The Guatemalan community showed up last night to mourn the loss of Mario David Coronado Juarez and to demand justice in Grand Rapids

Photos were provided by Viviana Rubio

Mario David Coronado Juarez died at this spot on Sunday.

Last night hundreds gathered to mourn, to grieve and to rage against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Mario David Coronado Juarez was a Guatemalan national from the state of San Marcos, which is on the western side of the country. Roughly two thirds of the residents of Guatemala are of Mayan descent.

Mario was Mayan and the Mayan community showed up last night. If you closed your eyes it felt like being in the altiplano in Guatemala, with all the candles and pom (Mayan word for incense), with incantations being offered in a Mayan dialect, while marimba music floated in the background.

Mario David Coronado Juarez died at this spot.

Members of Movimiento Cosecha and the Guatemalan community arrived early to decorate the site where Mario died. They brought ribbons, flowers, candles and images of Mario. The items were arraigned with care and respect.

I watched a video that featured Mario’s family in Guatemala, going back and forth speaking in a Mayan dialect and in Spanish, pleading for assistance from anyone who was watching to find ways to raise funds that would allow Mario’s body to be sent home and buried in soil of the Land of Eternal Spring.

Mario David Coronado Juarez died at this spot.

A Guatemalan pastor offered up prayers last night. Members of Movimiento Cosecha spoke about the collective fear and the terrorism created by ICE in Grand Rapids, the very same fear that resulted in Mario’s death.

Karla, a fellow Guatemalan also spoke during the vigil. She talked about the pain and the hurt that the Guatemalan community is experiencing. You could see the pain on her face as she held back tears while speaking in English. Karla spoke in English so that those who were not part of her community would hear her condemn the ICE agents that were responsible for Mario’s death.

Mario David Coronado Juarez died at this spot.

The crowd that had gathered by the tree that Mario’s car hit was so vast that it overflowed into the road taking over the northbound lane. Crowd safety people did their best to keep everyone safe from motorists and cops. A GRPD cruiser came by several times yelling at the safety people to get everyone out of the road, but they ignored his words, choosing instead to focus on the safety of those who came to publicly grieve.

Several elected officials and political candidates showed up, but there was no platform for them to speak or to offer up empty political promises or performative actions that everyone knows are shallow and offensive.

The vigil came to a close more than 3 hours after it started. People took flowers and embraced each other. What else can we do when confronted by the violence perpetrated by ICE and protected by the state.

Mario David Coronado Juarez died at this spot and our souls are wounded.

Please support the family and help bring Mario home and donate to this link:

https://chuffed.org/project/202891-justice-for-mario-david-coronado-juarez