Things That Matter

These Are The 10 People Killed During The Santa Fe High School Shooting In Texas

By May 22, 2018 at 3:01 pm
@LTribbs / @MichaelSkolnik / Twitter

It’s been less than a week since the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead and many others injured. Now we’re learning more about the victims that were tragically killed on May 18 at their school in Santa Fe, Texas.

Those people were Jared Black, 17, Shana Fisher, 16, Aaron Kyle McLeod, 15, teacher Glenda Anne Perkins, 64, Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh, 17, Christopher Stone, 17, teacher Cynthia Tisdale, 63, Kimberly Vaughan, 14, Christian Riley Garcia, 15, and Angelique Ramirez, 15.

Ten people, eight students and two teachers, were killed in Santa Fe High School on May 18.

The victims range in age from 64 to 14. Survivors of the shooting recall how those victims died, many of them trying to save others.

“This extraordinary woman pushed a student out of the way to protect them and took the deadly bullet that ended her life,” Lydia Swartz tweeted. “Please don’t forget her name. Do not ever forget what she did. Do not let her legacy die. Glenda Ann Perkins was a selfless, heroic savior. #RememberAnnPerkins.”

One of those heroes that also tried to save the life of another was just 15.

Christian Riley Garcia, age 15.

Abel San Miguel said in an interview with Univision that Christian tried to block the door so the shooter could not enter. But when Christian opened it, that’s when the shooter killed him.

“He had the biggest heart and the biggest chunk of ours feels to have left with him,” Sarah Saunders, his aunt, said to an NBC affiliate.

According to news reports, Christian had always sought to help others and wanted to enlist in the military when he turned 18.

Family and friends gathered for a vigil this weekend to remember him. A Gofundme account has been launched in his name.

Angelique Ramirez, age 15.

Angelique was a youth ministry at Dayspring Church, CNN reports.

Sylvia Pritchett, Angelique’s aunt wrote on Facebook: “I just don’t know how much strength we all have left. Everyone grieving in their own ways, getting by minute by minute. All I know is you will forever be our rainbow baby girl! Every rainbow will represent you, just the same way you lived life and affected everyone who was blessed to be a part of your souls journey. You touched each and everyone one of us in so many ways, ways you didn’t even know. Rest easy my angel, forever the rainbow in our lives, a reflection of what love truly is!!”

Family and friends are also seeking financial help via GoFundme.

Jared Black, age 17.

“Our hearts are so sad for them. I was there when they heard the news,” family friend Elizabeth McGinnis wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Such a rough day for all.  Bobby, Jared’s Dad, sat in misery for 13 hours not knowing if he was one of the victims. Then he got the devastating news after 6 p.m.”

Shana Fisher, age 16.

Fisher’s mother. Sadie Rodriguez, told the LA Times that her daughter had turned down the shooters multiple advances for a relationship and she believes that was a trigger for his attack.

“He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no.,” Rodriguez told the LA Times. “A week later he opens fire on everyone he didn’t like. Shana being the first one.”

Aaron Kyle McLeod, age 15.

“He was never one to be a sad or down person. He always had to joke or laugh about things,” McLeod’s 15-year-old friend Kali Reeves told ABC 13. “He was just outgoing and super sweet. He definitely didn’t deserve this.”

Glenda Ann Perkins, age 64.

“We know Ann would want the students and faculty of Santa Fe High School, to whom she lovingly dedicated so much of her time, to remember to keep their hearts open, to discuss their feelings with family members, friends, and counselors in order to successfully conquer this tragedy,” her family members said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

Sabika Sheikh, age 17.

“What are you doing with your society,” her uncle Colonel Haider Ali told the media while urging the U.S. to make their schools safer. “We sent her to be educated, not to come back like this.”

Christopher Stone, age 17.

“He was so gentle, anyone that knew him were touched by him,” his older sister Angelica told CBS News. “And I just don’t think he deserved anything that happened to him, but we know he is still with us. And he will always be in our hearts.”

Cynthia Tisdale, age 63.

“There was never a question whether she enjoyed the job or not,” her husband told The New York Times. “She adored it.”

Kimberly Vaughan, age 16.

“I was sitting there at the table last night with friends and family and I said, ‘I can sit here and I can be sad about it, and I can cry, which doesn’t do any good. Or I can talk to people about how awesome (Kimberly) was and I can start calling my politicians, and you know, we can work on making some changes so it doesn’t have to happen again,'” Vaughan’s mom, Rhonda Hart, told KTUU.


