On Saturday, Feb. 7, the steps of the Los Gatos Library became a site of mourning and resilience as residents from across Los Gatos and surrounding area gathered to acknowledge the escalating humanitarian crisis in Iran.
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Maria Ristow attended the gathering, standing in solidarity with her constituents. In a moving address, Ristow spoke out against the ongoing violence and affirmed the Town’s support for the local Iranian-American community during this period of unprecedented grief.
The atmosphere was a somber reflection of the “Blackout Massacre” currently occurring behind a near-total internet shutoff in Iran. Organizers displayed a memorial board featuring the faces of fallen Iranian youth alongside symbolic body bags representing the tens of thousands of victims slain. The crowd observed a profound moment of silence for those already lost and for the thousands of injured citizens currently dying in their homes, too afraid to seek medical help for fear of state execution.
“We are here to show that even when the world’s cameras are turned away, our community is watching,” said Kathy Goudarzi, a Los Gatos resident.
The event served as a local prelude to the Global Day of Action held on Feb. 14.
