OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — People in Oceanside gathered for a community vigil Wednesday night for two unhoused people killed in the city at the beginning of October.
The victims were honored with candles and marigold flowers, traditionally used to honor people during Day of the Dead celebrations.
As these two men were remembered, the community expressed real concerns for the other homeless people in North County.
About 50 people attended the vigil. Speakers shared their calls for justice and their experiences living on the street without a place to call home.
"So we wanted to bring justice but also dignity to the stories of these two individuals," said Max Disposti, the executive director and founder of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center.
Sebastian De La Torre was one of the community members who attended. His mom, Letty, who was unhoused, died in 2021. De La Torre attended the vigil in his mom's honor.
"My heart sank, you know? For someone to just be so malicious and so violent for another human being, it just breaks my heart," said De La Torre.
The two murders happened just two days apart and were less than three miles away from each other. Police say both men were beaten to death.
In mid-September, police also responded to an attempted murder of a homeless person nearby. Currently, police say it’s unknown if they are related.
Just last week, the Oceanside Police Department released several pictures of a man wanted in connection with the first murder.
During the vigil, leaders who work with the unhoused in the North County called for more compassion and criticized recent encampment bans they feel push people into danger.
Disposti says he's heard from homeless who tell him they feel unsafe and don't know where to go as a result of the encampment bans.
"I can be more careful, but where am I supposed to go? If you don’t want me under the lights of the city hall, I will have to go to places where I’m actually - I might be exposed to violence," says Disposti about what he's been told.
Police haven’t announced arrests in any of the three cases, but anyone with information is asked to call the department. In the meantime, police say they’ve increased their patrols throughout the city.
