EL PASO, TX – Some items from the makeshift memorial near the Cielo Vista Walmart are being removed. The memorial commemorates the victims who died during the August 3 shooting. Crews under the direction of the City of El Paso will continue to work until the memorial is gone.
According to city officials, the removal of the Cielo Vista Walmart memorial will be completed in two phases. Firstly, workers will transfer various items from the memorial to a temporary one. The interim memorial is located at 7500 W. H. Burges Drive, in Ponder Park. And, secondly, once the items are taken down, crews will begin to catalogue certain pieces for historical purposes.
In a statement issued by Quality of Life Deputy City Manager Tracey Jerome, she still plans to honor the items left at the memorial while the community continues to heal. Further adding that Ponder Park is the ideal place to do so. Because it is where the community gathered after the shooting, it holds special sentiments. Additionally, Jerome hopes the park will be the place where people can pay their respects and heal.
Furthermore, various select items will be mounted on a commemorative structure in the park. Experts from the El Paso Museum of Art, the El Paso Museum of History, and the Public Art Program will complete the installation. Additionally, it should be noted that Ponder Park is only a couple of blocks from the original Cielo Vista Walmart memorial.
In order to document this tragic moment in El Paso history, the items will be sorted and archived. Therefore, archival specialists will work closely with the Central Transportation and International Moving Warehouse to take apart the memorial.
Moreover, the Central Transportation and International Moving Warehouse will take down the memorial as a donation to the El Paso community.
