SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro are among a list of people scheduled to attend a call-to-action event in San Antonio in support of the victims and survivors of the school shooting in Uvalde.
The “Stand with Uvalde” event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Travis Park. According to a news release, “the event will bring together community voices in solidarity, in mourning and with a sense that the time for action to prevent similar tragedies is now.”
The event will raise funds for families of the shooting victims and call on leaders to “deliver common sense reform to keep kids safe, and make clear that voters will hold politicians accountable for their inaction at the ballot box.”
Popovich was originally not on the list of attendees when Joaquin Castro’s office sent the release Thursday, but at a news conference Friday with other Bexar County leaders demanding action on gun violence, the Democratic congressman said the legendary coach would be in attendance.
The Spurs coach has spoken out in the past on social issues affecting this country.
During a media session in April 2021, Popovich addressed the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty on all counts for George Floyd’s murder.
“I think it’s a time to understand that was maybe a victory in a war that’s got to continue to be waged with a sense of demanding equality and justice and rights because it hasn’t happened yet,” Popovich said.
He also blasted police unions across the country, saying that “police unions use power in a way that does not protect and serve in many cases, and the power has to be taken away as much as possible just like with the NRA. We can’t believe and deal with the tactics they’ve used over the years.”
In October 2021, he criticized Alamo Heights ISD for continuing to honor Christopher Columbus and the day that bears the Italian explorer’s name. Popovich was speaking to reporters before a Spurs preseason game and was asked about President Joe Biden’s proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day when he made the comments.
“Columbus? He initiated a new world genocide. That’s what he did. Beginning with him and what he set in motion, and what followed meant the annihilation of every Indigenous person in Hispaniola, which was Haiti and the Dominican Republic today,” he said.
Popovich also took numerous swipes at former President Donald Trump when he was in office.
The congressman said Saturday’s event “is a moment for all of us to come together as Americans and make clear that we’ll stand with the people of Uvalde. We can’t undo the terrible violence that was unleashed on their community, but we can make sure the victims’ families have the support they need. It’s up to all of us to do everything in our power to prevent this kind of nightmare from occurring in any other community. We can’t and won’t allow their pain to be forgotten.”
Following is the list of people scheduled to attend the event:
- U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro
- San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich
- Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro
- Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino
- Erika Prosper Nirenberg, First Lady of San Antonio
- Greg Casar, Austin City Council Member
- Marisa B. Pérez-Díaz, Board of Education Member – District 3
- Luis Hernandez, Youth Against Guns
- Ingrid Alvarez, Hispanic Federation
- Romon Contreras, Gun Violence Prevention Activist
- Brandon Wolf, Gun Activist and Pulse Nightclub Shooting Survivor
- Jose Alfaro, Director of Latinx Engagement for Moms Demand Action