2023 Cliff Edom New America Award

Kryslyn Stanley is learning how to be a single mother after leaving her partner, and father of her youngest daughter, Nyx due to domestic violence. Their relationship had become toxic and emotionally abusive, but when she was given a black eye in August, Stanley decided she was finished. She found the strength to leave him and get a protective order for her and her two daughters. Stanley and her daughters, Nyx and Sylyn, were able to stay at a Motel 6 with city money earmarked for residents of her apartment complex who didn’t have working air-conditioning in record Texas heat. This gave Kryslyn time and space to recover while her ex moved his things out of her place.
Stanley has had to put off dealing with her trauma from the relationship while she helps her daughters heal. Her ex, who has been tracking her locations through her I-phone, will show up at random places out of the blue, further traumatizing their daughter, Nyx. Nyx has been acting out with violent tantrums while Kryslyn patiently explains to her that it is OK for her to feel big things but she must control her actions. Stanley is worried about the long term impacts of this experience on her daughters, but is working hard to ensure her daughters both feel safe and have the space to work through their emotions.

Kryslyn Stanley tells her daughters, Sylyn and Nyx, to be patient while she tries to open the door to their room at the Motel 6 on July 13, 2022. The girls were cold and wet after swimming and looking forward to a “spa night” Kryslyn had planned. The family was staying at the Motel 6 with money District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval had donated to residents of the apartment complex where Kryslyn lives in due to lack of safe conditions.

Kryslyn Stanley carefully puts an eye mask on her youngest daughter, Nyx’s face, while her older daughter, Sylyn, laughs at how big they are, July 13. Kryslyn had splurged on face masks and fake nails for her and her daughters so they could have a spa night to get their mind off the fact that they were living in a motel. The family was staying at the Motel 6 with money District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval had donated to residents of the apartment complex where Kryslyn lives in due to lack of safe conditions.

Kryslyn Stanley puts her earrings in, unable to avoid seeing her black eye in the mirror on August 2. Her daughter, Nyx, angrily pouts saying she wants to go to the pool at the Motel 6 where they are staying. Stanley was trying to get out the door to file a police report on her ex, Nyx’s father, for the black eye he gave her the day before. Nyx has been picking up on her mom’s stress and has been acting out and throwing tantrums. The trauma of the abuse has been taking its toll on both mother and daughter as Stanley tries to hold everything together for her children.

On August 12, less than two weeks after her ex gave her a black eye, Kryslyn Stanley changes the lock on her apartment door, so her ex can no longer use a key to get in. Stanley had to break in from the balcony because her ex had bolted the door shut from the inside and then climbed out a window. Something he had been doing since she left him. Stanley was already staying at a Motel 6 because of conditions at her apartment. In her absence her ex had stolen her things, and brought multiple people to her apartment to do drugs.
Stanley had to work extra hours doing delivery driving to have enough money to buy the new lock and a screwdriver to change it.

Kryslyn Stanley sits outside her Motel 6 room talking to a San Antonio Police Department detective about the police report she filed on her ex, while her daughter, Nyx, pokes her head out the door listening in, on August 4. Stanley was already situated at the Motel 6, she and other tenants at her apartment complex were given funding to stay there by the city of San Antonio because their air conditioning was not working while temperatures topped out in the triple digits.
Staying at the Motel had been a huge blessing for Stanley, allowing her to escape deplorable conditions in her apartment at Seven Oaks, but also giving her space from her ex while he moved his stuff from her apartment. It did limit privacy and made it harder to have sensitive conversations with her young daughters overhearing.

Nyx Patton holds herself tightly in a ball, crying because her older sister, Sylyn would not let her into the bathroom in July. Even before her mom, Kryslyn Stanley, was given a black eye by her father, Nyx had been witnessing the psychological abuse her father was inflicting on her mom.

