El Paso marks seven years since Walmart shooting with remembrance events and blood drive

El Paso marked seven years since the Aug. 3, 2019, Walmart shooting with remembrance activities honoring the 23 people killed in the attack. The observances included a reading of the victims’ names, a City Hall tribute installation and additional community events scheduled around the anniversary.

The immediate follow-up is a community blood drive Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Hall Breezeway, 300 N. Campbell St. United Way of El Paso County’s Center for Resiliency also continues to offer trauma-informed and household-support services in El Paso.

Remembrance events marked the anniversary

United Way of El Paso County shared a recorded reading of the names of the 23 victims and people who responded to the tragedy. KVIA reported that the video was shared at 10:38 a.m., matching the time of the first 911 call on Aug. 3, 2019.

KVIA’s same-day report said the Day of Remembrance reading ceremony took place Sunday at Ascarate Park. Separately, the city’s published schedule listed a community remembrance ceremony for Monday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m. at Jim Crouch Park, 7500 W. H. Burges Drive. The scheduled event was to include the Border Network for Human Rights, elected officials, faith leaders and community advocates.

The city also scheduled a tribute installation featuring photographs of the 23 victims outside the City Council Chambers lobby at City Hall, 300 N. Campbell St. The installation is listed for Aug. 3 through Aug. 10.

Other observances continue through Aug. 8

The city’s remembrance schedule included the Star on the Mountain flashing 23 times at 8:30 p.m. Monday in memory of the victims.

Residents were also encouraged to take part in “Unite with Light” by illuminating porches or windows with orange lights at 8:30 p.m. each evening from Aug. 2 through Aug. 8.

The next listed public activity is the community blood drive Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Hall Breezeway. The event provides a practical way for residents to participate after the anniversary observances.

Center for Resiliency continues local support

United Way of El Paso County’s Center for Resiliency describes its work as a trauma-informed, person-centered effort addressing housing instability and long-term trauma recovery in the Paso del Norte region.

The center lists counseling, non-traditional therapies, peer-support groups and crisis response among its trauma-informed services. It also provides resiliency navigation to help individuals and families connect with housing, behavioral-health and other supportive resources.

The center’s listed hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. In-person assistance is available Tuesday at El Paso Community College’s Transmountain campus, 9570 Gateway N. Blvd., in the Parent Student Resource Center, Room 1700. The organization lists additional campus locations on other weekdays.

For El Paso residents, the seventh-anniversary response therefore includes both commemoration and practical opportunities that remain available after Aug. 3: a blood drive on Aug. 4, public remembrance installations and events through Aug. 10, and ongoing local support services for people seeking help.

Sources

• KVIA — WATCH: Remembering the victims 7 years after the Aug. 3 shooting
• United Way of El Paso County — Center for Resiliency
• Associated Press — Today in History: August 3, deadly Walmart shooting in El Paso