This story first appeared at SB Newsmakers.
In the vast catalogue of cruelty, chaos, and corruption that defines the Trump regime, the mass deportation campaign carried out by roving gangs of heavily armed, masked thugs represents the most urgent threat posed to local communities.
Dispatching paramilitary immigration agents to Democratic cities, invading neighborhoods, racially profiling people, and snatching men, women, and children off the street regardless of immigration status — while using violence against citizens bearing witness — has become de facto White House policy in the past year.
In response to a series of such incidents locally in recent months, Democratic Women of Santa Barbara next Monday will present a public conversation aimed at developing a strategy of concrete and practical ways the community can respond.
“Our event is designed not to inflame tensions but to provide clarity and context and constructive pathways for civic engagement,” said Christy Stillwell, a Santa Barbara mental health professional and Dem Women’s lead organizer of the March 2 affair.
In an interview with Newsmakers TV, Stillwell previewed the event, billed as a “social lab” that is to include not only public speakers, but also small-group breakout sessions for deeper discussion.
“I think that what we need right now is to understand the facts of what is happening, and then to really mobilize and know what we can do to really support our community and our neighbors,” she told us.
“So the social lab will examine the federal immigration enforcement tactics … these highly visible raids, masked agents, questions about due process, and reports of deadly arrests nationally. But really, we’re going to be looking at how this affects our local community and how it’s eroding trust in public safety locally,” Stillwell added.
The event, titled Fear by Design: ICE Tactics, Impact and What We Can Do About It, is scheduled for:
- Monday, March 2
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- S.B. Biergarten restaurant (11 Anacapa St.)
- Admission is free and the public is invited
Stillwell said the program is to begin with remarks from three women in the thick of the fight:
- Primitiva Hernandez of 805 UndocuFund will discuss community support, rapid response networks, and local resources.
- Julissa Peña of the Immigrant Legal Defense Center will talk about legal insight on enforcement practices, rights, and due process.
- Supervisor Laura Capps will provide a countywide policy and public-safety perspective.
“We structure our questions for our featured guests where they have about five to six minutes to answer the question, and then we have everybody who joins us sit in small groups at tables, so no more than six people,” Stillwell told us.
“And then we have a follow-up question that invites them to lean into what they just heard, that new information process, how that lands on them, and then giving them tools that they can take back into the community, where they feel like they’ve got something that they can do to help this situation,” she added.
Check out our full conversation with Christy Stillwell, Dem Women board member and mental health professional, via YouTube above or by clicking through this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on Soundcloud here. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
