‘Say their names’: Walmart massacre victims remembered

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Community leaders on Wednesday honored the victims of the racially motivated mass shooting that claimed 23 lives at an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019.

The ceremony outside the Mexican Consulate in El Paso was completely in Spanish – a statement to the bilingual, binational nature of a border community that remains firm against racism and xenophobia.

“We are never going to forget, but it’s really important to have this ceremony to remember the names and talk about it,” said El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser. “There was nine people that lost their lives from Mexico, one from Germany and the rest from the United States. So, we are one community.”

Consulate staff placed white flowers at the foot of a plaque with the names of the victims, which included a schoolteacher, a soccer coach and parents trying to save their baby from an assassin’s bullets, among others.

A federal judge last year sentenced North Texas resident Patrick Wood Crusius to 90 consecutive life prison terms on hate-crime-related charges. A state trial is pending.

“It was a very big blow for everyone. I feel as if it just happened yesterday,” County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said.

The tragedy shook not only the relatives of the victims and those who survived being shot, but the entire community on both sides of the Rio Grande. “There is disenfranchised grief: You may not have a direct connection to Walmart, but you got impacted,” Samaniego said.

The county judge said it’s important to see the victims for the individuals they were. That’s why a planned Saturday ceremony at the county’s Healing Gardens will include saying their names. County officials also will unveil a large mural in honor of the victims.

“It’s very hurtful for the relatives to hear, ’23 people died,” Samaniego said. “Every single one was a beautiful life, and families lost a loved one, so we have to keep saying their names.”

Mexican Consul General Mauricio Ibarra Ponce de Leon agrees that, on the surface, things have gone back to normal. The parking lot of the Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall is often full and Mexican license plates are visible on many vehicles. Visitors from Mexico keep coming across El Paso’s ports of entry daily.

“Obviously, everything has to go back to normal, but we don’t forget; the families will never forget, and we have to continue showing support,” Ibarra said.

Several relatives attended the ceremony. Government officials made it a point to shake their hands or give a hug, if welcomed. But most attendees declined to speak with the press.

“It is good that they honor the memory of the victims. They should do that every year so neither them nor their relatives are forgotten,” said Jessica Marquez, the daughter of victim Gloria Irma Marquez. ”It was a racist, evil act and we hope it does not go unpunished. Above all, they should take care it does not happen again because many families were hurt.”

Ibarra and Samaniego spoke of a commitment to push back against racially motivated hate speech and verbal attacks on immigrants — which federal prosecutors cited as possible motives for the Aug. 3 massacre.

“A commitment was made since that day not to forget the victims and also to combat the discourse of hate, xenophobia that was one of the causes of this tragedy,” Ibarra said. “There is solidarity in this community, which is a very binational community.”

County and city officials are planning memorial events on Saturday, as are various civil rights groups.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.