Parents and supporters of the children killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting earlier this year have camped outside of the Uvalde school district's administration building to demand action from officials.
In a video posted by Brett Cross — the guardian of Uziyah Garcia, who was killed in the shooting — he said it has been "18 weeks since our children were murdered and [school officials] haven't done nothing."
"They refuse to do anything. They get to walk in here and act like they work, but we know they ain't working because they ain't doing s***. So, you don't get to act like that no more," he said.
He also claimed that he and other parents had been met with derision from the staff at the school.
"We have been laughed at, [Uvalde CISD Director of Student Services] Mr Kenneth Mueller put his hands on me — which was cute, by the way. We've had [Uvalde CISD Executive Director of Communications and Marketing] Anne Marie Espinoza laugh at us," he said. "We've had [Uvalde CISD Executive Director of HR and Federal Programs] Beth Reavis ask for the DPS to arrest us."
The Independent has reached out to the district for comment.
His wife, Nikki Cross, said she and other parents had been attending school board meetings to demand action but have seen nothing come of their requests.
“Since the shooting took place we’ve been to every school board meeting begging, pleading, crying and it did absolutely nothing. We’re 18 weeks, and as of today, still absolutely nothing,” she said, according to local broadcaster KSAT.
Mr Cross said police "wand us down" before school board meetings, but added that he was done asking for help.
“When we go to the school board meetings, they’re the ones that wand us down and everything like that. These same people that sat outside and listened to our children scream, and nothing,” Mr Cross said. “We’re done asking. We’re done begging. I’m demanding.”
He said “I'm still here, and I'm not f****** leaving until they answer our demands. I'm not asking anymore, I'm f****** telling."
Another parent, Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was killed in the shooting, shared a video to Twitter in which she was playing a video of her daughter laughing and playing with dogs. Ms Cazares said she and other parents were playing their children's voices so the school officials would hear them.
"We are [at] @Uvalde_CISD playing the voices of our children. This is my daughter Jackie Cazares who was massacred at her school on May 24, 2022 along with 18 of her friends and 2 of her teachers," she wrote on Twitter. "Dr Harrell along with K Mueller, A Espinoza,B Reavies and DPS are in the building."
Mr Harrell said in August that an audit has been ordered for the district's police force, which will be conducted by former Austin Police Department detective Jesse Prado.
Mr Prado said during a Facebook Live video of a the meeting that he wants to take his time on the audit to ensure it's done correctly.
“I’d rather go at my own pace and do this in the accurate way than to hurry up and miss something,” Mr Prado told the Crosses. “It’s been somewhat of a struggle to get the information that I need from the district attorney, but DPS and Border Patrol are cooperating with me.”
