By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A trio of Del Rio activists protested a Friends of the NRA fundraiser Saturday, saying the event came too soon after the Uvalde elementary school massacre.
The three – Mariza Mancha, Valerie Rodriguez and Ramon Santellanes – gathered across the highway from the Imperius Events Center Saturday for the protest.
“I’m here today to protest the Friends of the NRA fundraiser. We didn’t want them to cancel the event, just to push it back. We just feel it’s too soon for the parents of the Uvalde families. We needed to stand strong with Uvalde,” Mancha said.
Mancha said she isn’t part of any particular organization, describing herself as “a concerned mom.”
“Seeing those parents and seeing their faces, hearing what they had to go through and hearing that they’re blaming themselves for sending their kids to school, no one should have to go through that,” Mancha added.
Rodriguez agreed with Mancha that the Friends of the NRA dinner was “too soon” after the Uvalde massacre and said that was why she had joined the protest.
“I think there should have been a little bit more class in holding off (on the dinner), a little more respect for the families who lost their children, and I think there really needs to be change with our laws,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she believes a person should have to be at least 21 years of age before being able to buy “an AR-15 or an AK-47.”
“I personally wouldn’t want them even being sold, to be quite honest. I think that’s for military warfare, but if they’re going to be sold, I don’t think an 18-year-old should have access to them. I also think there should be better background checks. It shouldn’t be so easy to buy from someone off the street. I think there needs to be more protection for our kids, for our families. I don’t see the need for an Ak-47 or an AR-15, to be quite honest,” Rodriguez added.
Rodriguez said she “gets involved” with causes in the local area and has helped organize the annual march to honor the legacy of labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.
“I want to see change in my community. I think our politicians have gotten stuck with certain things. We were having a conversation earlier, and we talked about how politicians were so quick to say, ‘We’re here for Uvalde,’ but how are they here? What are you doing? We sent all our law enforcement, state troopers, Border Patrol, and still, so many lives were lost, so many lives were impacted,” Rodriguez said.
Santellanes spoke to the 830 Times while putting the finishing touches on his sign.
“I’m here to protest against the Friends of the NRA having this dinner tonight. I think it’s too early, especially since we’re the sister city of Uvalde, Texas,” Santellanes said.
He said he spoke with the owners of the Imperius Events Center, noting although they declined to cancel the event, they gave the Friends of the NRA his phone number and a representative of that organization called him.
“I’m not trying to impede on anyone’s Second Amendment rights. That’s their right, the same way it’s our right to protest. The thing I asked him and reiterated to him was move it out of here or move it to a later time,” Santellanes said.
Santellanes said he has spoken to several parents who lost children in the Uvalde massacre.
He said he is not with particular organization, but noted he is representing the Uvalde Strong, an organization calling for gun control measures.
“I’m here to make sure the voices of the 19 kids and the two adults – actually three adults, since the husband of one of the teachers passed away shortly after her death – are heard, because I know they would be here with us if they could,” Santellanes said.
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