Kryslyn Stanley laughs as her daughter, Nyx, pushes back on her as she playfully wakes her up sining “Wake up Nyx-Optomus,” August 5, 2021. Nyx has never been a morning person and getting her out of bed is difficult on normal days. But these have not been normal days for Stanley and her daughter. Days before she left Nyx’s father after he gave her a black eye. Both mother and daughter have been dealing with the trauma in different ways. Nyx has been throwing tantrums and aggressively head butting her mother when she doesn’t get her way. Stanley has been patiently working with her daughter, trying to be fun and silly to keep her happy even though she is struggling with the aftermath of the abuse herself.

Kryslyn Stanley sits with her daughter, Nyx on a Motel 6 bed on August 2. Both have been struggling with the aftermath of the black eye Stanley received from Nyx’s father the day before. Stanley ended the relationship then and there, but Nyx has begun acting out by head butting people and throwing tantrums. Stanley has been doing her best to patiently explain to her young daughter that “it is OK to feel big emotions and be upset, but that violence is not OK.” Coping with her trauma as well as Nyx’s has been extra taxing for Stanley who must also figure out to be a single mom.

In order to save money, Kryslyn Stanley has been doing all of her laundry by hand in her Motel 6 bathtub. Stanley, a newly single mom, is stressed about having to find a new place to live, and paying all of her expenses after losing her job due to illness. Stanley is now doing delivery driving and often takes her daughters along with her. “Its hard to be a single parent,” Stanley said, “but being a single parent without a support system is just cruel.” Stanley left her partner, the father of her youngest daughter, just days before, after he left her with a black eye. She decided that was the last time he would hit her and ended the relationship. August 6, 2022.

Kryslyn Stanley is good a making chores fun for her daughters. Stanley who has been washing her clothes in her Motel 6 bathtub to save money has her daughter, Nyx step on the clothes with her to help get the soap to bubble, August 6, 2022. The distraction worked for a few minutes, and Nyx was able to laugh with her mom. The pair were just days after Stanley was given a black eye from Nyx’s father. Nyx has not been handling the abuse and absence of her father well, forcing Stanley to put her trauma to the side to care for her daughter.

Kryslyn Stanley watches her 9 year old daughter, Sylyn play in the swimming pool at a Motel 6. Sylyn was with her father when Kryslyn received a black eye from her partner, but she had been witnessing the emotional abuse he inflicted on her mom for years. Stanley had Sylyn stay with her father for an extra week in hopes she would not have to see the results of the abuse. The black eye lasted longer than the extra week apart.

A tear falls down Sylyn MurphyÕs cheek as she and her mom reminisce while staying at the Motel 6 in July. The room was paid for by the city because their air-conditioning in their apartment wasnÕt working and San Antonio was facing record hot summer. Moving to the motel wasnÕt the only difficult thing for Murphy over the summer. Sylyn had been witnessing her mom begin to fight back while in a toxic relationship with her younger sisterÕs father.

Nyx Statton happily plays a song and sings loudly while sitting in a basket while her older sister, Sylyn, tries to ignore her, focusing on her nails instead, October 26, 2022. In the kitchen their mom, Kryslyn makes dinner. Nyx is beginning to be her old self with less tantrums allowing her mom and older sister to breathe a little as well.

With her black eye still very visible, Kryslyn Stanley drops her youngest daughter, Nyx off for her first day of school, August 15. What should have been a fun day was instead filled with stress. Since Stanley received the black eye from Nyx’s father, Nyx has been acting out, throwing tantrums and head butting her mom. After dropping Nyx off in her classroom, Stanley had to go to the office to alert the front desk to the Protective Order she took out on Nyx’s father to ensure he could not pick Nyx up from school. Her older daughter, Sylyn patiently waited, always staying close to her mom.

Kryslyn Stanley laughs and hugs her youngest daughter, Nyx, trying to get her to lay down next her older daughter, Sylyn and go to sleep. Both girls have been extra clingy with their mom since she left Nyx’s father and put the abusive relationship behind her. The girls have been sleeping in bed with Stanley since they moved back to the apartment. Stanley doesn’t let them sleep in their bedroom out of fear that her ex could break in through the sliding door that leads to their room. On the headboard of her bed Stanley wrote “Unless Kryslyn personally invited you to this bed, you are not welcome. Children play and sleep here.” This was written during the last months of her toxic relationship and Kryslyn plans on painting over it to help her heal.