READ: Texas’ Santa Fe High School Shooting Is The Third School Shooting In 8 Days

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Showtime’s ‘Bad Hombres’ Is A Documentary Highlighting The World’s Only Binational Baseball Team

Entertainment

Showtime’s ‘Bad Hombres’ Is A Documentary Highlighting The World’s Only Binational Baseball Team

By October 19, 2020 at 8:38 am
BY  | October 19, 2020 AT 8:38 am
tecolotes_2_laredos / Instagram

Sports have a way of bringing people together. The experience of rooting for your team is a unifying feeling that transcends borders and culture. Showtime is exploring the importance of sports through the lens of the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos.

“Bad Hombres” is a documentary highlighting immigration under President Trump through baseball.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos are the only binational professional baseball team in the world. The team splits their home games between stadiums in Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Director Andrew Glazer wanted to highlight the immigration issue through a sports lens to offer a different layer to the narrative.

“Most of the people trying to come into the U.S. are families and children trying to escape horrible violence in Central America,” Glazer told CBS Local’s DJ Sixsmith. “That story has been told, so what I wanted to do was show people in a way that I thought would be relatable to what life is like on the border. What life is like on those two sides and how interconnected they are. The thing that struck me to be honest is that initially in Laredo, Texas was how pervasive Spanish is spoken.”

The documentary shows the struggles of the baseball team trying to make sense of the volatile U.S.-Mexico border relations.

The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos split time playing their home games between two stadiums in the U.S. and Mexico. The Trump administration’s constant battle with Mexico and threats to close the border put the team’s season in jeopardy. A first look teaser shows team managers trying to coordinate the release of game tickets in time with the ever-changing immigration announcements from the Trump administration.

“Bad Hombres” speaks politics without directly addressing politics.

“Even though my film has an overarching political message, the players are not covertly or overtly political in any way,” Glazer told CBS Local’s DJ Sixsmith. “They are baseball players and they are living their lives and a lot of them are trying to make it to the majors and some of them were in the majors and are now finishing their careers. There wasn’t a whole lot of political discussions.”

Glazer made sure to highlight the depths and complexities of the team members dealing with the political climate without politics.

“Inherently, what made the team fascinating is you had players from the U.S. who were Anglo-American players and Mexican American players who had a different perspective,” Glazer told DJ Sixsmith. “Then you had Mexican players and some Dominican players and Cuban and people from everywhere else. There were different languages and different perspectives. Seeing how that developed over time was pretty fascinating.”

“Bad Hombres” is streaming on Showtime.

READ: Veronica Alvarez Is The Coach For The Oakland A’s And Her Presence Is Giving Girls A Chance To Pursue Baseball

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Voting Rights Activists Are Sounding The Alarm Of Latin Voter Suppression In Texas

Things That Matter

Voting Rights Activists Are Sounding The Alarm Of Latin Voter Suppression In Texas

By October 9, 2020 at 11:46 am
BY  | October 9, 2020 AT 11:46 am
Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool / Getty Images

Voting turnout is the topic on everyone’s lips as we get closer to Nov. 3. The current election cycle has seen record early voting, especially for Democrats. However, in Texas, the increased turnout has led to what many are calling voter suppression to prevent the growing Latino community from voting.

Voting advocates are sounding the alarm that Texas’ GOP governor and politicians are suppressing Latino voters.

Latinos are 40 percent of the Texas population. According to a poll, Latino voters in Texas are more motivated than they were in the 2018 midterms. Twenty-eight percent of Latino voters turned out in 2018 and things have changed drastically since, mainly due to Covid-19.

Latinos in Texas are facing disproportionate rates of Covid-19 infections.

Houston Public Media reported that while Latinos make up 40 percent of the population in Texas they make up 52 percent of Covid infections. Meanwhile, white Texans make up 30 percent of Covid infections. The numbers show an uneven response to the pandemic that has left Latinos behind.

The forced consolidation of drop-off locations and limiting of mail-in ballots is further endangering the Latino community. The Covid pandemic is not over and forcing people to vote in person will only increase the spread of the virus.

One way Gov. Greg Abbott has made it harder for people to vote safely is limiting drop-off locations for mail-in ballots.

Gov. Abbott made the decision to limit the number of ballot drop-off locations to one per county. As demonstrated by the graph above, this leaves 4.7 million residents of Harris County one drop-off location. Gov. Abbott cited the false Republican talking point of voter fraud as his reasoning for suppressing the vote in the Lone Star State. By comparison, Los Angeles County, home to 10.4 million residents, has 398 drop-off locations for mail-in ballots.

Despite this, Texas Latinos are fired up and ready to vote.

A poll found that 90 percent of Latinos voters are ready to vote in the 2020 election. Sixty-six percent of those voters are leaning towards are are definitely voting for a Biden/Harris ticket compared to 25 percent voting Trump/Pence. A large majority of Latino voters says that it is more important to vote now than it was in 2016 because of everything that is at stake.

READ: Republicans Have Made Voting In This Majority Latino Town In Kansas Nearly Impossible

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