By Nicholas Stix
Well, Austin is no longer a sleepy campus town and state capital where nothing much ever happens. It is now a big-time city with constant, big-time, diverse crime. It can brag of racial attacks by Hispanics and blacks alike in its main, downtown entertainment district that are disguised by the police and press under the euphemism, “punch-and-run” attacks, and now it has Mexican murders, too.
Esme Barrera identified as victim in New Year’s homicide
By Sarah Coppola | Monday, January 2, 2012, 03:29 p.m.
Austin American-Statesman
Esme Barrera, a teaching assistant and avid rock-music fan, was the victim in the New Year’s Day homicide, friends said.
Police have said they found a body in the 3100 block of King Street, a home north of the University of Texas, at about 3 a.m. Sunday after responding to an urgent “check welfare” call.
Police haven’t released details of the case, or identified Barrera as the victim. But friends posted news of her death on social-networking sites and music blogs.
Barrera, 29, was an El Paso native who worked with special needs children at Casis Elementary School, was a counselor at a summer rock-music camp for girls and was a huge music fan who worked part-time at Waterloo Records, friends and co-workers said.
“She was extremely friendly and really talkative, and there was no way that after being around her for 10 minutes that you couldn’t love her,” said Allison Kemp, who worked with Barrera at Waterloo Records. “She was genuine and positive and uplifting and pretty much any positive word you can think of. She had more personality than could fit in one body.”
Friend Alyx Vesey met Barrera working at Girls Rock Camp, a day camp where staffers seek to empower middle- and high-school-aged girls by helping them to write and perform original songs.
Barrera was not in a band, “but she was rock music’s number one fan.” Vesey said. “She knew all the bands in town, what cool band was coming up and was always recommending music to listen to and always going to shows… She knew everybody and everybody seemed to know her … She was smaller than me — I’m 5’2” — but she was just a ball of energy.”
Barrera’s positive attitude translated perfectly to her role teaching young, special-needs children, said Emily Gross, who worked with her at Casis Elementary School.
The job “takes so much patience and dedication and she was amazing at staying centered and positive,” Gross said. “Even in trying situations, she was steady… she was able to transfer all of her positive energy onto the kids.”
“Everyone seemed to have the same impression of (Barrera), whether they were a parent of a student or were meeting her at a rock concert,” Gross said. “She was just this bright, shiny light.”
Barrera’s family could not be reached for comment. Her friends have started a blog, http://forouresmeb.blogspot.com, for those that want to donate money to help Barrera’s family pay for funeral expenses.
[Thanks to reader-researcher RC for this story.]
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