On Saturday afternoon, more than 100 people stood together at the intersection of Lafayette and Maple streets, many carrying hand-made signs, to protest the fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine by federal ICE agents, and hold a vigil to honor their memory. The event was organized by the group North Shore Indivisible. The protesters waved as cars drove past honking in support.
After about an hour, the group formed a circle for a vigil honoring the memory of Araujo and Guerrero. Rev. Marybelle Hollister began the vigil with a moment of silence and prayers for unity from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.
Leslie Smith-Rosen, chair of North Shore Indivisible, spoke next. In her remarks, she condemned what she described as the injustice and brutality of the killings and called on Marbleheaders and others around the North Shore to organize and become more involved. She emphasized the importance of demanding justice and accountability from elected officials and organizing communities to combat what she described as growing fascism in the United States.
“We again mourn and bear witness, as we did six months ago. But let us resolve to do more in the coming 14 weeks,” said Smith-Rosen. “If there’s any chance to curb the likelihood that we will need to gather again, and again and again it is that we must have free and fair elections so we can put some kind of constraint on this lawlessness and fascism.”
Then Smith-Rosen read a poem by Amanda Gorman, written in honor of Alex Pretti — who was also shot and killed by ICE agents earlier this year.
“Our greatest threat isn’t the outsiders among us, but those among us who never look within,” Gormon wrote. “ Fear not those without papers, but those without conscience. Know that to care intensively, united, is to carry both pain-dark horror for today and a profound, daring hope for tomorrow.”
