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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Minoritarian (Kakistocracy) Open Thread: Suffering Uvalde

Minoritarian (Kakistocracy) Open Thread: Suffering Uvalde

by | 68 Comments

This post is in: 

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.

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

Seconded, by a ‘respectable’ Uvalde escapee:


I was born in Uvalde, Tex., lived there recently and love its complex history and people. Like most, I’ve been struggling under the weight of grief to understand the violence that left 19 children, two teachers and a young killer dead last week. But I’m not surprised.

First, you would be challenged to find a more heavily armed place in the United States than Uvalde. It’s a town where the love of guns overwhelms any notion of common-sense regulations, and the minority White ruling class places its right-wing Republican ideology above the safety of its most vulnerable citizens — its impoverished and its children, most of whom are Hispanic.

Second, at news of the shooting, I was struck to hear the words “Robb Elementary” because I knew of its centrality to the struggle in Uvalde over the past half-century to desegregate its schools. Robb sits in the city’s southwest quadrant. So I knew the victims of the shooting would largely be Hispanic. They have been locked into that school for decades.

In Uvalde, simply put, everything north of Highway 90 is primarily White Republican, and everything south is mostly Hispanic Democrat. The city has about 15,000 residents; more than 80 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Most of Uvalde’s political leadership and the heads of the largest employers are White. At the center of town on the courthouse grounds, you’ll find a monument to Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president — installed when the Ku Klux Klan dominated Uvalde politics. (Some of us tried to get the monument removed after the murder of George Floyd, but that’s a story for another day.)…

The killer allegedly bought his guns at the Oasis Outback, a popular lunch spot for wealthier Uvaldeans, known for its large buffet, hunting supplies and gun shop. On most days you’ll also see groups of Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement there. It’s a monthly meeting place for groups such as the Uvalde County Republican Women, whose Facebook page includes posts decrying “the border invasion.”…

I wasn’t surprised to see the Republican panel of politicians at a news conference the day after the shooting, almost all White and in top positions of power in the community and the state, taking the lead. In Uvalde, the custodians of order — the chief of police, the sheriff, the head of the school district police — are Hispanic, but here they were largely silent. Unsurprisingly, they now bear the primary blame for the disastrous response at the school.

Finally, I wasn’t surprised to see victims being flown to San Antonio for treatment. The Uvalde hospital was converted in recent years to a critical access facility, limiting its number of beds. The hospital benefited financially, but many residents seeking health care must now travel to distant locations. The negative impact on a community with high rates of poverty — families who can’t afford this burden — is obvious…

The deaths at Robb Elementary were predictable and avoidable. Uvalde, the state of Texas and the United States of America failed the children and teachers who died there. We owe it to their memory and to current and future generations to avoid yet another, similar tragedy.

Reader Interactions

68Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    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 hope Texas turns purple or blue ASAP, but gerrymandering doesn’t explain the results of statewide elections. In many places, you just get outvoted by the other side. Texas is a red state until it’s not.

  3. 3.

    Urza

    Not super critical, but the posts don’t end with a link to the comments currently.  Only at the top is there a link.

  4. 4.

    Mike E

    @Baud: Here in NC overcoming the gerrymander can seem possible in theory, but lately in practice we are a TEA.O.P. run state until we are not… it’s a bit reductionist to suggest otherwise, especially in states where Dems have been known to wear pointy hoods

  5. 5.

    Mike in NC

    I’d like to hope that Greg Abbott’s future in politics is done for, but I’m probably naive. We were out doing errands today and passed a tent selling a shitload of “Trump 2024” merchandise. Because the grifting never ends. On the other hand, nobody was there buying that stuff.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    @Mike E:

    Don’t you have a Dem governor?

    Gerrymandering is a real problem for legislative bodies.  In Texas, Dems haven’t won a state wide election in something like 20 years.

  8. 8.

    Urza

    @Baud: Need to make people feel like its ok to vote against Republicans in areas like this.  Many don’t turn out because of social pressure even when they hate the results, and they don’t think anything else is possible.  Yet.

  9. 9.

