Rebuilding Trust and Empowering Resilience: TRLA's Impact in the Uvalde Community
In the aftermath of the tragic school shooting that shook Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) stepped forward to offer assistance and support to the affected community. Through our attorneys' tireless efforts, we provided legal aid, rebuilt trust, and fostered community unity. TRLA attorney Bernadette Segura, part of the initial response team, shared her personal experiences and reflections on our involvement in Uvalde as we remember the lives lost this time last year.
An Emotional Call to Action
"With unbearable anguish gripping my heart, I immediately began my work in Uvalde on May 25, 2022, after watching the tragedy unfold on the news," Attorney Segura recalled. The images from Uvalde generated vivid flashbacks for Segura, instantly taking her back in time to an unfortunately familiar scene in El Paso, leaving her unable to stand by idly. The faces and stories of her clients from the 2019 El Paso Walmart mass casualty fueled her's and others on the response team's deep resolve to help the Uvalde community heal. The agony etched on the faces of those who had suffered, the inconsolable grief of families torn apart, and the shattered lives left in the wake of senseless violence shaped TRLA's unyielding determination to stand beside the Uvalde community in its darkest hour.
The Mission Begins
Touched by the tragedy and driven by compassion, Segura and the response team quickly convened a meeting to identify the immediate response needed from TRLA in Uvalde. Emotions ran high, and tears were shed as they considered the familiar legal issues that would demand urgent attention. Then, drawing from their experience in El Paso, TRLA's Disaster Assistance Group took the lead and formulated a plan that included reaching out to organizations like the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM). Recognizing that partnerships are essential during these response efforts.
Supporting Families with Compassion
Over the last year, TRLA has provided vital legal assistance and advice to hundreds of families affected by the tragedy. Attorney Segura stated, "We serve with compassion, in every sense of the word." Using empathy as their guiding principle, TRLA advocates have provided innumerable answers to various legal questions and have offered numerous referrals to partner agencies. In addition, we have connected the community to organizations, therapists, and attorneys - while many were lost in grief, trauma, guilt, and hopelessness.
Positive Impact on Individuals
TRLA's impact on individuals across the Uvalde community has been profound and wide-stretched, breaking out of the expected response to a human-made disaster to include improving other aspects of a broken system one step at a time. Attorney Segura recounts her interactions with a resilient mother and devoted farmworker whose daughter was a student at Robb Elementary and how we stepped up to aid in reclaiming their daughter's rights by helping navigate the complexities of applying for the National Compassion Fund. Unrelated to the trauma endured after the tragic event and through conversations with the mother, we identified that they were also experiencing suspension of Social Security Supplemental Security Income. These discussions helped raise awareness regarding the need for further support for all the children of migrant farmworkers in the community. As a result, our Farmworker Team Advocates began to engage with local migrant farmworkers and work towards improved support for this communities' children.
Establishing a Safe Space for the Client Community
Before we opened our local office, TRLA operated from within the Uvalde Resiliency Center, sharing space with various government agencies, including law enforcement. However, recognizing the need for privacy and comfort, we collaborated with Resiliency Center staff to secure a private safe space for client meetings.
"Throughout our more than 50-year history, the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid staff proudly help Texans achieve justice daily, " said TRLA's Executive Director, Robert Doggett, at the official opening of TRLA's Uvalde office on October 18, 2022. "We are thankful for the state funding awarded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation to support and focus our efforts to help the Uvalde community. Reestablishing a physical presence in Uvalde will undoubtedly improve access to our services so many desperately need."
Since the opening of our local Uvalde office in 2022, we have fostered strong connections with numerous service organizations in the community. Through this collaboration, we have made a lasting impact on families and the security of their children. We are proud to, once again, officially reunite with Uvalde and continue to serve its members to the fullest.
Please note that the Uvalde office will be closed on May 24, 2023, to allow local office staff to attend community events.