Countywide : In the Wake of Killings : Activists’ Vigils to Raise Awareness of Gang Violence

A group of community activists wants to shed some light on the problem of escalating violence.

The activists have begun a candlelight vigil campaign, gathering at the site of a slaying and saying prayers for the victims with candles in hand, whenever they hear or read about another gang-related death.

Since the beginning of the year, four people have been killed in shootings in Santa Ana.

The campaign is two-fold. It aims to commemorate the lives of slaying victims at the place of their deaths and to raise awareness of the gang problem in Orange County, activist Frank Castillo said.

“All life is precious,” he said at one of two vigils Monday night. “We’re tired of all this violence. We’re tired of living in fear. This isn’t a war-torn country and yet, it seems like it is.”

About a dozen activists, mostly members of Los Amigos of Orange County, and passersby joined in the vigils, which were held for Gustavo Ramirez and Gabriel Jerome Tennet.

Tennet, 21, was shot in the head Jan. 7 while in his car at the corner of Raitt Street and Segerstrom Avenue in Santa Ana, police said.

Ramirez, 27, was shot several times in the back, also on Jan. 7, in front of an apartment complex in the 2500 block of McFadden Avenue, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Hector Mariani said.

He said police have no suspects, but Ramirez’s case is being investigated as gang-related.

“I think it’s sad when somebody gets killed. I hear gunshots all the time, and I’m always scared. I wish it would stop,” said Tim Pena, 12, who attended one of Monday’s vigils.

“We are trying to call attention to the devastation in our neighborhoods,” said Amin David, chairman of Los Amigos. “We feel so impotent when it comes to doing something about these killings and we see these vigils as a small step toward a solution.”

Castillo said he hopes people throughout the county will replicate the vigils to show they “care about human life and pray for the madness to stop.”

He said the public is invited to the next vigil, which will be held tonight at 7 in front of 200 S. Jackson St. in Santa Ana. The address is where Hector Quirino, 19, was found dead Tuesday in a gang-related shooting, police said.