A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Monday evening at Stearns Wharf, where Santa Barbara residents are expected to gather in response to the recent fatal shootings of two people by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this month.
The vigil, organized by Indivisible Santa Barbara, will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the dolphin fountain along Cabrillo Boulevard. Participants will then line the beachside sidewalk, holding candles or lights in silence.
The event follows the deaths of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7, and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol officers on Saturday, January 24. Eyewitness videos of Saturday’s killing show federal agents wrestle Pretti to the ground and appear to unholster a handgun from his hip moments before two agents open fire on him. The two shootings are under investigation, though officials with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension say federal investigators have shut them out of both investigations.
According to organizers, Monday’s vigil is intended as a space for collective mourning rather than formal protest.
“We’re all so distraught, upset, angered, and outraged over this violence,” said Ian Paige, a member of Indivisible Santa Barbara’s steering committee. “Giving the community a chance to come and grieve and express their feelings — calmly and peacefully — felt necessary.”
Paige said no speeches are planned. “This is about people showing up, standing together, and acknowledging the loss.”
In a statement announcing the vigil, Indivisible Santa Barbara described the Minneapolis shootings as part of a broader pattern of federal enforcement violence. The group emphasized that all of its actions adhere to a commitment to nonviolent protest, with trained organizers focused on de-escalation and community safety.
The vigil comes two days after a related demonstration Saturday morning along upper State Street, where a crowd gathered near Target following calls for corporations headquartered in Minneapolis to pressure federal officials to stand down immigration enforcement operations.
Paige said the Saturday action was aimed at corporate accountability. “These big companies have an opportunity to look at what their customers and communities are reacting to,” he said. “They can stand up against this.”
Asked why a candlelight vigil in Santa Barbara matters when the shootings occurred nearly 2,000 miles away, Paige pointed to the strength in the American people and the cumulative effect of national attention.
“The community support is there, and we recognize in each other that we are strong, and that we’re gonna win this fight,” he said. “If it spreads across the country, it gives our representatives a signal. It tells them that people are watching, and that this isn’t something that can be explained away.”
Vigils and demonstrations were also held in other cities over the weekend, as communities nationwide responded to the shootings.
In Santa Barbara, participants are encouraged to bring an electronic candle, flashlight, or charged mobile phone, as well as signs mourning the victims and calling for ICE to leave local communities.
“The vigil tonight isn’t so much to protest,” Paige said, “as it is to acknowledge the loss — and to understand that we do have to keep moving forward.”
