get anything done

but what are we doing?

We should have been inspired earlier this week when the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas, Beto O'Rourke, got right in the face of the governor, mayor and all of the law enforcement people fawning all over them, and told them off. They tossed him out and he went, respectfully, but he was given a media platform to keep calling them out. And it has gotten results.

After muttering, grumbling and complaining, Abbott crawled off in a corner, decided not to go to the NRA meeting after all and is now playing the damage control game big time.

There was an admission of a botched response by the law enforcement officials.

There's talk in Congress of getting a background check bill passed. By Mitch McConnell, believe it or not.

This shook them big time. They watch those poll numbers. But let's not quit, let's keep up the pressure.

The very last thing Republicans want in Texas is a "woke" Latino community. Here's the opportunity for the Democratic party to give one to them.

You folks that live in Texas, especially in South Texas in places like Uvalde, where three fourths of the population is Latino but only a fourth of the Latinos are registered to vote, if it takes pounding the pavement to get people to register and go vote, do it!

[flying_wahini]

43. I live in Texas and couldn't agree more. Gerrymandered maps have ruined us and the judges

rule with us and tell them to change it and they don’t.
More changes have just made it worse. Back to court again over and over.

Nothing changes. People don’t vote anymore. If they thought they could win they would,

[BidenRocks]

44. I checked the 2020 election results.

Uvalde Co. voted Rep across the board.
Just sayin fwiw.

[Butterflylady]

46. Yes I read here on DU 60% for trump. One can only hope it will not happen again.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. So weird since a woman, former marine? Who lived doors

From school said it was a good neighborhood. Higher taxes
Said why here where we pay more to live here? Not trying to understand who's correct but obviously it was a completely different story

[hamsterjill]

52. Uvalde has kind of "pockets" of areas.

You may have a poor area that backs right up to a richer neighborhood. The city has actually grown in the last decade or so. More business. A Walmart. A Starbucks, etc. So, they filled in vacant areas with housing where city utilities were already in place, and depending on the price, it’s either low or higher income.

It is known as the City of Trees. There are several streets that have gigantic oak trees in the middle of the road, the street having been constructed around the tree. So they were ahead of their time in saving trees! It is also known as the “Honey Capitol” as it was once known for producing Huajillo Honey. Just some “fun” facts.

There was a gun store directly across the street from where my dad lived that literally had a sign that said “Guns” on the top and “Liquor” on the bottom. Not sure if that’s still there or not.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

56. That's interesting. Have only been there once... When

we had an accident while on the Frio and drove to a Med center there. I remember it being a pretty town and how cool about the trees!

[thesquanderer]

53. Wait... he was shooting outside and he was CHASED into the school?? By whom?? n/t

[PurgedVoter]

54. I live in Texas

Before I chose this name for my account, I had been purged twice. I don't know about your state but in mine, I have personal experience that tells me the elections are rigged. I am pretty sure they wouldn't be rigging the elections if they didn't need to. So yes, I live in a Dictatorship.

[ecstatic]

55. When I listened to some of the interviews the other day

I got major authoritarian-state vibes. Parents and onlookers were careful to not share their true opinions. Authority figures were more focused on patting each other on the back.