Soft lights flickered and flames danced from candles illuminating the sidewalk as hundreds of community members gathered for a candlelight vigil at the intersection of Cabrillo Boulevard and State Street Monday night.
The vigil, organized by Indivisible Santa Barbara, took place to honor Alex Pretti and Renee Good after they were both fatally shot during interactions with immigration officials in Minneapolis.
National controversy has sparked following Pretti’s death as video evidence from the incident has contradicted messaging sent out by the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Lloyd DeArmond wore a neon yellow vest and an Indivisible SB hat as he helped organize the vigil Monday evening.
“We have to stand up to this psychopath,” DeArmond said in reference to President Trump.
Across the country a wide-scale push back against ICE has erupted with a specific focus on their actions in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, Good, 37, was shot dead in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. In the aftermath of her death, and now Pretti’s, protests in Minnesota and around the country have erupted.
For DeArmond, the vigil shows “that we are still here.”
DeArmond said that Indivisible Santa Barbara wants the president impeached and strives to see the community continue to show up and display resistance.
The vigil followed Saturday’s anti-ICE protest, also organized by Indivisible Santa Barbara, that saw a community turnout of around 1,000 people.
“I can’t be in Minnesota walking with them,” Barb Maes said, “so I’m here on behalf of Minnesota and Santa Barbara.”
Community members Monday night held up signs while others waved flags and phone flashlights. Countless drivers honked as cars and trucks rolled past. Even as the dusk light faded, the community turnout was passionate and united.
Maes said that the vigil shows the importance of “shared compassion.”
Noah D. , who declined to give his last name, held a sign describing a few attributes of Alex Pretti and his cause of death. Noah attended the vigil because he felt he could relate to Pretti.
“He cared for others,” Noah said.
Pretti was an ICU nurse and outdoorsman. He died Saturday morning after being shot 10 times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Noah said the vigil was special as it represented the connection the community of Santa Barbara has beyond social media.
