Next Monday, a special public forum convenes amid ongoing attacks by Trump’s masked paramilitary agents on local neighborhoods, families and those bearing witness, presented by Dem Women of SB.
In the vast catalogue of cruelty, chaos and corruption that defines the Trump regime, the mass deportation campaign carried out by roving gangs of heavily armed, masked thugs represents the most urgent threat posed to local communities.
Dispatching paramilitary immigration agents to Democratic cities, invading neighborhoods, racially profiling people and snatching men, women and children off the street regardless of immigration status — while using violence against citizens bearing witness — has become de facto White House policy in the past year.
In response to a series of such incidents locally in recent months, Democratic Women of Santa Barbara next Monday will present a public conversation aimed at developing a strategy of concrete and practical ways the community can respond.
“Our event is designed not to inflame tensions but to provide clarity and context and constructive pathways for civic engagement,” said Christy Stillwell, a Santa Barbara mental health professional and Dem Women’s lead organizer of the March 2 affair.
In an interview with Newsmakers TV, Stillwell previewed the event, billed as a “social lab” that is to include not only public speakers, but also small-group breakout sessions for deeper discussion.
“I think that what we need right now is to understand the facts of what is happening, and then to really mobilize and know what we can do to really support our community and our neighbors,” she told us.
“So the social lab will examine the federal immigration enforcement tactics…these highly visible raids, masked agents, questions about due process and reports of deadly arrests nationally. But really, we’re going to be looking at how this affects our local community and how it’s eroding trust in public safety locally,” Stillwell added.
The event, titled “Fear by Design: ICE Tactics, Impact and What We Can Do About It,” is scheduled for:
- Monday, March 2
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- SB Biergarten restaurant
- 11 Anacapa Street
- Admission is free and the public is invited
Stillwell said the program is to begin with remarks from three women in the thick of the fight:
- Primitiva Hernandez of 805Undocufund will discuss community support, rapid response networks, and local resources.
- Julissa Pena of the Immigrant Legal Defense Center will talk about legal insight on enforcement practices, rights, and due process.
- Supervisor Laura Capps will provide a countywide policy and public-safety perspective.
“We structure our questions for our featured guests where they have about five to six minutes to answer the question, and then we have everybody who joins us sit in small groups at tables, so no more than six people,” Stillwell told us.
“And then we have a follow-up question that invites them to lean into what they just heard, that new information process, how that lands on them, and then giving them tools that they can take back into the community, where they feel like they’ve got something that they can do to help this situation,” she added.
Check out our full conversation with Christy Stillwell, Dem Women board member and mental health professional, via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on Soundcloud here. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
More information about the March 2 event is available at demwomensb.com.
Christy Stillwell, M.A. Psy, is the founder of “what is LOVE,” a research-based school partnership program working to end relationship abuse, and also serves as a faculty member at The Colleges of Law (Santa Barbara and Ventura). More information here.
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Resist the fascists!
Unfortunately the Dem Party created this problem under President Biden, and border security is major reason our current President was elected. Cry all you want. But who are you crying to for help? The PD you wanted to defund won’t and can’t do anything. The Sheriffs that you also hate won’t and can’t do anything either to help your crazy fight for criminals over American citizens. But hey, keep stewing.
Steaming heap of con media falsehoods.
Mercy, what a complete crock o’ nonsense. Next you’ll be blaming black people for racism. Take a look at your own hatred for once.
Just look at the numbers. You know, the facts? He created a mess.
What numbers? What Facts? What mess?
You say the most general things with zero proof, zero foundation. Lame.
Aw, too easy…
Illegal immigration skyrocketed under Biden.
https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/08/21/u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population-reached-a-record-14-million-in-2023/
Who was the President in ‘23?
You guys are just angry. It blinds you. Pro-tip – don’t let yourself be a sheep to your political party. And don’t let your politics be your identity either. It’s a loser move.
That last pair of sentences demonstrates projection at its best.
Ok! Thank you for providing an actual fact, Basic. Too bad it has *almost* nothing to do with your statement, which I politely called a crock o’ nonsense. The point of the article we are discussing is the terroristic approach to immigration control created entirely by the Trump administration. As we saw with Obama, it is possible to deport millions of undocumented immigrants without resorting to domestic terrorism (and if you don’t like that phrase just look up the meaning of the actual words. It’s a 100% accurate description of what ICE is currently doing).
YOU are blaming this terrorism on Biden, which is nonsense. The responsibility for this iteration of ICE & CBP is entirely in the laps of Trump, Kristi Noem, and Steven Miller.
You say “you guys are just angry”, which is also nonsense. I don’t pretend to know what your emotional state is, but your comments reflect some sad blend of ignorance, bad faith argumentation, dishonesty, gullibility, and bigotry, remarkably similar to the trio I mentioned above.
That may be the first time you’ve ever responded to anything with a fact.
Fact: during Biden’s Presidency the number of illegal immigrants in the US increased to record numbers.
So what. That really doesn’t bother me and, in fact, there are highly respected economists who have written about the economic benefits that comes along with this population. Now explain why that’s a problem, as I said, what problem.
Also, personally, I’ve never called a cop to help me. I doubt I ever will.
Last, I’m not a member of any political party.
OK BASIC LOL! Show us. Prove your “work.” Crime was down under Biden. Fact. There was no immigrant crime wave, they’re not all murders and rapists (unlike MAGA), there was no emergency.
What’s more, Biden TRIED to pass bipartisan immigration reform and your guy stopped it due to his influence.
Give the BDS a rest.
BASICDS – Biden right out of the gate, huh? You know, for someone who cries about “TDS” almost every single day here whenever someone criticizes the CURRENT president, you sure cry a lot about the PAST president and blame him for EVERYTHING from your kayak sinking to the weather on Mars. Kinda stupid, right?
Now, go ahead and STHU about “defunding” anything while you cheer for ICE to take funds that could have gone to our local PDs to actually help fight crime and make us safer.