As the one-year mark approaches, the City of El Paso, along with the County of El Paso and the El Paso United Family Resiliency Center, and many others are hosting a series of events to honor and remember the victims of the August 3 mass shooting.

The community can reflect on the 1-year anniversary and remember the lives lost by participating in the following virtual and in-person events:

July 30 to August 3

• “A Time to Remember” – The public can upload pictures, art, and stories on social media using the hashtags #elpasostrong and #atimetoremember
• Testimonial videos from First Responders and words of encouragement by area leaders will air on the City and Museum of History Facebook page

July 31 to August 3

• The El Paso Museum of History will show a commemorative video on the digital wall outside of the museum
• The public can submit pictures and memories for the Digital Wall at www.digie.org

August 2 to August 15

• Public art on I-10, along Airway and at the airport will be lit orange in honor of the victims (Orange represents the national color for gun violence)

August 3

• The public can visit Ponder Park all day to place a commemorative orange ribbon in remembrance of the victims
• The community can show support by placing an orange ribbon on their front door

Notable Memorials:

• Names of victims to be added to Crime Victims Memorial at Yucca Park
• Commemorative billboard on I-10 (Airway and Geronimo) July 27 to August 23
• Starting at 9 p.m. on Monday, August 3 the El Paso Chamber will flash the Star on the Mountain 23 times, in ten second intervals, in honor of the 23 victims.

Our partners at the El Paso County and others are hosting various events. Information on those activities is available via this link. For more information about the community’s long-term trauma recovery plan, visit www.epstrong.org and click on Aug. 3 Tragedy link.

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Join EPCC for a week long event remembering those lost in the tragic August 3rd attack.

Presentations and discussions will be available daily from August 3-7 at 7:00 p.m. at https://us.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/guest/1b85cc8b7e4746e5b7bcbc4315d1c850.

Follow EPCC Student Leadership & Campus Life on Facebook or Instagram for more details and updates.

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With the one year anniversary of the tragic shooting approaching, Proper Printshop will be having an art auction to raise money for the El Paso Victims’ Education Fund through the El Paso Community Foundation.

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On Monday, August 3, the one year anniversary of the Walmart massacre, Emergence Health Network is hosting “A Day of Hope and Healing” Facebook Live event.

Because of the events of August 3rd and the aftermath, Emergence Health Network and its mental health professionals are reaching out to borderland residents to help them understand trauma and healing.

“The events on August 3^rd changed our community forever and as we mark the one-year anniversary of that unfortunate time we want to make sure our community is prepared for the emotions that often come with such a day,” said Kristi Daugherty, Emergence Health Network Chief Executive Officer.

“It’s been a year since that senseless violence shocked our city, but the healing process for such a traumatic event takes time.”

The unique event will feature several sessions – in English and Spanish – throughout the day.

 “It’s a day-long series of meaningful discussions hosted by our mental health professionals.  The goal is to help our residents continue to heal by learning more about the challenging feelings they might experience and learn useful tools to cope with those emotions on this anniversary,” added Daugherty.

A Day of Hope and Healing Facebook Live

• When: Monday, August 3, 2020
• Online via Emergence Health Network Facebook Page
• Time: 8 am – 4 pm

Nearly three months after the shooting that took the lives of 22 shoppers and injured 26, the Cielo Vista Walmart reopened Thursday, November 14th.

As members of the press and law enforcement looked on, shoppers slowly made their way into the remodeled store.  Cheers could be heard from the Walmart staffers inside.

Some Walmart team members and shoppers alike comforted each other as the reopening got underway.

One shopper who spoke with our crew said she felt a bit uneasy walking into to the store, but the feeling quickly went away, once she was inside and the staff welcomed her in.

Father Fabian Marquez, who visited the site a few weeks back, was invited back by Walmart team members to start the day with a prayer.  Once the doors opened for the east-central store, it quickly filled with shoppers.

Many had feared that the store – the only large grocery store within walking distance for the nearby neighborhoods – would not be reopening.

The store reopening comes on the heels of the move of the memorial that overlooked the site for months, as city officials relocated the many of the items to a new, temporary memorial site a few blocks away at Ponder Park.

