Tuesday was a sad and painful night for many in the Half Moon Bay community as they gathered to mark one year since a mass shooting left seven dead and one injured.
One of the attendees, Jose Ángel Hernández, told NBC Bay Area that he worked with one of the victims at one of the farms where the shooting took place — and that they saw each other every day.
He and his wife still work at that farm. Now he thinks about if it had been them, and how their kids would be. He's thankful, but also remembers those who were killed with sadness.
Also at the gathering was the lone survivor of the shooting, Pedro Romero, who lost his brother Jose.
Half Moon Bay Mayor Joaquin Jimenez was also there as Bay Area leaders spoke about what changes had taken place and what was still needed for the farmworker community.
An art piece meant to remember the victims was unveiled, housed in the offices of the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos A Sonar. ALAS provided resources and comfort to farmworkers.
“We cannot forget what has happened to our farmworker community,” said Belinda Hernández Arriaga, founder of ALAS.
Artist Fernando Escartiz created the sculpture titled “Heart of the Farmworker.
He said the piece, which resembles a winged heart, represents the two cultures affected by the tragedy and that the wings represent the wings of migrants.
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Even over a year later, Hernández says the images don’t go away. Every day, he said he tells his kids that he loves them because he never knows if it’s his last day.
