Raiders Owner Mark Davis Donates $1 Million to Uvalde School District after School Massacre
By Space Coast Daily // July 1, 2022
Following the May 24 massacre that occurred at an elementary school in Uvalde County, Texas, in which 19 children and two adults were killed, the Raiders have pledged a million dollars to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.
Their pledge came amid donations from other NFL clubs, who made their own contributions as a show of solidarity for the Uvalde community, especially during this time of sadness.
Raiders’ owner Mark Davis gave a check donation of one million dollars during a zoom meeting that was attended by Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s director of student services, Kenneth Mueller, UCISD superintendent Hal Harrell, and Vann McElroy, who is a member of the Super Bowl XVIII champion Raiders and currently resides in Uvalde.
Davis remarked via the Uvalde Leader-News, “We are proud to be part of something to make the children in these schools safer.”
Davis said, “Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with Vann. He told me about the hurt his hometown was going through. Vann told me that he had a grandson attending public school. He said his family thought about having him go to a private school next year, but he wanted him to attend public school as Vann and his son had done growing up in Uvalde. He said that Uvalde was in pain and needed help. I asked him what we would do to help ease that pain, ” he added.
The district’s superintendent, Hal Harrell, thanked the Raiders boss, saying, “We thank Mr. Davis and the Raiders organization for this very generous gift. Vann is a life-long friend and a huge part of Uvalde. We will put this money to good use. This contribution should go a long way in making our schools safer.”
It is being reported that plans are in place to use these donations to boost the security in the district by installing impenetrable doors, CCTv cameras as well as non-climbable fences outside the school buildings, and many hope the state’s legislature will re-visit its House Bill 204 debate and ensure that Alyssa’s Law is active in the state just like in Florida. Alyssa’s law was enacted in Florida in July 2020 and has proved to be a wise decision taken by the Florida legislators towards protecting schools in the state from life-threatening emergencies.
Other NFL teams have also contributed their quarter to the Uvalde community, with teams like the Houston Texans donating as much as $400,000 to the institution charged with providing financial assistance to members affected by the shooting, the Uvalde Robb School Memorial Fund. Another $400,000 was donated by the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL Foundation as a show of support.
To add to the growing list of supporters, many NFL players have been spotted wearing orange shirts in the practice field during their organized team activities as a means of supporting the Uvalde community and creating awareness of gun violence in the United States.
On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old gunman went from classroom to classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, killing 19 school children and two adults while wounding 17 others with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, in what could be described as the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
It was reported that the shooter entered the school building after confronting two Uvalde police officers outside the building. According to the report by Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine, both police officers were injured in the confrontation.
The shooter was said to have barricaded himself by locking the door and charging into a classroom filled with students and began shooting at the students and the teachers in the classroom, said Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Department of Public Safety during an interview with CNN.
Although a department spokesman later said they couldn’t give a solid estimate of how long the gunman was in the school or when he was killed, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told reporters that it took 40 minutes to an hour from when Ramos (the shooter) opened fire on the school security officer to when the tactical team shot him.
When questioned why the police didn’t interfere sooner, a law enforcement official involved with the investigation said the Border Patrol officers had difficulty breaking the classroom door and had to enlist the help of a staff member to unlock the room with a key. Because he was not allowed to comment publicly about the ongoing investigation, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
While this may come as shocking news, Texas is notorious for having some of the most gun-friendly laws in the country, which might be a contributing reason to the state’s string of violent shootings over the last five years.
