Vigil held for Borderline victims
Santa Clarita residents gathered Sunday evening at Marketplace Park to mourn lives lost in the shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday that left 13 dead, including the shooter.
About 30 people carried candles as speakers shared their thoughts, grief and frustration.
Hilary Schardein, chair of 25 United For Progress, organized the vigil with help from Moms Who Demand Action and March For Our Lives. She set up the event with memories of her own trips to Borderline years ago in mind, as well, she said.
“If you look at the ground below your feet, you might see wax from the last time we held a vigil in this very spot,” she said. “For the second time in two weeks, we’re gathered in shock and in grief and in mourning.”
A vigil was held last week at the same location for victims of a mass shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 killed.
For Ally Sagardia, a lead organizer for last year’s March For Our Lives in Santa Clarita, the mass shootings in recent years were in mind while thinking about Thousand Oaks.
“I was 12 years old when 26 first graders were shot and killed in their classrooms,” she said. “I was a senior in high school when my peers across the country were shot in their own schools and classrooms, twice, during my senior year. I had friends at Route 91 and I had friends at Borderline. Honestly, I’m telling you it does not get easier.”