Just before Christmas Kryslyn Stanley quietly cries as she paints over her headboard that once said “Unless Kryslyn personally invited you to this bed, you are not welcome. Children play and sleep here.” For Kryslyn this is very therapeutic, painting over the signs of her old life and the abuse she suffered at the hand of her ex. Painting headboard is also a reminder to herself of her artistic side she has pushed down to deal with the trauma of the past few months.

Kryslyn Stanley, watches over her daughter, Nyx, while they ride the bus home from school and the grocery store, September 20. Stanley was forced to use the bus system after her car was repossessed. This meant she was unable to earn money doing delivery driving, putting her further behind in getting back on her feet after leaving her ex, Nyx’s father. Nyx, who is 4, has been missing her father and not fully understanding why he isn’t in her life anymore. Kryslyn has had to put her own healing on hold while she cares for her daughters.

Nyx Statton begins to calm down after throwing a tantrum on the floor before going to a Trunk-or-Treat event with her mom and sister on October 29. Her mom, Kryslyn Stanley, calm extends her hands to help Nyx up. Nyx has been on a hair trigger since her mom ended her relationship with her father due to domestic violence. Nyx is having a hard time understanding why her dad is gone, and as soon as she starts to improve, he randomly shows up at the house, traumatizing her all over again. Earlier that morning he had left things on their front porch that Nyx saw before her mom could clear it out. Her mom is trying her best to walk the line of letting Nyx get her feelings out while keeping her behavior in check. After her tantrum, Kryslyn led her to the bedroom where she laid her daughter down, rubbing her back until the crying stopped completely. It is Kryslyn’s belief Nyx is worried of losing her and her sister the way she lost her dad, causing her to act out.

Even though she is exhausted and almost at a breaking point, Kryslyn Stanley makes the effort to be present for her daughters, Sylyn and Nyx. After picking the girls up from school October 26, she watched them do flips around the railing while singing and dancing and twirling hula hoops. Kryslyn is trying to get their lives back to normal after ending her relationship with Nyx’s father who gave her a black eye over the summer after months of emotional abuse.

Kryslyn sneaks away from her daughters to smoke a cigarette, November 26, in the brisk night air. Earlier that day she had taken her girls out to McDonalds celebrate her oldest daughter, Sylyn’s 10 birthday. Each day has presented new challenges for Kryslyn as she navigates life after domestic violence. She is trying to help herself snd girls heal but is lacking the resources to do so. And now she is fighting her ex-husband for custody of her oldest daughter.

On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were massacred at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. It took 77 minutes and the arrival of over 350 law enforcement officers before the classrooms were finally breached and the gunman killed. In the days and weeks that followed, while reporting revealed the catastrophic failures of the police response, 21 families and their community began the slow, painful process of healing. There is no script for recovering from mass violence but the families are determined to keep the memory of their loved ones alive while together moving forward – not moving on.

Javier Cazares speaks to his daughter, Jackie, 9, in her bedroom in Uvalde, Tex., before going to sleep on June 13, 2022. Jackie was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School. She loved her family and friends and had dreams of one day visiting Paris.

A makeshift memorial outside of Robb Elementary School, the site of the mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, is filled with crosses, flowers, candles, hand-written notes and other items in Uvalde, Tex., on June 1, 2022.

Nikki and Brett Cross, the aunt and uncle of Uziyah Garcia, 10, who was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, wipe away tears while standing for a portrait outside of their home in Uvalde, Tex., on June 1, 2022. Mr. and Mrs. Cross were raising Uziyah as their son before he was killed.

10-year-old Uziyah Garcia’s math notebook, which was closed when it was struck by a bullet during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, is seen in Uvalde, Tex., on June 1, 2022. Uziyah was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting.

