More than 1,000 people gathered near Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf on Monday night for a candlelight vigil to mourn the death of Minneapolis man Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot Saturday by a federal agent.
A seemingly endless parade of motorists honked in support of the people and dogs lined along Cabrillo Boulevard holding candles and posters. Those without one held up a picture of a candle on their phone screen.
Various songs, including “This Land Is Your Land” performed by a protester, also filled the air.
Indivisible Santa Barbara organized an emergency candlelight vigil two days after a federal agent fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Bystander video footage shows Pretti going face-to-face with federal agents, using his cellphone to record before being shoved to the ground and then killed.
MinnPost reported that local law enforcement believed Pretti had a lawful firearm on him.
Later, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was “impeding law enforcement,” MinnPost reported.
“Seeing all these people come out here makes me very sad that they have to be here but happy to know that the community can come together and support each other,” said Ian Paige, a member of Indivisible Santa Barbara’s steering committee.
Paige said watching the videos of Pretti being killed inspired him to organize something quickly.
“Not only are the videos of the killing horrible, but the horrible lies the administration thinks that people are going to believe,” he said.
The crowd protested against President Donald Trump’s administration, DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Protesters also mourned the death of Minneapolis woman Renee Good, who was shot and killed by federal agents about three weeks ago.
Days after Good’s death, Indivisible Santa Barbara organized a protest along State Street that also drew hundreds of people to protest against ICE.
While many protesters walked up and down Cabrillo Boulevard, a group of protesters crowded around the dolphin statue near the entrance to Stearns Wharf while holding flags such as the American flag and one that read, “ICE Out of 805.”
Santa Barbara City College first-year student Ellie Castagnola said she decided to join the protest as a way to show solidarity with Minneapolis.
“It could just as easily be us, because those people killed are just people standing up for what they believe in, and people need to realize just because we are not close in proximity, that doesn’t mean that we are not all in this together,” she said.
She said she doesn’t feel like her peers are talking enough about it, pointing to the fact that she hasn’t seen many people her age at the protest.
One of the youngest protesters, 3-year-old Murray Walker, joined her parents, Charlie and Lara Walker.
“I feel really strongly about bringing her to events to teach her that everyone’s equal,” Charlie Walker said.
He said while they haven’t fully explained to her what’s been going on, they brought her out to show her what it means to stand with a community.