Walmart officials are also constructing a permanent memorial to the victims on the store’s property.

Our very own Ruben R. Ramirez and Johnny Yturales were there and we bring you their views of the reopening via this gallery and video.

The University of Texas at El Paso’s C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department will honor the 22 people who died as a result of the mass shooting in El Paso on August 3rd at its Day of the Dead altar.

“This affected so many people,” Claudia Rivers Head of Special Collections said. “We all are still in mourning.”

The department annually erects an altar to celebrate the life or lives of local to international celebrities with a background in the arts or literature who have died within the past year.

This year’s altar will include a collage of the photos of those who died, their names and newspaper clippings of the shooting and its aftermath. The display also will have some text about internet sites where people can get more information about this event.

The display, located on the third floor of the University Library near the stairs, is expected to go up Wednesday, October 30, and stay up for about two weeks.

As always, the altar will include traditional sugar skulls, candles, flowers and “papel picado” (tissue paper cut into decorative designs).

If the public would like to bring in items that relate to the Aug. 3 victims, they may contact Rivers at 915-747-5697 or crivers@utep.edu.

One Fund El Paso and the National Compassion Fund have joined with agencies in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to provide help for those applying for direct financial assistance related to the August 3 mass shooting in El Paso.

Applications to One Fund El Paso may be completed online, or with the assistance of the following agencies. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Friday, November 8, 2019.

There are four types of applications — death benefits; individual physical injury for victims requiring overnight hospitalization or long-term care; individual physical injury of victims treated at area hospitals on an emergency outpatient basis; and individuals witnessing the attack and its aftermath.

Victims must have been present at the Cielo Vista Walmart, Sam’s Club or their respective parking lots during the attack.

One Fund El Paso is a single entity established by the City of El Paso, the El Paso Community Foundation and the Paso del Norte Community Foundation to streamline the process of distributing donated funds to victims of the August 3 mass shooting.

EL PASO

Applicants must call or email ahead to set up an appointment at any of these locations.

• Centro San Vicente Health Center, 8061 Alameda, 915-858-2932

Ask to speak with Outreach and Enrollment Assisters

• County of El Paso General Assistance, 6314 Delta, 915-775-2726

Contact: Maria Lopez, malopez@epcounty.com

• El Paso Center for Children, 2200 N. Stevens, 915-565-8361

Contact: Jacqueline Flores, jflores@epccinc.org

• El Paso Child Guidance Center, 2701 E. Yandell, 915-562-1999, ext. 3000

Contact: Betty Avila, bavila@epcgc.org

• Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, 1500 Yandell 915-283-4706

Contact: Linda Corchado, lindacorchado@lasamericas.org

• Project BRAVO, 2000 Texas, 915-562-4100

Email casemanagers@projectbravo.org

• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc., 1331 Texas, 915-585-5115

Contact: Gracie Martinez, gmartinez@trla.org

CIUDAD JUAREZ

No appointment necessary.

• Centro de Inclusion Digital, Melquiades Alanis 6431, Col. San Lorenzo, 656-257-0136

Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. October 19, October 26, and November 2.

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One Fund El Paso y el National Compassion Fund están colaborando con agencias de El Paso y Ciudad Juárez para ayudar a llenar la forma para asistencia financiera a los afectados por el tiroteo del 3 de Agosto en El Paso. La forma se puede llenar en linea en nationalcompassionfund.org, o pueden recibir asistencia para el llenado en las agencias aquí abajo enlistadas. Recuerde que la fecha límite para aplicar a los fondos es el 8 de Noviembre del 2019.

Existen 4 tipos de aplicación – para beneficiarios por fallecimiento, para herida física con hospitalización de mas de 24 horas o de cuidados de largo plazo, para herida física con atención ambulatoria en hospitales de la región y para individuos que presenciaron el ataque y/o la escena después del ataque. Las víctimas tuvieron que haber estado presentes en el Walmart o Sam’s Club de Cielo Vista o en sus respectivos estacionamientos durante el ataque. One Fund El Paso es una organización individual establecida por la Ciudad de El Paso, El Paso Community Foundation y Paso del Norte Community Foundation para agilizar el proceso de la distribución de los fondos donados para las víctimas del tiroteo del 3 de Agosto.

The Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety will hold a hearing in El Paso to hear invited and public testimony next week.

The hearing is set for Monday, October 21st at the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center at UTEP, from 2 to 7 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to attend and testify, especially community members impacted by the El Paso shooting.

“This is an important opportunity for individuals to speak before state leadership on the personal, family, and community impacts of mass shootings in Texas and potential state policies that may prevent future acts of mass violence,” State Senator Jose Rodriguez shared via a news release.

The members of the Committee include Sen. José Rodríguez of El Paso, and Sens. Joan Huffman (Chair), Judith Zaffirini (Vice Chair), Donna Campbell, Kelly Hancock, Jane Nelson, Charles Perry, Larry Taylor, and John Whitmire.

Please contact Sen. Rodríguez’s office at 915-351-3500 for more information on how to testify, submit written testimony, or if you require translation services.

The full hearing notice may be viewed on the Committee’s webpage.

What: Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety

When: 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (MST), Monday, October 21, 2019

Where: The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center  |  2051 Wiggins Way

Information: Daniel Hernandez, 915-351-3500

Following the concluding Celebration of Mass of the Hope Border Institute’s 2019 Teach-In: Jornada por la justicia, Most Rev. Mark J. Seitz, Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso, signed and released a pastoral letter on the theme of racism and the El Paso shooting which took place on August 3rd, 2019.

“The pastoral letter, entitled, Night Will Be No More, represents a major statement from the Catholic community on the intersecting issues of race, gun violence, racially motivated attacks on Latinos in the United States and the ongoing militarization of the border,” Diocese of El Paso officials shared.

“It will be the first major statement from the Catholic Church on the theme of racism from the perspective of the border and connects the El Paso shooting to historical racism at the border and the recent resurgence of racism against Latinos in the United States,” officials added.

The signing of the pastoral letter will took place in the presence of hundreds of Latino leaders who were in El Paso for the Jornada por la justicia, including the Latinx Catholic Leadership Coalition, an emerging coalition of faith leaders, theologians and labor leaders recently formed in response to recent events at the border.

To read his complete letter on the Hope Border Institute website, click on the link below.

The man accused of killing 22 people and injuring more than two dozen others in the August 3rd shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart plead not guilty at his first appearance in court Thursday afternoon.

Amid the clicking shutters of cameras and the hushed whispers of those in attendance in the packed El Paso County Ceremonial Courtroom, Patrick Crusius entered and at times stood with a neutral look on his face as the arraignment proceedings went on around him.

Security was tight in and around the court, as uniformed Sheriff’s Deputies, as well as other law enforcement  were visible.  Several deputies stood side by side, facing the courtroom’s gallery.

During the brief hearing, Crusius was sworn in, and then advised the court that he did not want the charges read to him; instead Crusius received a transcript and read them himself.

He then pleaded not guilty to the charges, surrounded by his lawyers and security personnel.

Judge Sam Medrano, of the 409th state District Court presiding over the hearing, then set another hearing for November 7th at 2 p.m.

District Attorney Jaime Esparza did not comment on the case.  Esparza is seeking the death penalty in this case.

Photos by Ruben R. Ramirez / El Paso Herald-Post

El Paso Mayor Dee Margo on Friday doubled down on his support of stricter background checks on Friday but stopped short of supporting other gun control measures like “red flag” laws and an assault weapons ban. And — unlike his fellow El Pasoan Beto O’Rourke — he said outright that he did not support any kind of mandatory buyback program.

The Republican and former state legislator spoke at a Texas Tribune Festival panel alongside Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley, a Democrat. The cities saw deadly mass shootings on the same weekend last month.

Days after the shootings, Margo and Whaley were among a bipartisan group of more than 200 U.S. mayors who called on the U.S. Senate to return from recess to pass background check legislation — a request Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined.

On Friday, they agreed that background checks are a necessary first step before exploring other types of gun control measures, including red flag laws, though Whaley expressed more pointed support for other policies.

