State needs Dreamers

Re: “Fewer can make cutoff for DACA,” Front Page, Wednesday:

I agree: Texas Dreamers need far more certainty than the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program provides; they need a federal Dream Act.

I’m a teacher and an educator in San Antonio, but my journey as a Dreamer through school has not always been easy. My family faced many obstacles to ensure I received an education, which began when my mother registered me for kindergarten and was told by a school administrator that I didn’t have a future if I was undocumented.

When it came time to apply for college, I didn’t have the proper documentation and DA

CA had not yet been introduced, but I still managed to take classes and graduate.

There are thousands of students who, like me, were not born in this country but have grown up in Texas. These students deserve an opportunity to pursue higher education and then give back to their community and economy.

If our representatives care about the economic future of Texas and want to see our students and state thrive, I ask them to support legislation that will provide Dreamers with a path to lawful status and recognize the incredible economic impact we have on Texas.

In September 2009, I stood in a hospital room in Landstuhl, Germany, visiting a U.S. Marine who had been airlifted out of Afghanistan. He was 19. He was missing two limbs and had patches over his stomach and eyes. Our team traveling the area of operations tried to be positive, knowing the situation was grim.

In wartime, we expect casualties. But one thing we are also certain of: Leaders will do their best to take care of those they lead and to keep their troops alive. They will leave no one behind. Anyone who fails to do this can expect to be relieved.

What we do not expect is that back home, people will be left behind by our own elected and appointed leaders during times of crisis and when lives are at stake.

Early in the evening of Feb. 16, four days into below-freezing temperatures and nearly three days into loss of electricity and water, the situation at Fair Avenue Apartments was critical. The property is owned and managed by the San Antonio Housing Authority, or SAHA, and by any person’s observations, the residents of this facility, all senior citizens and disabled, had been left behind. They are people in wheelchairs and walkers, people on oxygen and with diabetes, some with limited food because they rely on food that was not delivered that week. People huddled in the lobby. The 11-story building was dark and freezing, and people were suffering. Some cried. They had been left to fend for themselves. It was not the only facility in this situation.

By luck, awareness via social media, and the actions of city residents and a handful of elected officials, help came to the people of Fair Avenue and other properties. They were evacuated to warming shelters that weren’t stood up until the fourth day.

While local leaders were not responsible for outages, they are responsible for the planning, preparation and response in any crisis. Yet it felt as though this was the first time we had ever encountered an emergency. Communication with the public was nearly nonexistent, information was pushed late, 311 was undermanned, and there seemed to be no sense of urgency to ensure the safety of some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Unified communications and command and control were nonexistent, as was evident by the few elected offices that were operating independently, some augmenting the work of nonprofits and everyday citizens who stepped up to fill the void.

We know the state failed. Our county and city leadership failed as well. While no one knew the extent of power outages the region would experience, everyone knew extreme temperatures were coming, and that could be deadly for our most vulnerable. Notably, those who serve the homeless were well-prepared, organized and communicated effectively.

Residents across the county were affected, and it was impossible to address the needs of every individual. But when dense populations of the most vulnerable are known, it is imperative that rapid actions take place.

It is the duty of leaders to be present, act decisively and assure the public there is a plan and work is being done to get everyone through the crisis safely — not to blame other bureaucracies. Unfortunately, no one locally has taken any responsibility. Greater recognition of weaknesses and less self-congratulation serve the public far better.

While no one wants to armchair quarterback, some obvious and timely actions could have been taken, and these need to be outlined during a comprehensive, independent review of the city and county response. The recently formed committee to review the response is comprised primarily of former and current City Council members, with no emergency response expertise. Further, this group is tasked with evaluating themselves and agencies in which the mayor and City Council hold a board position or to which they have political appointees. This is counterintuitive.

It is during times of crisis, chaos and uncertainty that we need leadership the most. Real leaders accept responsibility for what is in their control and take meaningful action to address system failures. Anything less dishonors those we lost.