It had been a perfect day for Caitlyne Gonzales. The Uvalde survivor saw Beto O'Rourke, one of her gun-safety heroes, speak. She took a selfie with him, got free shirts, ate fried chicken after. Then, on the way home, police lights flashed behind her family's car. A thread:
Three black SUVs, driven by Texas state troopers, blocked them into a parking lot. Caitlyne, sitting in the back seat between her mom and sister, clenched her teeth and crossed her arms. “Oh my God,” her sister said. “Shush,” Caitlyne instructed. She was terrified. (2/)
It was three days before school started, and I'd spent all summer with Caitlyne. She knew the police took 77 minutes to confront the gunman at Robb and, like many people in Uvalde, Caitlyne deeply resented them for it. Her friends died, she believed, because they failed. (3/)
Then came Sept. 3, a sunny Saturday. Caitlyne could've gone to a parade with her friends or visited SeaWorld in San Antonio, but no, she wanted to meet @BetoORourke. She'd been following his Instagram page for weeks and saw he was speaking in Eagle Pass, an hour from Uvalde. (4/)
So, early on that Saturday, we all headed to Eagle Pass. Caitlyne couldn't wait. When O'Rourke walked into the auditorium — Caitlyne being Caitlyne — she rushed over and asked for a selfie. (5/)
“I am so glad you came. … It means the world to me,” O’Rourke told Caitlyne, before the family posed for a photo with him and got free campaign shirts from his staff. (6/)