Author:  KIAH COLLIER – The Texas Tribune

Read related Tribune coverage

• Analysis: Texas gun laws might not change, but the conversation is evolving
• El Paso shooting suspect said he ordered his AK-47 and ammo from overseas
• Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a proposed Texas law banning guns in secure airport areas. Supporters say it’s still needed.

In support of community relief and recovery following the tragic August events in El Paso, Macy’s has donated a total of $100,773 to the El Paso Victims Relief Fund, established by the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.

For immediate support, Macy’s donated $20,000 to the organization in August.

From August 6 through August 20, Macy’s stores throughout the state of Texas offered customers the opportunity to round-up their in-store purchase to the nearest dollar (up to $.99) to benefit the El Paso Victims Relief Fund, $80,773 was raised through the round-up campaign with 100 percent of the funds benefitting victims and their families affected by the tragedy.

Macy’s colleagues will present the total check donation on Monday, September 16 at Macy’s Cielo Vista.

As part of this, Macy’s would also like to recognize the significant contributions of El Paso’s local heroes – the first responders.

Any first responders who arrive at the event between 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. will receive a $25 Macy’s gift card as well as a special shopping experience with a Macy’s Personal Stylist and beauty experts.

Customers will also be able to enjoy light refreshments during the event.

Macy’s officials added that they will “continue to work with the El Paso community to identify meaningful ways to support our neighbors and friends impacted by this tragedy.”

On Tuesday, the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department announced that they created a Digital Memorial to honor the victims of the August 3^rd shooting at Walmart on the Digital Wall of the El Paso Museum of History.  

“This digital documentation signifies the importance and accessibility for archiving history that is occurring in this very moment,” said El Paso Museum of History Director Vladimir von Tsurikov. “This memorial will not only provide healing to community members that submit their photographs for the archive but will also serve as a capsule to preserve and record this detrimental time in El Paso history.”

Staff members with the museum of history encourage the community to submit their photos or videos to the digital memorial at www.DIGIE.org.

The submissions can commemorate the lives and legacies of the victims, moments of vigils and memorials, or community events that supported the El Paso Shooting Victims Fund.

The digital memorial can be accessed on the wall by touching the blooming Mexican Gold Poppies that have been added to the El Paso Cityscape. In many cultures, poppies symbolize consolation for a loss or death in the family, remembering the fallen, and resurrection and eternal life.

The Mexican Gold Poppy was chosen for the Digital Wall Memorial because it is native to the El Paso region. In the spring, the poppies blanket the Franklin Mountains.

Photos must be in jpeg, png or gif and no larger than 10 megabytes when submitted. Videos must be no longer than 3 minutes. The files should be a mov, avi or mp4 video and no larger than 50 megabytes.

Residents who have trouble uploading files can email digitalwall@elpasotexas.gov.

The Digital Memorial is currently on view and available for public contribution.

Nearly a month removed from the shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart that took the lives of 22 people and injured over two dozen others, El Paso’s own music superstar Khalid returned to the Sun City to help raise money for victims.

Our very own Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta was there and we bring you his view of the ‘Benefit for Sun City’ in this ‘Story in Many Pics’

El Paso Streetcar officials announced that starting Tuesday, September 3, the fares for the will be waived in order to encourage ridership. Simultaneously, the City will be collecting donations for the development of a permanent El Paso Strong Memorial.

“Our region is united in the effort to develop a place of healing and support for everyone impacted by the recent horrific act of violence. I’m confident our El Paso Streetcar riders will welcome the El Paso Strong Ride project as an opportunity to support the creation of a memorial of local, regional and national significance that will celebrate life and condemn racism,” said Tracey Jerome, Managing Director of Museum and Cultural Affairs, Libraries and Tourism.

In an effort to encourage people to ride the El Paso Streetcar, the fares will be waived throughout September.  In addition, riders will have the opportunity to donate via the streetcar fare boxes to the El Paso Strong Ride Project, a fundraising effort in support of the development of a permanent memorial to honor the victims and survivors of the domestic terrorism attack on August 3.

