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Sangabrel Valley residents and local officials gathered Wednesday night to seek a Candlight vigil to help those affected by Southern California’s recent federal immigration sweep.
The event was held by La Voice, a multi-loyal activist organization that has held multiple vigils and demonstrations in Los Angeles since the attack began, but has been trying to build more connections between inland community members.
“Ice from the SGV! We’re not alone! We’ll keep you safe!” The crowd chanted at Zocalo Park in Baldwin Park on Wednesday evening.
The two attendees, ages 12 and 19, are among those protesting the immigrant raids in San Gabriel Valley on Wednesday night vigil.
“We are a very vulnerable area,” said Sam Sandoval, a volunteer at LA Voice who organized the vigil. “We don’t have the same resources as many people. There are a lot of unintegrated areas that don’t know how to mobilize. We’re about to become that epicenter.”
Volunteers handed out candles to participants who were watching local San Gabriel Valley leaders and artists take the stage to provide candidates and resilience accounts.
Rose Buttonda of Alta Roma prays on Wednesday night’s all-night vigil.
Local author Mariam Lora, who came from the Mixed Status Family, handled the emotions through poems he read to the crowd comparing President Trump to the chili gerito, saying, “Really a brainless fruit… he doesn’t know what we can do. What I know is that he doesn’t scare me.”
Lora said that it might be difficult for her to appear at events like this, but she can handle it by writing a poem and sharing it with the crowd who cheered her on.
“I feel a little light overall because I was able to express how I feel about the situation,” she later told The Times. “I feel like it was a good release.”
Baldwin Park mayor Emmanuel J. Estrada spoke last. He granted the constitutional oath he took when he took office.
“It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to feel uncertainty. It’s okay to be scared,” he said. “But it’s not okay to allow that fear to comply with us. We can’t allow what’s happening now to become a new normal.”
Members of the community cup their hands near the candle to prevent the flames from blowing away during the all night.
Local performers closed the night with soft guitar melody as those in the crowd grew flowers and placed them in a sea of candles. However, most attendees were stuck for so long to connect and chat with fellow community members.
“When we make an event pagan, we have as many people as we want to come together and feel the community,” Sandoval said. “We’re all based on love and we’re all based on standing together.”
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