Community members, former state senator hold multi-faith vigil honoring Uvalde victims

AUSTIN, Texas - Several community members, including former State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos (D-14) organized a multi-faith vigil to honor those lost in the Uvalde school shooting. 

Two teachers and 19 students were killed. 

"The children. I'm speechless because this community's full of children that cannot - right next door at Zavala Elementary. All the things that can happen when we're off guard," Anna Maciel, president of the A.B. Cantu-Pan American Recreation Center said.

"My kids, my grandkids, what if it had been them? Could be, and then anger. Why? No more, please," Barrientos said.

Through prayer, organizers hope people can find a bit of peace in a chaotic situation.

"The world is a hard place to live right now, and making sure we know we can comfort each other during these times is very important for our community," Maciel said.

"So many people are angry, they're hurt, they're in pain, as we all are, and they want to do something," Barrientos said.

The event was multi-faith, bringing together faith leaders across different denominations and religions.

Organizers say the goal is to first remember those lost instead of getting into policy right away.

"Before we go into battle, I think we should pray. We pray for those poor little souls, eight-, nine-, ten-years old, it's heartbreaking," Barrientos said. "God gave us brains, we ought to be able to save these kids."

After prayer and healing, Barrientos hopes people will have more strength to create change through voting and legislation.

"Got to get rid of those machine guns on the street. Who the hell wants machine guns in America? This is not Russia. It's not a South American banana republic. It's not the Middle East. This is America. We can do better," he said.