Dave Graham, of Fredericktown, Ohio, pays his respects as the funeral procession for Rojelio Torres, 10, who was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, passes him on its way to Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Tex., on June 4, 2022. Mr. Graham, who has volunteered at previous natural disasters and mass shootings, traveled from Ohio and set up a station at an intersection in Uvalde to listen and offer emotional support to members of the community. “What brought me here is my heart aches for humanity,” he said. “I just came in and I wanted to make a place for people where they could be safe, where they could cry or they could yell or they could ask ‘why does God?’ or ‘where is God?’ — Just a place where they could sense love.”

Family members of the victims killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, Uvalde residents and others take part in a march from the school to the town square in Uvalde, Tex., on July 10, 2022. Javier Cazares, along with his family and community members, organized the “Unheard Voices March and Rally” to demand accountability and policy reform in response to the shooting, which claimed the lives of two teachers and 19 children, including his 9-year-old daughter, Jackie. “This is for justice,” Jazmin Cazares, Jackie’s 17-year-old sister, told the crowd that gathered at the square after the march. “This is for accountability. But above everything, this is for our freaking kids.”

Matthew Villanueva, 10, of San Antonio, looks on as San Antonio artist Michael Sanchez adjusts the placement of doves, which Mr. Sanchez traced and added to a mural he and a group of volunteers painted in honor of the victims killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex., on June 3, 2022.

Evadulia Orta, whose son Rojelio Torres, 10, was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, speaks to her son Federico Torres, 9, while her daughter Sara Torres, 12, arranges a wreath during a visit to Rojelio’s grave at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Tex., on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, 2022.

Roy Lugo, grandfather of Eliahna Garcia, 10, who was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary, descends a ladder as he works to hang photos of the victims during the inaugural ‘Remember Their Names Festival’ in Uvalde, Tex., on Oct. 30, 2022. The festival, which offered live music, a cook-off, an art competition, a karaoke contest and more, was organized by families of the victims and community members to honor their loved ones and raise money for a scholarship program.

The green Converse shoes that Maite Rodriguez, 10, wore the day she was killed are among the items displayed on the Day of the Dead altar set up by her mother, Ana Rodriguez, at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Tex., on Nov. 2, 2022. Family members of the victims killed in the shooting set up Day of the Dead altars honoring their loved ones at the cemetery and observed the traditional Mexican holiday together.

Felicha Martinez is comforted by her husband, Abel Lopez, while their granddaughter Katalina Mata, 2, looks on as she experiences a severe panic attack prompted by loud sounds – likely caused by blown electrical transformers – followed by a sudden power outage during a Christmas event in Uvalde on Nov. 29, 2022. Ms. Martinez’s and Mr. Lopez’s son Xavier Lopez, 10, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School. Xavier loved Christmas and his family attended the same Christmas event together the previous year. “These days are supposed to be happy but they are just reminders that our lives are torn apart,” Ms. Martinez said.

Tyshawn Esparza works on giving Ana Rodriguez a tattoo of her daughter’s name, Maite, with a green heart under it, on her neck in Uvalde, Tex., on Oct. 19, 2022. Maite, 10, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary. Green was her favorite color.

Family members and friends of Annabell Rodriguez, who was among the victims of the Robb Elementary shooting, gather beside her grave at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Tex., before releasing balloons on what should have been her 11th birthday on Nov. 29, 2022.

(Right) Jazmin Cazares, 17, her cousin Polly Alaniz (left), and Polly’s daughter, Natalie, 12, spend time together at the Cazares family’s home in Uvalde, Tex., on June 13, 2022. Jazmin’s sister Jackie, 9, and second cousin Annabell Rodriguez, 10, were killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Ana Rodriguez carries the urn containing the ashes of her daughter, Maite, 10, who was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, into her brother’s car as she makes her way to Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery to celebrate Maite’s life and observe the Day of the Dead with her family and families of the victims in Uvalde, Tex., on Nov. 2, 2022. “Time doesn’t heal, it shows us how to learn to live with the pain,” Ms. Rodriguez said.

