Vigil to be held for transgender woman killed in Brawley
BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-The Brawley Police Department is being assisted by a handful of agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to assist in the ongoing homicide investigation of Marilyn Cazares.
On July 13, Marilyn Cazares, a 22-year-old transgender woman, was found dead in an abandoned home set on fire next to Las Californias Food in Brawley.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Jesse Rotner at 760-351-7777.
[RELATED STORY: Family demands justice in Marilyn Cazarez’s murder]
On Saturday, August 1, a march and vigil will be held in Brawley to honor and remember Marilyn Cazares and transgender lives everywhere. The walk will start from the location where Marilyn's life was taken. It will continue to Plaza Park, where the vigil will be held.
The event will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the DMV in Brawley located at 1175 Main Street.
The CEO of Imperial Valley's LGBT Center, Rosa Diaz, says this vigil will showcase transgender voices and bring awareness to the ongoing violence against transgender women, particularly transwomen of color in the community.
“Marilyn dreamed of leaving Brawley to find a place to live her truth unapologetically, away from a lack of acceptance and representation,” said Rosa Diaz. “It is this same energy that we wish to bring to the Imperial Valley community with a vigil that rallies much-needed affirmation for her transgender siblings.”
The Cazares family organizes the memorial and vigil, along with the Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center, PFLAG San Diego County, San Diego Pride, Equality Business Alliance, Gender Phluid Collective, Rainbow of Truth, The San Diego LGBT Community Center, and Trans Family Support Services.
