GARDNER — A group of locals came together in town over the weekend to call for justice in response to the ongoing violent behavior of ICE agents and mourn the recent deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Guerrero.
Hundreds of communities and organizations across the country held demonstrations and vigils on Saturday, July 25, including a gathering in Gardner organized by Wachusett-Watatic Indivisible Network (WWIN) and All Are Neighbors. According to a press release the two organizations partnered to put together the memorial standout held at the Elm Street rotary to honor of the victims of ICE and to express solidarity with grieving families and communities.
Janice Jacobson, an organizer from All Are Neighbors, said it was important to her to be there and speak out.
“I’m here to stand up for justice,” she said. “I want to show my neighbors and elected officials that failing to obey at a traffic stop isn’t a capital crime and ICE shouldn’t be apprehending officers and acting as judge, jury, and executioners all in one.”
Robert Fairchild from All Our Neighbors was one of the nearly three dozen people who held signs and peacefully protested ICE. He expressed concern about lack of safety for people due to ICE, “from newest neighbors to long-time residents.”
“These ICE actions are a serious threat to our US Constitution. What about due process?” Fairchild asked. “I’m here to show all our neighbors that they are not alone in this struggle.”
The assembled reflected on the lives lost as the names, ages, and manner of demise of 70 individuals who tragically succumbed to ICE violence and neglect over the past 18 months were read aloud.
WWIN co-leader Caroline Fish shared her thoughts about the recent ICE related tragedies and the idea behind the vigil.
“We’re here to stand in solidarity with grieving families,” she said. “I cannot imagine how a new widow is coping with a three-year-old daughter who watched her father die. It is unconscionable that my tax dollars support this.”
The press release shared that WWIN, a local chapter of the nationwide Indivisible movement, describes itself as a community of people who believe in a democracy that truly represents all individuals and ensures the protection of human rights and freedoms as promised by the US Constitution — and that silence in the face of injustice is unacceptable.
All Are Neighbors is an ad hoc group of neighbors from greater Gardner who have actively been supporting their immigrant neighbors at the Elm Street rotary in town every Saturday since November of 2024. Their shared belief is in the inherent value of all human beings and their commitment to democracy and the rights of all people for safety, security, shelter, and joy.
In addition to commemorating and mourning the victims of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, the group has a clear action plan. They urge everyone to contact their congressional representatives and demand that ICE refrain from entering their communities, hold ICE agents accountable for their actions, and ensure that representatives in their congressional delegation make unannounced visits to the Burlington ICE detention center.
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