Residents on the Central Coast held candlelight vigils in remembrance of the lives lost in Washington D.C. from a year ago.
Community members from Cambria gathered at the corner of Main Street and Cambria Drive from 4-6 p.m. Thursday.
Santa Barbara community members gathered from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in the Sunken Garden where Congressman Salud Carbajal spoke along with several other state representatives speaking.
“My constituents who are having these vigils to draw attention to the peril and violence that occurred on January 6th are sending the message that we will not stand for these insurrections,” said Carbajal.
“This is up for a larger cause of having peace and unity in our hearts and in our country,” said Cambria vigil organizer Teresa Lees.
“It’s a very solemn time but also a time when we celebrate the triumph of democracy over authoritarianism and fascism,” said Santa Barbara vigil organizer Andrew Bermant.
One year after the attacks on the Capitol, Congressman Carbajal took a step back to remember what he witnessed.
“I was at the capital in my office and what I remember most is the chaos,” said Carbajal.
Many people on the Central Coast found their own ways of reflection on what occurred.
“I believe in law and people following the laws, our institutions, and our constitution and I don’t want to see it desecrated,” said Lees.
“There hasn’t been such an event since 1814 when the British attacked Washington,” said Bermant.
Those participating in the Cambria vigil said they wanted to shed light on the value of democracy.
“We saw that our democracy is more fragile than we thought it was,” said Carbajal.
“We actually want to focus on what we can do going forward and help to support our democracy,” said Bermant.
“It takes all of us to stand up, show up, and speak up,” said Lees.
January 6th will remain a day remembered forever in the United States.
“This is a day for me and I think for most of the American people that will live in infamy,” said Carbajal.