    Scout211

    The killer allegedly bought his guns at the Oasis Outback, a popular lunch spot for wealthier Uvaldeans, known for its large buffet, hunting supplies and gun shop. On most days you’ll also see groups of Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement there. It’s a monthly meeting place for groups such as the Uvalde County Republican Women, whose Facebook page includes posts decrying “the border invasion.”…

    What? Lunch, hunting supplies, guns, law enforcement and Republicans?  Truly full service. That is, for the right people. 

  11. 11.

    Baud

    @Urza:

    Yes! I’m for anything that works. I question whether saying a red state isn’t really a red state will work though.  The only way to square that circle is to perhaps predict that Texas will cross the Rubicon into blue territory in November.

  12. 12.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Scout211:

    There’s a truck and trailer place near where I live that sells livestock trailers, traveling trailers, etc, that also sells guns and ammunition

  14. 14.

    debbie

    Here’s all you need to know about Uvalde now:

    Uvalde police chief just released a statement with this stunningly tone-deaf line:

    “Our entire dept is thankful the officers didn’t sustain any life threatening injuries” pic.twitter.com/MEicb3Unby
    — Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) May 29, 2022

  19. 19.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    So apparently Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was recently arrested for allegedly driving drunk

  21. 21.

    Mike E

    @Baud: About that: Gov Cooper got comfortably reelected, a worthy feat considering Bev Perdue had to limp out of office after four years as a sort of caretaker of the (D) party’s dying embers. Pat McCrory (R) was the next one-term governor that Cooper handled easily but barely beat (Pat recently got bounced in the Senate primary) but ol’ Roy’s recent gun control speech got undercut by our crazy Lt Gov actually going to the NRA convention (he’s on their board). Even Thom Tillis bowed out of that one, heh. I’ve never been so fond of purple as I am now, having dealt with our nasty red color for far too long. Sadly.

  22. 22.

    Phylllis

    I’m so thankful our school year is over. And that I only have one more year to go until retirement. Because I see what’s coming–metal detectors, schools that look and feel even more like prisons than they already do, and unfortunately, a speeding up of the end of public education.

  23. 23.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    The second article had a little more detail on the 60 R/40 D situation though:

    In Uvalde, simply put, everything north of Highway 90 is primarily White Republican, and everything south is mostly Hispanic Democrat. The city has about 15,000 residents; more than 80 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @Mike E: As much as I hope that Sen. Warnock is reelected, I fear he could lose to Walker.   When I first saw Walker’s statements concerning guns, I got teary eyed thinking about that.   Economically the state is doing good, and Kemp will get receive credit for that.   He could drag Walker with him.

  26. 26.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Baud: Possibly the original poster used “gerrymander” to cover all sorts of voter suppression and democracy degeneration. Having come from an even redder, poorer state, I think I understand what she’s talking about. It’s being going on for our entire history.

    I think her point stands.

  27. 27.

    Another Scott

    @Mike E: Tom DeLay and his cronies broke Texas (and the House) starting in 2002:

    After Republicans won control of the Texas state legislature in 2002 for the first time in 130 years, they intended to work toward establishing a majority of House of Representatives seats from Texas held by their party. After the 2002 election, Democrats had a 17–15 edge in House seats representing Texas or 53% of the seats to Republican’s 47%, although the state voted for Republicans in congressional races 53.3%–43.8%.[1] After a protracted partisan struggle, the legislature enacted a new congressional districting map, Plan 1374C, introduced in the Texas House by Representative Phil King of Weatherford. In the 2004 congressional elections, Republicans won 21 seats to the Democrats’ 11,[2] which suggested they had considerably surpassed their margin of preference among voters.

    On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion that threw out one of the districts in the plan as a violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act because of racial gerrymandering. It ordered the lower court to produce a remedial plan, which it did in Plan 1440C. The Supreme Court ruling was not considered to seriously threaten Republican gains from the 2004 elections.[3]

    Mid-decade redistricting should never have been permitted. Once they got hold of power, DeLay’s GQP made sure that they were never going to lose it again – using every underhanded technique they could think of.

    So, one could say that “Texas is a red state”, but I think it hides a lot of nuance that is very important. (Kinda like “America is a center-right nation” – accepting the framing answers the question.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  29. 29.