Brett Cross, uncle and guardian of Uziyah Garcia, 10, who was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary, lies on a cot before going to sleep in the parking lot of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District administration office as part of a protest calling for the district’s resource officers who responded on May 24 to be suspended, pending an investigation, in Uvalde, Tex., on Oct. 2, 2022. Mr. Cross, who was raising Uziyah as a son with his wife, Nikki, was joined by family members of the victims and supporters throughout the protest, which lasted 10 days and ultimately resulted in the school district suspending its police department’s operations and placing two officials on leave.

Veronica Mata, whose daughter, Tess, 10, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary shooting, sits beside her husband Jerry while working on a speech she planned to give at a press conference with Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, as family members of the victims ride a bus from Uvalde to Edinburg, Tex., to support Mr. O’Rourke in his debate against Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 30, 2022.

Ana Rodriguez, whose daughter Maite, 10, was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex., visits the Lincoln Memorial for the first time in Washington D.C. on Dec. 6, 2022. Ms. Rodriguez and dozens of family members of the victims traveled to the Nation’s capitol to call on Senators to pass legislation that would ban assault rifles before the end of the year’s Congressional session. Despite efforts by the Uvalde families and gun violence prevention advocates, the legislation, which was passed by the House in July, did not have enough votes to pass in the Senate.

Family members of the children killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex., meet with members of Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s staff at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. on Sept. 22, 2022. The families traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for tighter gun laws in meetings on Capitol Hill and to attend a rally calling for an assault weapons ban.

Jerry Mata, father of Tess Mata, 10, looks at an image of his daughter, which he made his cell phone background, while at dinner in Washington D.C., with family members of the children killed in the Robb Elementary shooting, on Sept. 21, 2022. The Uvalde families traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for tighter gun laws in meetings on Capitol Hill and to attend a rally calling for an assault weapons ban.

Javier and Gloria Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter, Jackie, was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex., take part in the 10th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence in Washington D.C., on Dec. 7, 2022. President Joe Biden, who has called for a ban on assault weapons, spoke at the vigil, which was organized by the Newtown Action Alliance, a gun violence prevention organization started after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, and was attended by hundreds of people from across the nation who lost loved ones to gun violence.

Parents whose children were killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School put their hands together, vowing to continue fighting for justice and gun reform, after it was announced that the Democratic candidate for Texas governor Beto O’Rourke, who they supported in the midterm elections, lost to the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott, while at a watch party in Uvalde, Tex., on Nov. 8, 2022. Many family members of the victims have turned grief and anger into activism by demanding accountability for the failed police response to the shooting and advocating for state and federal restrictions on firearms.

Kalisa Barboza, 18, hugs her younger brother, David Falcon III, 14, before his first day as a high school freshman at their home in Uvalde, Tex., on Sept. 6, 2022. Their sister, Lexi, 10, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District delayed the start of the school year to ensure students felt safe attending classes and to implement new security measures in response the shooting.

Four-year-old Elijah hugs the mural depicting his 10-year-old cousin Amerie Jo Garza outside of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Garza was one of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary massacre. Her family frequently visits the larger-than-life mural painted by artists Cristina Noriega, Alina De León and Silvy Ochoa to feel closer to her.

People file out of Sacred Heart Catholic Church after attending a joint funeral for Irma Linda Garcia, 48, and her husband Jose Antonio “Joe” Garcia in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Irma, a, fourth grade teacher at Robb Elementary, was killed in her classroom during the May 24 mass shooting. Her husband of 24 years died a couple days later of a heart attack. The couple is survived by four children Cristian, Jose, Lyliana and Alysandra Garcia.

