Coordinated vigils for what organizers call victims of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement will happen across the East End tomorrow at 6 p.m. and in Riverhead on Saturday at 10 a.m., with local events scheduled in East Hampton Village and Sag Harbor.
“ICE Out” vigils will happen tomorrow at the Hook Mill in East Hampton Village and the windmill at Sag Harbor’s Long Wharf. The vigils come in the wake of Saturday’s killing by ICE agents of Alex Pretti during a protest against ICE actions in Minneapolis. A similar vigil was held at the Hook Mill on Jan. 8 following the killing of Renee Good, also in Minneapolis, on Jan. 7.
Both Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good were 37-year-old Minneapolis residents and American citizens. Both were observing ICE agents in their city when they were shot by one or more agents, and both were labeled domestic terrorists by Trump administration officials in the hours after they were killed, despite multiple videos that contradict the officials’ accounts of the incidents.
Organizers have asked those planning to attend the vigils to take a candle or flashlight. Faith leaders and community volunteers will be at the sites of the gatherings, according to organizers.
Gatherings will also happen tomorrow evening at Agawam Park in Southampton Village, the Macy’s parking lot in Hampton Bays, the gazebo on the village green in Westhampton Beach, the village green in Cutchogue, Mitchell Park in Greenport, the American Legion Hall on Shelter Island, and Riverhead Town Hall.
A single, larger gathering is expected on Saturday, convening at 10 a.m. in the Staples parking lot at 1087 County Road 58 in Riverhead, to conclude at noon. It is “in response to ICE’s killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, as well as the other deaths and abuses at the hands of ICE across the country,” according to a statement from organizers.
“Our call to action is to engage community members to join action groups, to demand accountability for ICE agents who are acting outside of the law, and to get our community leaders and all government officials to step up in meaningful ways to protect public safety,” according to the statement. “This is a coordinated response of concerned local advocacy groups and community members working together to defend our democracy and uphold our constitutional rights. Both actions are peaceful gatherings within our First Amendment rights to gather and protest.”
Holding nine vigils tomorrow is a strategy, said Anita Boyer of Hampton Bays, one of the organizers. “All these actions are like little rehearsals so we’re ready for bigger things,” she said. “Baby steps, especially for people just getting inspired to join.” Saturday’s gathering, she said, “is when we’re all getting together. Everyone who goes to all the vigils will meet in Riverhead.” There will be free doughnuts and coffee, she added.
