NEWS
Wednesday, august 14, 2019
HeRMIstOnHeRaLd.COM • A3
El Paso shooting rattles Latino community
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
W
hen
news
of
another
mass
shooting begins
to spread, certain elements
can bring the tragedy home
for the people who weren’t
there.
A shooting at a church
might make the religious
take pause, or country music
fans might scope out the
nearest exit more carefully
after a shooting at a concert.
After a gunman posted a
racist screed against Latinos
before killing 22 people in
an El Paso, Texas, Walmart,
members of Hermiston’s
Latino community are feel-
ing that extra measure of
concern.
“This realized a lot of
fears people have that it is
this bad, that the hate can be
on this level,” city councilor
Roy Barron said.
Barron is a member of a
small local grassroots orga-
Roman
Barron
nization called Raices —
Spanish for “roots” — that
has helped put together edu-
cational forums and ral-
lies on immigration-re-
lated issues in Hermiston
area. He said he worries
that the El Paso shooting,
which appeared to be tar-
geted against Hispanic
immigrants, will keep peo-
ple home from such gath-
erings out of a fear that a
violent white supremacist
would find them an attrac-
tive target.
Barron said he hasn’t
personally been the tar-
get of violence based on
his skin color or been ver-
bally attacked by a stranger
on the street. But in the past
few years, he has seen what
he feels is more comfort
on social media in express-
ing racist views. He worries
that words will morph into
actions in some cases.
“People use the excuse
of freedom of speech,” he
said. “They almost phrase
it as being more Ameri-
can, that ‘I’m more Amer-
ican because I’m using my
freedom of speech.’ But
freedom of speech doesn’t
mean freedom from con-
sequences. Words can hurt
people or put them in fear.”
While some people have
directly blamed President
Donald Trump for the El
Paso shooting, noting places
where the shooter’s man-
ifesto mirrored language
Trump has used about an
immigrant “invasion,” Bar-
ron said he wouldn’t go that
far. The shooting was the
shooter’s choice.
He did say, however, that
he feels some people have
felt emboldened about shar-
ing racist views from “the
very first day (Trump) was
coming down the elevator
calling Mexicans rapists.”
“I don’t see how people
can just laugh it off and say,
‘He’s just joking; you guys
are snowflakes,’” Barron
said.
A different political
moment sticks out to Yes-
sica Roman, a Latino Herm-
iston woman who echoed
some of Barron’s worries.
For her, the El Paso
shooting brought to mind
a Trump rally in Florida
in May, when an attendee
yelled “Just shoot them!”
as Trump was talking about
undocumented immigrants
crossing the border.
“At a rally someone said
‘Just shoot them,’ and they
all started laughing like it
was something funny,” she
said.
The El Paso shooting was
anything but funny.
Although the shooter
appeared to seek out Lati-
nos, Roman said mass
shootings are shocking to
her no matter who is the vic-
tim. As a new mother, she
was particularly affected
by hearing about Jordan
Anchando, who died shield-
ing her 2-month-old baby
from bullets.
“It made it more per-
sonal,” she said. “It’s so
scary to think about it. I hav-
en’t been to the store (since
the shooting) but now it’s
like, ‘Will I come home?’”
She worried that people
have become too desensi-
tized to mass shootings as
they increase in frequency.
Zaira Sanchez, born and
raised in Hermiston and
also a member of Raices,
said she has discussed the
El Paso shooting with close
friends and family.
“Overall there’s a feel-
ing of sadness and fear, but
we’re also just exhausted
from the same thing repeat-
ing itself,” she said.
She worries about the
problem of mass shootings
in general, but also violence
against Latinos.
Trump gave a speech
after the shooting con-
demning racism and white
supremacy, but she said
the “messed up things” he
has said about immigrants
throughout his presidency
has an effect.
“He speaks from a place
of misconceptions, invoking
fear and hate,” she said.
Sanchez, Barron and
Roman all noted that the El
Paso shooting was far from
just a racial issue — it also
invoked questions about
security in public places,
gun control, mental health
and the traumatization of a
nation.
“I think it creates more
fear
around
everyday
things,” Sanchez said. “Peo-
ple have to think, ‘Should I
go to the store today? Is it
a good idea to go to school,
or church today?’ Those are
things people of every race
need to do.”
Police say shooter, victims argued before gunfire
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
T
he Hermiston Police
Department
contin-
ues its investigation of
last week’s shooting that left
two Kennewick teens with
non-life threatening bullet
wounds.
The suspect, Carsen
Dain Rawe, 19, of Uma-
tilla, remains in the Uma-
tilla County Jail in lieu of
$100,000 bail on four felony
counts.
Police chief Jason Edmis-
ton said the investigation
found the three teens know
each other and are at least
“associates.”
The shootings occurred
at about 6:40 p.m. at West
Cherry Avenue and North-
west Second Street. Edmis-
ton said Rawe and the vic-
tims, one 15 and one 17,
may have beefed on social
media and earlier that day,
Aug. 5, and had “some kind
of exchange of words” in a
confrontation at a car wash
not far from the scene of the
shooting.
While none of the three
lived in Hermiston, Edmis-
ton said they all have family
in the town. Rawe also grew
up there and in 2018 gradu-
ated from Hermiston High
School.
