Community Comes Together in Solidarity for Ortega Park Summer Jam in Santa Barbara

Ortega Park was buzzing on Sunday afternoon as dozens of artists, vendors, and creatives packed the central courtyard for the Ortega Park Summer Jam, a community benefit event hosted as both an end-of-summer party and fundraiser for 805 UndocuFund’s immigrant support services.

The Summer Jam was a collaborative effort between the Ortega Park Steering Committee, Desmadre Media, Mary’s Tattoo, and Mind Garden Research, who brought together a long list of Central Coast–based artisans, vintage clothing resellers, and pop-up vendors as a show of solidarity with the city’s immigrant community.

The event came together as a group effort, with Andi Garcia of the volunteer-led Ortega Park Steering Committee offering the park as the main space for a community benefit event. Garcia got in touch with Vanae Rivera of Mary’s Tattoo, who reached out to Jon Donaghy of Mind Garden Research, and Alex Ramirez, founder of Desmadre Media. Together, the group combined resources and spent late nights planning the Summer Jam, drawing on the growing pool of creative talent in the region.

Vendors included artists such as DJ Javier of Canto Vision, Nick Killian of Sweet Heart Brand, Dez Porter of DEADSTXLE; crafts and custom pieces by Loud Flower Art Co., A Happy Mush, and Alchemy Dyes; and drinks and snacks by Café Ortega, Grill and Groove, and Del Pueblo Café. Attendees could get on-the-spot chain stitching work done by Isaac Moraza of Squeaks Chain Stitching, or one of four exclusive new designs screen-printed by Donaghy of Mind Garden Research.

“At the end of the day, the goal was just to do a big, free community event because we just don’t have stuff like this happening anymore,” Ramirez said. “And of course, with everything that’s been going on right now with immigration, we also wanted to show up and support 805 UndocoFund. We just asked all the vendors to donate whatever they could, and we’ve had an amazing response.”

Ramirez said the vendors and deejays all donated their time for the event as well. “No one here is getting paid for anything,” he said. “It’s all about bringing out the people, and inviting creatives that don’t always have the spotlight.”

Ever since the July 10 raids in Carpinteria, Ramirez says he’s been inspired to use his own company to raise awareness about how immigration has impacted the community.  Ramirez has since hosted donation drives, delivered supplies to families, and offered to give 100 percent of proceeds from Desmadre Media’s merch, which says in bold letters: “No One Is Illegal on Stolen Land.”

“There’s fear out there, but people still want to come out and be together and celebrate the community,” Ramirez said. “It’s solidarity, and we need to celebrate, even when it’s scary to be out here. There’s some people out here that are scared right now, but we got their backs. We can’t let fear get us. We can’t let it keep us down.”

Throughout the event, the booth run by Donaghy of Mind Garden Research was busy printing on-demand items featuring designs created specifically for the Summer Jam. Rivera of Mary’s Tattoo created two designs based on iconic symbols of Latino culture —  the “sacred heart” and “Virgen de Guadalupe” — while another design paid homage to vintage Santa Barbara postcards, with a motto of “Where the mountains meet the sea.”

Donaghy said he was grateful to be able to help raise money for a good cause and to help create a space where people could show up in solidarity. “Honestly, there’s a lot of people here that are scared,” he said. “But this is an opportunity to celebrate and bring joy into the conversation. The community is hurting, but we’re here for each other and in every way. We look out for each other. That’s what this is all about.”

Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805 UndocuFund, said the event was a chance for healing. She said the 805 Immigrant Rapid Response Hotline has seen a bit of a slow down in indiscriminate arrests in the first few weeks of August, but the level of fear in the community is still as high as ever. “For us, it feels like the calm before the storm,” Hernandez said.

While there have been fewer daily reports of unmarked ICE vehicles and random arrests, Hernandez says that there have still been people taken off the streets, at courthouses, and at scheduled immigration appointments on the Central Coast. Despite the fear in the community, Hernandez says it’s encouraging to see people come together and celebrate with pride.

“It’s definitely inspiring to see this. It’s healing,” Hernandez said. “You see the support not only from the vendors, but from the community that is coming out. It’s a good feeling, and we need to be a community. This is part of the resistance — not allowing fear to dictate how we lead our lives.”