Rev. Dr. Michael K. Marsh holds up a copy of the Uvalde Leader-News to show during an evening prayer service at St.Phillip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2022. More than 100 people gathered at the church to honor the lives of 21 victims who died in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Ana Rodriguez, mother of Robb Elementary shooting victim Maite Rodriguez, waits to be searched by a police officer as she walks into John Hal Harrell Auditorium, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, to attend a special meeting held by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District school board to discuss the termination of Police Chief Pete Arredondo. The board voted to terminate his contract after the hearing, which was initially set for July 23, but had been twice-delayed at the request of Arredondo's attorney.

Two-year-old Katalina, from left, watches as her mother Angel Marie and grandfather Abel Lopez console her grandmother Felicha Martinez through an intense panic attack during the annual Christmas at the College event held at the Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, 2022. A blown transformer, which made several loud popping sounds, and the sight of countless police officers triggered flashbacks to May 24th, the day that her 10-year-old son Xavier Lopez was killed in the Robb Elementary massacre.

Noah Orona writes “I hate guns” on a heart-shaped paper after being prompted to write down his fears during a faith lesson on the second day of Camp I CAN at the St. Henry De Osso Family Project Center in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday afternoon, July 26, 2022. Orona was a fourth grader at Robb Elementary School who was shot and injured during the May 24 massacre.

Sister Clarice Suchy, center right, leads a game of “Simon Says” with campers at the start of Camp I CAN day three in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The mission of this year’s Camp I CAN was to help the campers find their inner strength in the aftermath of the May 24 school shooting that shook the Uvalde community.

Uvalde Pool & Spa employees Jim Welch, left, and another who did not want to be identified clean leaves out of the fountain at the City of Uvalde Town Square Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. The Uvalde Pool & Spa workers come by to clean the fountain once or twice a week, depending on the weather. In late August, Uvalde City Council voted to allow the town square to be used as a permanent memorial site for the 21 Robb Elementary mass shooting victims.

Children pay tribute to the 21 Robb Elementary massacre victims as they watch the Uvalde Coyotes take on the Winn Mavericks in the first home game of the season at Honey Bowl Stadium in Uvalde, Texas, Friday evening, Sept. 2, 2022. The stadium was packed with people of all ages who watched as the Coyotes defeated the Mavericks 34-28.

Uvalde senior linebacker Justyn Rendon (21) and his teammates embrace each other in the locker room as they prepare to take on the Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks at Honey Bowl Stadium in Uvalde, Texas, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The Coyotes defeated the Mavericks 34-28 in their first home game of the season. Rendon was chosen by his teammates to wear the No. 21 jersey throughout the season to honor the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary massacre.

Seventeen-year-old Jazmin Cazares, center, who lost her 9-year-old sister Jackie Cazares in the Robb Elementary massacre, participates in the Marcha de los Niños event at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Victims families walked behind a large offendra as they marched from the Capitol to the Governor’s mansion, where they placed the Día de los Muertos altar for the public to view.

Felicha Martinez and her husband Abel Lopez pose for a picture with their sons 7-year-old Jermya, top, and 4-year-old Justan Lopez as she holds a picture of their 10-year-old son Xavier Lopez following the “Raise Our Voices to Raise the Age” March for Our Lives Rally at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Martinez spoke to the crowd about Xavier, who was one of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde on May 24.

Angel Garza, from left, embraces Kimberly Garcia as they stand outside of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District's central office with Pastor Daniel Myers and other protestors in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday morning, Oct. 6, 2022. The couple, who lost their 10-year-old daughter Amerie Jo Garza in Robb Elementary massacre, and other protestors were demanding that the district suspend its entire police force pending an investigation into each officer’s response to the May 24 shooting.

“Please do not compare how your feeling to their feelings,” Julissa Rizo, left, says as she responds to a person who said the Robb Elementary mass shooting “happened to this whole community” during a special school board meeting at the Benson Board Room in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. Rizo, who lost her niece Jackie Cazares in the May 24 shooting, was talking on behalf of the victims families as tempers flared at the meeting.