Still, Edmiston said,
Hermiston police have to
deal with its share of crime
from people who don’t live
in the community. Hermiston
police have solid relations
with Washington agencies,
Hermiston school
board member,
Dave Smith, resigns
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
The Hermiston School
District is seeking appli-
cants following the resigna-
tion of board member Dave
Smith at Monday’s regular
board meeting.
Smith said he was unable
to attend the meeting due to
prior commitments, and the
board read his letter of res-
ignation in his absence.
“Mr. Smith always had
the best interests of the stu-
dents at heart,” said Board
Chair Karen Sherman at the
meeting. “I’m hoping he
felt respected and valued.”
Smith, whose been with
the board since 2011, said
he was leaving his position
due to the expansion of his
restoration and cleaning
business, O So Kleen.
He said he’d recently
purchased existing resto-
ration businesses in Spo-
kane, Washington, and
Lewiston, Idaho, and is busy
getting situated with new
employees and buildings.
“It’s important that
someone (can) spend more
time and energy than I was
able to do,” he said.
Looking back through
the years, Smith said one
of the most challenging
moments of his school
board career came when the
district voted to pull out of
the InterMountain Educa-
tional Service District in
2015. He was one of two
board members to oppose
the move.
“I felt Eastern Oregon
had a sense of commu-
nity. When Hermiston was
pulling out, I felt we let
our community down,” he
said. “Once the vote was
passed, I supported it. For
the district, it’s been very
positive.”
As for highlights, Smith
said graduation each year
reminded him why he loved
his work on the board. He
said he felt particularly
emotional this year, shak-
ing hands with each student
after they’d been handed
their diploma.
Those interested in
applying for the vacant
school board position must
complete and submit an
application to the superin-
tendent’s office by 3 p.m.
Aug. 23.
Candidates will be inter-
viewed on Aug. 26. The
selected candidate will take
the oath of office immedi-
ately and may run for elec-
tion in May 2020 to fill the
remaining term of office
through June 2023.
Applicants can con-
tact Briana Cortaberria at
541-667-6010 or briana.
cortaberria@hermistonsd.
org for more information.
he said, particularly the Ken-
newick Police Department
and Benton County Sheriff’s
Office.
Offenders don’t recognize
state lines, he said, while they
also know they are there.
Some who make trouble on
this side of the Washington
border work to high-tail it
back across to evade police.
Edmiston added pin-
ning down how much crime
in town was due to out-of-
towners is difficult to quan-
tify. Plenty of vehicles in
Hermiston sport Washington
plates, for example, he said,
but those vehicles belong to
locals.
Rawe so far faces two
counts each of second-de-
gree assault and unlawful use
of a weapon.
staff photo by tammy Malgesini
Law enforcement from area agencies investigate reports of shots fired Aug. 5 in the vicinity of
West Cherry Avenue and Northwest Second Street, Hermiston.
Garbage rates to rise in some Police release name
of man found dead
parts of Umatilla County
HERMISTON HERALD
HERMISTON HERALD
Umatilla County cus-
tomers of Sanitary Dis-
posal Inc. will pay more
for garbage service come
Sept. 1. The rate change
affects customers out-
side of Hermiston city
limits, but not Hermiston
residents.
The company holds the
waste collection franchise
for Hermiston and asked
the county to approve a
rate increase. Mike Jew-
ett, president of Sanitary
Disposal, told the county
board of commissioners at
its meeting last week that
the company has about
3,200 customers in the
county and most would
pay $20.10 per month for
service, an increase of
$1.70.
He said Sanitary Dis-
posal lost approximately
$296,000 last year due to
the lack of recycling stem-
ming from China no lon-
ger taking plastic recy-
clables from the United
States. The rate increase
would account for infla-
tion for 2019, 2020 and
2021, Jewett said, and
make up for the loss in
revenue.
He added Morrow
County approved the rate
increases, which went into
effect in Boardman in July
and becomes effective on
Jan. 1, 2020, in Irrigon.
Umatilla County com-
missioners approved the
rate increase on a 3-0 vote.
The police have identi-
fied the man whose body
was found on South High-
way 395 last month as
Guadalupe Avina, 34, of
Hermiston.
Hermiston Police Chief
Jason Edmiston said Avina
had a gunshot wound and
was found with a gun, but
that the autopsy report has
not yet been released.
Police responded shortly
before 11 p.m. July 26 to a
report of a body or injured
person in the bushes near
1050 South Highway 395.
On July 27, police iden-
tified the body but did not
release the name.
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Fair Admission: FREE
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Wednesday, Aug. 14 th
Thursday, Aug. 15 th
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4-H/FFA Conformation
Judging Ventriloquist Vikki
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4-H Food Contest
FREE Tillamook Ice Cream
Perry Gerber Band
Ventriloquist Vikki Green
FFA Floral Design
4-H Food Contest
Grand
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Small Animal Showmanship
Drive
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Murray’s Wine Tasting
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Friday, Aug. 16th
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Frappes & Flowers w/ Murray's Country Rose
Perry Gerber Band
Chili Cook-Off Contest
Dunk Tank - County
commissioners~administration~employees
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OTPR/Ranch Rodeo
Music after rodeo by:
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Saturday, Aug. 17 t h
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FFA Awards
Buyers Luncheon
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OTPR/Ranch Rodeo
Music after rodeo by:
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