    SpaceUnit

    I know a minor Democrat Party official in the Dallas area.  Every election for the last twenty years he tells me that the state is on the cusp of turning blue, and I usually just roll my eyes.  In terms of the popular votes Democrats are definitely making strides.  In 2020 it was 52.06% R vs 46.48% D, notably tighter than in 2016.  So maybe they’re getting close.

    Problem will be the state legislature.  Texas Democrats don’t have a prayer.  And it will soon be SOP for Republican controlled legislatures to throw out the popular vote and choose their own electors based on the lie of voter fraud.  The current SCOTUS will yawn and look the other way.

    Don’t mean to be a raincloud, but that’s the state of play

     

    ETA:  Oops, I see Another Scott made the point ahead of me.

  30. 30.

    Mike E

    @JPL: Rev Raph is a rockstar and such a worthy pol to be senator, I hope Stacey’s ground game has another great showing at least for his sake (and ours).

  32. 32.

    Geminid

    @JPL: Atlanta TV station ABC11 published an interesting poll of likely voters about three weeks ago. While the poll showed Kemp 6 points ahead of Abrams, Walker ran 6 points behind Warnock. Polls have only relative value, but the fact that the same 1300 person pool came up with such disparate results told me that Walker may be a very weak candidate. Some of this differential is probably due to Kemp being a white man and Abrams being a Black woman, but I read that Walkers primary opponents had been using negative ads to pound him on the personal and businesses issues he’s had since his football career, and these ads probably had some effect.

  33. 33.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    So apparently Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was recently arrested for allegedly driving drunk

    Well, driving under the influence anyway. Blood alcohol of .08.  I remember when that was legal.  (Not that I think it should still be, just that it’s the lower end of alcohol impairment.)

    The real problem is that he’s 82 years old, which is pushing the ‘maybe you really shouldn’t be driving anymore’ age.  Toss in even a little bit of alcohol impairment on top of that, and he really shouldn’t have been behind the wheel.

  34. 34.

    NutmegAgain

    This is such essential information. The better use of social networking tools, I’d say.

    (This isn’t maybe the best thread, but Woo Hoo and Yay! for the site being mostly sorta kinda back. Thanks to the hard work.)

  36. 36.

    Tom Q.

    @Geminid: Maybe also the fact that Walker, when he deigns to speak publicly, is barely coherent?  The phrase “Took too many hits to the head” came to mind when I heard his comments about the Uvalde shooting.

  37. 37.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Geminid: ​
     

    While the poll showed Kemp 6 points ahead of Abrams, Walker ran 6 points behind Warnock. Polls have only relative value, but the fact that the same 1300 person pool came up with such disparate results told me that Walker may be a very weak candidate.

    This. Like you say, the fact that the same poll, the same sample, came up with such a swing between the two races, says to me that it’s a very real differential.

    Dems need to keep up the attacks on Herschel – like the saying goes, when your opponent is drowning, throw him an anvil.
    We need Warnock in the Senate.

  38. 38.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Mike E:

    But there’s a limit to what people will be willing to tolerate that.

    And that doesn’t mean they will succeed. It’s not a fait accompli

  39. 39.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: The ABC11 poll also showed that Kemp led among voters age 50 and above, while Abrams led among voters 18 to 49. This shows some opportunity for Democrats. The older group is probably close to being maxed out in numbers registered. The younger age group has a lot more unregistered voters. There are four more months until voting rolls close, and I expect Abrams and Georgia Democrats will try to make the most of this time.

    Which I was about to say May 14th, when the lights went out.

  40. 40.

    Mike E

    @Geminid: Not to mention Walker’s NFL-induced head trauma and multiple personality disorder diagnosis… come to think of it, he may be the perfect GOP candidate after all

  41. 41.

    SpaceUnit

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    You know, I think you’re right.  I think a lot of people would absolutely rebel.  I just don’t  know what form that rebellion would take or what it would lead to.

    We’re pretty much in uncharted waters right now.  The important thing is to not despair and just hand the bastards any wins.  Stay fired up.  I’m actually looking forward to November.

