Vigils continue following Minnesota shootings
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) A vigil got underway at Stearns Wharf at dusk Monday.
Organizers said the goal was to honor the Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was fatally shot during ICE activity in Minneapolis, Minnesota over the weekend.
They gathered by the Dolphin Fountain off Cabrillo Blvd. and filled the sidewalks up and down Cabrillo Blvd.
Shelley and Mark Sherman from Goleta said they have family in Minnesota.
"We are from Minnesota and we were there last week and so Minneapolis means a lot to us, the fact that man was killed in cold blood on the street by border patrol agents is really horrible it breaks my heart that the people in Minnesota are going through this attack and so we came to mourn and say that they need to get out of Minnesota right away," said Shelley Sherman.
"We were just in Minnesota our family is there are niece i spent a lot of time on the corner where he was killed we know it really well Minnesotans have decided to stand up to other people, it is hard to talk about it is close to my heart," Mark Sherman.
Supporters honked their horns as they drove by.
Santa Barbara City Council Member and Mayoral Candidate Eric Friedman took part in the vigil.
Former California State Assembly Member Hannah-Beth Jackson was also on hand.
Some participants said they saw and took photos with Portia de Rossi and Ellen Degeneres who spent part of her birthday attending the vigil.
Larry Behrendt of Indivisible Santa Barbara said the group helped organize this this vigil and the No Kings Protests last year.
They made sure to have crossing guards on hand to people safe.
Budget Chairman of the California Republican Party Greg Gandrud has been seeing rallies and vigils on social media and sees things differently.
"Over 55 percent of Americans actually support removing all illegal aliens from the United States and Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey have been encouraging people in Minnesota to interfere with the lawful operations of Federal agents in Minnesota," said Gandrud, " Pretti brought a handgun and two high capacity magazines and interfered with the arrest of a criminal illegal alien in Minneapolis and the result was absolutely tragic."
There have been similar vigils at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse following the shooting deaths of Pretti on Saturday and Renee Good a few weeks ago.
Those vigils included projections of members of the Trump Administration and even Jeffrey Epstein on the courthouse wall.
Many are also upset by the taking of 5-year-old Liam Ramos who was photographed in a blue knit bunny hats.
Similar hats were for sale outside a shop on State Street over the weekend.
Social media posts tracking ICE activity said agents have been active locally up and down the coast as early as 4:30 in the morning.
There are organization and nonprofits trying to help immigrant families including those who were in the process of getting their citizenship without criminal records.
Your News Channel will have more reaction tonight on the news.
