Photo credit: Santa Barbara Independent
Nearly 300 people packed along sidewalks surrounding the Milpas Street roundabout Friday evening in what was a show of solidarity with the city’s immigrant community in keeping with Santa Barbara’s deep history of activism.
Santa Barbara Independent reports that the crowd proudly flew the Mexican, Honduras and Guatemalan flags, chanted “Si Sr Puede,” and held handwritten signs aloft as an endless wave of cars honked in agreement.
The group was made up of a large portion of Santa Barbara’s Eastside Latino residents, their families, and community members showing up in support of the undocumented community in response to recent reports of ICE operations and arrests on the Central Coast.
The energy continued to build up as more people trickled in to join the demonstration. Lowriders bounced on hydraulics, and motorcycles burned rubber as they passed, cheered on by the happy people in attendance. The signs in the crowd made it clear how people felt about President Donald Trump’s recent push to deport millions. “Stop Terrorizing Families,” one sign read, “Immigrants Make America Great,” read another.
The protest against ICE was organized by a local family of brothers and sisters who were born and raised in Santa Barbara and wanted to get people together to respond to all the fear and panic that have been spreading in the community.
The protest was cheerful and powerful with no major issues from the demonstrators or law enforcement agents who watched from a nearby freeway ramp, allowing the protest to continue peacefully for several hours.
Jacqueline Inda, Director of La Casa de la Raza, said the protest was encouraging but bittersweet, “it’s great to see folks from this neighbourhood out. But also, a little bit sad, because it’s the new reality that we’re facing,” she said.