  42. 42.

    Soprano2

    Please have a good thought for us. We were contacted by my stepson’s roommate and landlord yesterday that he was acting strangely, as if he were on drugs or altered in some other way. His roommate said he claimed yesterday morning that he had hired someone to kill him! We haven’t heard from him since last September; evidently he doesn’t have a phone anymore. They contacted us today that they haven’t seen him since yesterday morning and couldn’t find him in any of the usual spots they thought he’d be at,  so they’re filling a missing person’s report. It feels so helpless, us being here and him being in Maui.

  43. 43.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @SpaceUnit:

    Glad we agree. I’m worried about this November given historical results for Midterms along with everything else, but I have to believe people would not just sit still while the GOP openly steals our freedoms away from us. No matter what Adam Silverman, as much as I respect his knowledge and opinions, believes Americans, for whatever reason, wouldn’t have it in them

  45. 45.

    Mike E

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): With so many in-broad-daylight crimes having been committed so far without much consequence, I hope you’re right about the people giving them the boot (or other heavier implements)

    @Soprano2: I’m so sorry, I hope he’s alright

  46. 46.

    Geminid

    @Mike E: Walker should be applying to the NFL’s brain injury compensation program, not running for Senator.  I felt a little sorry for him when he announced, but no one made him do this so I’ll reserve my sympathy until he loses in November.

    The negative ads against Walker will be fierce, but they will mostly be staged by pro-Warnock, third party PACs. Warnock does not have to make these attacks, although if Walker tries to dodge debates Warnock will be right to ask, what is Walker trying to hide?

  47. 47.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Go to the appropriate county jail website and do a detainee look up. Some states redirect to a central state look up but if he’s there he’ll be listed.

  48. 48.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Mike E:

    I honestly don’t think people will tolerate having their votes outright disregarded, especially when the stakes are so high. I know I won’t

  50. 50.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I read something yesterday about how democracy doesn’t go in a cataclysm. It’s eroded. It’s gone when you can no longer change things via your vote. You can vote. It just doesn’t matter. I’m worried the US is heading in that direction

  52. 52.

    SpaceUnit

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    US politics are currently so heated that I’m not sure the usual midterm dynamics will apply anymore.

    Granted, I live in a blue state where pretty much all the people I socialize with are either Democrats or left-leaning independents, but everybody seems extremely motivated (angry).

    I also think the Republicans have been making some critical miscalculations lately.

  55. 55.

    dnfree

    @Baud: 82-year-olds shouldn’t be drinking (even wine) and driving, especially at night.  I speak as someone approaching that age bracket.

  57. 57.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Ask about the civil commitment process – it’s a “hold” where they can keep him in a secure facility for 48 hours (not a jail, it’s not an arrest or criminal). They need an expert eval so they have to take him to an emergency room or psych hospital first.

  58. 58.

    JPL

    @Geminid: Let’s hope.   Stacey was hurt by sitting back and not running ads during the primary.   Kemp knew he was ahead of Perdue so his ads ran against both of them.   Early on, the message was expanding Medicare which worked.   I don’t have cable so I watch local programming and I’m not sure where that message went.  Now in defense, Stacey is a brilliant politician so I’m sure we will see something soon.   I don’t like hoping that folks vote for a split ticket.

  59. 59.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Thanks, that’s a good idea. I didn’t find anything; don’t know if i think that’s good or bad. I sent them a picture from 2019. His roommate says he left his ID in his room. They said the police will contact us, but they haven’t yet.

  61. 61.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    don’t know if i think that’s good or bad.

    It’s good. You can contact the county probate court too Tuesday. They would get the emergency order to hold him past 48- he’ll be in a pysch facility though, and safe, if maybe not happy about being there.

  65. 65.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Thanks a lot for the advice, I’ve got no idea what’s possible. Of course, they’ve got to find him first. He talks to homeless people a lot, so he might be with some of them. That’s the most logical thing to me because he’s comfortable around them.

  67. 67.

    Paul in KY

    @Baud: Agree.  Texas has been basically ‘Red’ since LBJ completed his presidency (and probably since Civil Rights Legislation).

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