Foundation Continues Public Stance In Support Of Camp Mystic - Calls For Resorative Justice & Healing
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- Nov 24
- 3 min read
Daniel Chapin, National Director and Founder, Youth Peace and Justice Foundation/Uvalde Foundation For Kids Sits Down With KXXV News To Discuss Camp Mystic & The Foundations Restorative Justice Principal
(Full Story By Allison Hill, KXXV NEWS HERE)
Q: What are your thoughts on how the events of July 4th unfolded? (KXXV)
A: "The events of July 4th were a stark and humbling encounter with the overwhelming, systemic volatility of nature. Having responded to comparable-scale natural disasters—from the catastrophic flash events of the Maui wildfires to the regional devastation in California—we recognize this as an instance where human diligence was simply superseded by an elemental force majeure. It demands a shift in public focus: away from the futile search for proximate human error, and toward a sober appreciation of the hydrological power that characterizes regions like Flash Flood Alley.
What we witnessed was not a failure of preparedness, but the brutal, tragic reality that even the most robust systems are vulnerable when nature operates outside all previously established statistical parameters. Our empathy must be commensurate with the magnitude of the catastrophe."
Q: What concerns do you have about the lawsuits that were recently filed? (KXXV)
A: "Our primary concern is that the pursuit of individual legal compensation fundamentally compromises the potential for collective institutional healing. Litigation, in this context, reduces an existential tragedy to a transactional injury, placing an overt monetary valuation on the irreplaceable loss of life. As a foundation dedicated to post-trauma recovery, we view these filings as a substantial jurisprudential distraction—an adversarial process that inevitably weaponizes grief and channels community energy away from memorialization and long-term systemic resilience. It inhibits the very communal coalescence necessary to sustain the victims, survivors, and the institutional fabric of the Camp itself."
Q: What do you want the community to understand about the tragedy and the camp’s role in it? (KXXV)
A: "The community must recognize a critical distinction: Camp Mystic was not merely the backdrop for the tragedy; it was an active participant in the suffering. They are, unequivocally, co-victims of the natural event. The notion that the administration could have fully foreseen or manually arrested the river's unprecedented surge disregards meteorological science and the sheer scale of the flood. We must resist the sociological reflex to immediately assign culpability.
The Camp lost integral staff, including an owner who died attempting to save children, and they sustained catastrophic damage to their infrastructure. The Foundation's support is based on recognizing their shared devastation and validating their institutional integrity in the face of this unparalleled, shared trauma."
Q: You mentioned speaking with camp leadership “some weeks back.” What were the key factors from that conversation that solidified your foundation’s decision to publicly support the camp? (KXXV)
A: "Our decision was solidified by the leadership’s demonstration of proactive integrity and radical transparency. Specifically, the key factors were their early and unprompted engagement with external oversight—inviting state lawmakers and emergency service administrators for on-site reviews—and their establishment of a clear, documented timeline of communication during the event. Crucially, the move to secure pro bono legal representation weeks before the lawsuits were even filed demonstrated an intent to navigate accountability with responsibility, rather than evasion. This approach signaled a commitment to long-term systemic remediation over immediate self-preservation, which is precisely the kind of institutional courage the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation is mandated to support."
Q: What is your hope for the families, the camp, and the community going forward? (KXXV)
A: "My hope centers on achieving a state of resilient restoration. For the families, I hope the path to peace bypasses the protracted, adversarial demands of the courts and allows for spiritual and emotional recovery. For the Camp, our hope is that the planned partial reopening next summer is understood as a vital, symbolic act of institutional defiance and enduring remembrance—a commitment to honoring the lost by preserving the community they cherished. Going forward, the community must transition from a state of shock and reactive blame toward a unified commitment to memorializing the lives lost and ensuring the continuity of the Camp Mystic mission."
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? (KXXV)
A: "Yes. The Foundation is uniquely positioned, through our experience in Uvalde and other national trauma sites, to understand the trajectory of complex societal grief. Our public stance is not accidental; it is a deliberate intervention designed to steer the public conversation away from a destructive, retributive cycle. We are committed to promoting a model of restorative justice that prioritizes communal healing, institutional resilience, and enduring remembrance over litigation and financial calculus."
