TULSA, Okla. — Chants of 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza's name followed prayers and calls for justice at McCullough Park in east Tulsa on Feb. 23.
A Dallas County, Texas, medical examiner confirmed Carranza died by suicide last week.
Family and parents from her school in Gainsville, Texas, told local outlets she ended her own life because of bullying, with peers reportedly telling her that immigration enforcement would soon deport her family and that she would be abandoned.
"We cannot allow the normalization of a suicide of an 11-year-old child due to fear, due to terror by ICE," vigil co-organizer Linda Allegro said to a crowd of dozens who showed up to the park pavilion.
"That's the last thing our kids need to be focused on," organizer Steven Arellano said. "They need to be focused on their futures, focused on being OK."
Mourners in attendance also sang along to mariachi tributes in Carranza's memory.
Popup gatherings also took place in Oklahoma City and north Texas to call attention to the story gripping those of different backgrounds, including M.J. Anderson, who brought his daughters.
"I think as a parent and as a community member that we should all be compelled to come out and stand up against injustice," Anderson told 2 News. "If this story doesn't bring you out, I don't know what will."
Arellano and Aallegro said children in Tulsa need advocates to prevent another tragedy like Carranza's.
"The most important thing right now is (to) talk to your young ones," Arellano said. "Talk to your son, talk to your daughter, talk to your niece (or) nephew. It doesn't matter what age. They are hurting right now the same way we are."
"That coupled with bullying at school, coupled with just feelings of despair. I think it's just not necessary and we should not normalize that," Allegro said.
The organizers told 2 News that a larger vigil and demonstration against ICE and anti-immigrant sentiment IS planned for March 4, in the afternoon, outside the Oklahoma State Capitol and Tulsa City Hall.
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