Brett Cross lies on a cot in the entryway of an employee door at the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District administration building in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. He started the protest just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Sept. 27, and camped out at the administration building until Oct. 7th, the day that UCISD suspended the operations of its police department pending an internal investigation.

People hold up pictures of Eliahna Torres as they parade in a large group through Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, to visit the gravesites of Robb Elementary massacre victims and observe Día de los Muertos together.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio comforts her oldest daughter Kalisa Barboza, 18, as they spend time at Lexi Rubio’s gravesite in Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, which would have been Rubio’s 11th birthday.

Kadence Kubish shares a laugh with her stepbrother Holden Elrod while trying to persuade him to take a family photo before leaving for her high school graduation ceremony, Friday, June 24, 2022. A moment before Kadence comforted Holden as he cried at the thought of her leaving for college. “Hey, any time you are missing her, we’ll get in the truck and go to San Antonio so we can see her, I promise,” Jacob Kubish, left, told Holden.

Veronica Mata, from left, Faith Mata, Julissa Rizo, Janelle Garcia and Jahleela Rubio cheer and laugh loudly as others do the “Macarena” dance during a “21 Angels family” Friendsgiving celebration in Batesville, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. The families came together for a night of shared food and dancing after passing a hard holiday milestone without the loved ones they lost in the Robb Elementary massacre. Thanksgiving day, Nov. 24, marked six months since their loved ones were killed.

An assortment of crosses, dried out flowers, stuffed animals and other faded mementos still fill the grounds in front of the now defunct building in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Over the months people from across the country traveled to Uvalde to pay their respects to the 21 victims and leave items behind.

Javier Cazares sheds a tear as he listens to music during the 10th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence at St. Mark's Episcopal Church Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. His family was invited to attend the vigil to honor his 9-year-old daughter Jacklyn “Jackie” Cazares, one of 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting last May.

Farmer Pete Oliver plants peas on his farm in Fresno, California on Monday, July 26, 2021.

Farmers William Scott Jr., his brother Melvin Scott and Pete Oliver plants eat breakfast together at Ho Ho’s Kafe in Fresno, California on Monday, July 26, 2021. The regularly eat breakfast together.

Farmer Ivan Hurd guides his son Curt Hurd as he brings hay out for their animals on their farm in Lemore, California on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Ivan is teaching his son how to run the farm.

Farmer Melvin Scott takes a break from farming while drinking a soda in his car in Fresno, California on Friday, July 30, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd (left) sits on a bench as he bids on cows during the Visalia Livestock show in Visalia, California on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd guides his son (not pictured) as he disks the farmland on his property in Lemore, California on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Ivan is teaching his son how to run the farm.

A list of vegetables that are typically grown in the south is seen resting up against a home on the farm of William Scott Jr. whose family of farmers immigrated to California in Fresno, Calif., on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

Farmer Melvin Scott grabs melons from his truck to bring to a farmers market in Oakland, California on Saturday, July 24, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd puts out water for his horses in the evening on his farm in Lemoore, California on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

Farmer James McGill (center) gets help unloading a truck full of donated food in order to feed his hogs on his farm in Bakersfield, California on Thursday, July 29, 2021. James cannot afford to buy food for them and is struggling to make ends meet.

Farmer Ivan Hurd farms a plot of alfalfa in Lemoore, California on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

Supervisor Dean Preston speaks at a press conference urging the new District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to keep the Innocence Commission intact at City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, July 13th, 2022.

A pig on Shirley Russel’s farm in Caruthers, California on Monday, July 26, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd checks on his animals at one of his farms in Lemore, California on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd rubs salve on an injury on of his horses sustained on his farm in Lemore, California on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Ivan is well known for his horse training.

Farmer Ivan Hurd’s home with a photograph of him and horse saddles is seen in Lemoore, California on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd nuzzles up to one of his horses in Lemoore, California on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.

Farmer James McGill works on his hog farm in Bakersfield, California on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

Farmer Ivan Hurd (left) brands his cows with a friend in Visalia, California on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.