The City of El Paso is working with public and private organizations to develop a permanent memorial honoring the victims and survivors of the attack.

The El Paso Streetcar will accept donations of any amount via its fare boxes.

The El Paso Strong Ride project follows a series of summer special events designed to encourage the public to rediscover downtown and uptown by riding the historic streetcars.

The El Paso Streetcar operates Sunday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Riders can plan their trips by using an app that provides real-time information on the location of all streetcars in service along the nearly 5-mile route.  The app is free and available from Google Play and the Apple App store.

For more information about the El Paso Streetcar visit the website,  call (915) 212-3333, ‘like’ their Facebook page or follow them Instagram.

In an effort to help students, staff and community members heal, the University of Texas at El Paso is hosting  “Trauma, Resilience & Resistance,” an interdisciplinary response to the recent gun violence in El Paso.

Gina Nuñez-Mchiri, Ph.D., director of UTEP’s Women’s and Gender Studies program and associate professor of anthropology, said UTEP students requested this event to give them a chance to interact with others on campus to address some of the issues tied to the August 3, 2019, massacre where a lone gunman killed 22 and injured 24 at the Cielo Vista Walmart.

“Healing takes time,” said Nuñez-Mchiri, the event’s lead organizer who added that she hoped that this was the start of a series. “This event is one way that UTEP faculty, staff, students and community partners can share their expertise to help with the healing process. Once word of this activity got out, colleagues reached out. They wanted to help.”

The two day event is underway now, and will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, August 28 and 29, 2019, at UTEP’s Blumberg Auditorium.

UTEP faculty members from the colleges of Education, Liberal Arts and Health Sciences, and other presenters from the Border Network for Human Rights and The University of Texas at Austin will conduct many of the lectures, workshops and dialogues during the two-day event in the Blumberg on the first floor of the University Library.

This free event is for the UTEP community, but the public may attend.  To view the schedule of events, click here.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday convened the first meeting of the newly formed Texas Safety Commission, ramping up the state’s efforts to devise policy solutions in the wake of the deadly shooting targeting immigrants and Hispanics earlier this month in El Paso.

For over four hours, the commission — which includes state leaders, lawmakers and law enforcement officials — met behind closed doors at the Capitol in what Abbott described as the “next step to make sure that we respond robustly and rapidly to the” El Paso attack.

Speaking with reporters at the end of the meeting, Abbott rattled off a long list of items that were discussed — stronger threat assessment efforts, better collaboration between social media companies and law enforcement, strengthening the state’s domestic terrorism law. He also broached more politically sensitive issues related to guns, saying there was discussion surrounding red flag laws — or at least an alternative to them — background checks and assault weapons.

“I think the conversation went in a lot of different directions,” state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, told reporters after the meeting. “Guns were discussed extensively — what we have under current law, what we can do under potential news laws. I think everything was on the table.”

“It was a very open and candid conversation and I’m certainly encouraged by the fact we’re trying to build consensus” around the issues, added Moody, the House speaker pro tem.

Twenty-two people were killed and more than two dozen wounded in the El Paso shooting, which took place Aug. 3 at a Walmart. Authorities believe the gunman, who was arrested and charged with capital murder, published an anti-immigrant manifesto shortly before the massacre, railing against a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

Thursday was the first of two meetings that are planned for the safety commission, with the second one scheduled for next Thursday in El Paso. The meetings are similar to a series of roundtables that Abbott held in the wake of the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, and he presented a stack of papers to reporters Thursday to illustrate how many proposals came out of those roundtables that he signed into law.

Like he did after the Santa Fe roundtables, Abbott plans to issue a report with recommendations following the post-El Paso meetings. The governor, who has resisted pleas by some House Democrats to call a special session after El Paso, said the commission will focus on “ideas and suggestions that can lead to laws” but emphasized the state can take more immediate action without legislation.

Author: PATRICK SVITEK – The Texas Tribune

El Paso shooting

More than 20 people were killed in an Aug. 3, 2019, shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso. The gunman was arrested and charged with capital murder for the shooting in El Paso, which is recoveringfrom what federal law enforcement has classified as an act of domestic terrorism.

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