Community members hold Trump Prayer March, calling for God to intervene
A group of pro-Trump supporters gather at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse on Saturday.
Residents of Santa Barbara gathered at noon on Saturday for a President Trump Prayer March.
The participants walked around the County Courthouse seven times, waving American flags and playing Christian music.
It was advertised as “a clarion call for God to intervene,” imitating the Old Testament story of the walls of Jericho falling after the Israelites marched around them seven times.
Barbara Batastini, a Santa Barbara resident who organized the march, spoke to the crowd, saying, “This is spiritual warfare. These are demonic entities that are trying to take our nation out. We are saying no to it.
“We’re making an appeal to heavens,” she told the News-Press. “We are standing for our president, we are standing against all the fraud and we are believing that this nation is going to come back in order once again, and it’s going to be a good day.”
The group of Trump supporters began the march with prayer and, after each of the seven circles around the courthouse, they reconvened to pray and give speeches.
Denny and Tami Bollay were supporters attending the march.
“I think if people don’t feel comfortable with the vote, it’s not unusual to ask or to verify the count,” Mrs. Bollay told the News-Press. “I also think there needs to be a robust discussion on socialism in this nation.”
Mr. Bollay added, “This (march) is based on science, mathematics and freedom.”
He said he believes the ballot data from Pennsylvania “screams fraud.”
“The whole vote was stolen,” he told the News-Press. “There’s no other way to look at it.”
As the group marched around the block playing music and waving flags, there were numerous passersby in opposition to them. Phrases such as “Sore losers,” “Racists,” “It’s over” and “Go home” were shouted from drivers and pedestrians walking by.
“I’m here to support fair elections,” Sam Van Gundy, a participant in the march, told the News-Press. “Certain aspects of it (the election) are (unfair). There are a lot of reported irregularities.”
Andrew Van Gundy echoed that sentiment.
“I’m here today because the media has declared Biden the winner of our election when there’s been not one state to confirm the results,” he told the News-Press. “It’s still a close race. It could be won by either candidate, so I’m here to support the candidate I think is best for the country.”
While many pedestrians and drivers who passed by the march opposed it, others passed by honking in support and giving a thumbs up to the group.
Another supporter, Margaret Hammel, said, “I’m here for a fair election, for freedom, for transparency and for counting the vote, not cheating the vote.
“The press doesn’t call elections.”
David Fierro spoke to the crowd amid the march, saying there’s a “strong wall up against our nation right now.”
“I’m here to support our president through all the false accusations he’s received,” Mr. Fierro told the News-Press. “They’re corrupted. We’re seeking our God to guide us through this… to protect our president, protect our people and protect our nation.”
Caroline Abate, who ran for the Goleta Unified School District and did not win the seat, said, “We worship God and not government.”
“I believe we are going to be silent no more and speak out with great conservative ideas that are winning and timeless in their value,” she told the News-Press. “At the end of the day, I can’t go to mass the way I used to before. That’s a violation of my freedom of religion.”
Ms. Abate added that she believes the vote counting “may or may not be accurate.”
“Ballots are not fairly controlled… as far as dead people voting, going to the wrong address, stuff like that,” she continued. “The process needs a very thoughtful analysis by people who are very fair and unbiased. We could use more transparency.”
The local march was held alongside other Trump rallies nationwide, including tens of thousands of Trump supporters who also rallied in Washington, D.C. on Saturday in support of President Trump and to protest fraud, according to national media outlets.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
