I need to tell you about my son, Uziyah (“Uzi”) Garcia, who was murdered alongside 18 other children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas two years ago. But if you can’t read all of Uzi’s story, will you chip in $15 to support Sam Schwartz’s Tour to Save Democracy right away? The Tour to Save Democracy is going across the country to mobilize young voters, ELECT real leaders who will fight for our families, and unseat cowardly Republicans who refuse to support legislation to end mass shootings like the one that stole Uzi from my family. The tour kicks off in just 32 days with a rally in Texas to defeat the most vile anti-gun safety, Senator Ted Cruz, once and for all. All contributions to this email directly support tour expenses like gas and permits. I can’t express how much your $15 would mean to me and Sam. >>

At 10 PM on May 23rd, 2022, I told my son Uzi to go to bed.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, watching YouTube on his phone.

I gave him a hug and ruffled his hair.

As he started to run towards the stairs leading up to his bedroom I told him I loved him.

"I love you too, Dad,” was the last thing Uzi said to me.

He went to bed. I went to bed.

It never crossed my mind that would be the last time I would see him alive.

Little did I know, in just 12 hours Uzi would be murdered in his classroom at Robb Elementary.

In my mind, I go back to May 23rd over and over.

I wish I would have told my kids they could skip the rest of the week of school.

I wish I would have taken off work to see that last assembly.

I wish that it was Bring Your Kids to Work Day.

I wish anything was different so Uzi would still be here.

Anything so he could be going into 7th grade this year.

Anything so he would turn 13 in August and I could buy him his first razor, as is tradition in my family.

Anything at all so I could hear his voice and his laughter, feel his hug, and his love.

I’m damaged beyond repair, as are my wife and other children.

Uzi was truly one of a kind, the light when it was dark, the joy when all else failed.

I wish I could relive 10 o'clock, May 23rd, 2022, over and over like Groundhog Day.

That would be bliss.

Instead, my son was brutally murdered by a gunman with an assault rifle alongside 18 other students and 2 teachers while law enforcement waited outside the school for 77 minutes and did nothing.

And the cowards in office who enabled the bloodshed that stole Uzi and so many others continue to take the gun lobby’s blood money and offer nothing but shitty “thoughts and prayers” while the shootings continue.

That’s why I’m teaming up with BAWN to support my friend Sam Schwartz’s Tour to Save Democracy. Sam knows firsthand the destruction the inaction of lawmakers can cause to a family – and that’s why he’s stopping in 21 critical swing districts, including in Texas, to rally Gen Z voters against vulnerable Republicans who refuse to protect our families. The tour kicks off in Texas in 32 days and they need all the support they can get to make every single stop possible. But if 210 donations come in before midnight tonight, the tour will have the funds to make it from Texas to Michigan and beyond. Can you chip in $15 to the tour before midnight? >>

Honestly, I’m pissed off.

I’m pissed off that Uzi, and thousands more children, have been stolen by these weapons of war.

I’m pissed off that politicians put the gun lobby and their precious guns over our children’s precious young lives.

I’m pissed off that AR-15s like the one that murdered my son still roam the streets.

I’m pissed off that Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz refuse to take action, but won’t keep the Uvalde community’s name out of their mouths – even after countless mass shootings occurred on their watch.

And I’m using how pissed off I am to fuel my fight to ensure no one else loses their child to an assault weapon EVER again.

I recognize the same fight in Sam and the Tour to Save Democracy. They’re pissed off too – because they’ve lost loved ones to and seen their communities torn apart by gun violence all while our leaders do absolutely jack shit. If you’re pissed off too, then Sam, the Tour, and I need you IMMEDIATELY. If 210 grassroots gun safety champions step up before midnight we’ll send every Republican a message they can’t ignore: Either protect our communities or we will make sure you lose your power FOR GOOD. The Tour to Save Democracy is stopping in 21 swing districts in battleground states that Democrats MUST flip if we want any chance at defeating the gun lobby, banning assault weapons, and finally putting an end to the bloodshed. Can you rush $15 before midnight? Your contribution will cover the costs of tour necessities like gas, parking permits, and food. >>

In solidarity,
Brett Cross