'Just three guys trying to be': Burlington holds vigil for shooting victims

Roughly 70 people braved below freezing temperatures at a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening on Burlington's Church Street Marketplace to show support and "hold space" for the three college students who are hospitalized after being shot over the weekend.

Kinnan Abdalhamid, Hisham Awartani and Tahsen Aliahmad − all 20-year-old men who attend different universities in the New England area − were out for a walk on North Prospect Street during Thanksgiving break when a gunman shot them on at approximately 6:25 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25.

The three men are currently hospitalized in the University of Vermont Medical Center's ICU, with Awartani sustaining a critical spinal injury.

The shooting comes on the heels of rising anti-Arabic and Muslim sentiment in the U.S in the wake of the Hamas-Israel war.

Although the suspect, 48-year-old Burlington resident Jason J. Eaton, has yet to be charged with a hate crime, many people, including the Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad, have suggested the shooting was motivated by hate.

The three victims are of Palestinian descent and two of them were wearing traditional scarves.

Bring people together against violence and hatred

Former Vermont gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist, who organized the Church Street vigil, said the event's purpose was to support the shooting victims as well as bring people together against hatred and gun violence. The later, she said, has been increasing in Burlington.

"When I heard about the shooting, I thought about my own three children, and how they (the victims) were just going out for a walk," Hallquist said. "It doesn't matter who they (the victims) are, it's just not right."

"When we come together, maybe we can make a difference," she added.

Unlike many pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have cropped up throughout Burlington over the past two months, Hallquist intended for the vigil to be more subdued, requesting attendees gather quietly in a circle underneath the Church Street Christmas tree with their candles.

"Other rallies have had passionate speeches ... all we can do is be silent," said Marti Murphy, one of the vigil's organizers, whose family members have been impacted by gun violence.

"They were just three guys just trying to be ...," he said. "(The vigil) is about people being able to be themselves without the threat of violence."

Another vigil for the trio was held on the same night an hour later in Burlington in front of the Burlington School District building on Colchester Avenue. A vigil specifically for Awartani was held on Nov. 27 at Brown University, where he is a student.

'We're here for you. We're sorry this happened.'

For over an hour, supporters of Abdalhamid, Awartini and Aliahmad huddled underneath the Church Street Marketplace's Christmas tree, clasping paper cups used to shield candles from the cold wind. Many attendees were Burlington residents, but some traveled from other parts of Vermont or even from out of state. Despite their different backgrounds, all who attended shared the same basic sentiments: grief and unconditional support for the victims.

"There's so much to say but I just want to say that there is unconditional love and support for them in Burlington, across the country and across the world," said Lucia Gallo, a University of Vermont student who expressed disappointment in her university, which she claimed has not done enough to show support for the Palestinian plight during the war in Gaza. "It might not seem like it like that, obviously from what's happening but ... Burlington is not a place of hatred and our community doesn't stand and does not support or condone the conditions that have allowed that (the shooting) to happen."

Gallo's friend and fellow UVM student, Lucy Benavoi, added: "I'm sorry that Burlington couldn't be a safe place to celebrate a holiday that's supposed to be about love and togetherness."

Several other vigil attendees expressed their shock that a potentially racially-motivated violent crime could have happened in Burlington.

Pam Laser, who held a sign with the word "hate" crossed out, said the shooting "shattered" her image of the city as a "welcoming" and "inclusive" place.

"It's a reminder of the incessant racism that's out there," Laser said. "And that there is a lot more work to be done."

Bessie Weiss, Laser's neighbor, concurred.

"I still believe Burlington's a welcoming community but that this could happen here goes to show that hate is in epidemic proportions in the U.S and it can happen here," Weiss said. "It is here. And so we're here to stand against it."

"We're here for you," said Peggy Owen Sands, who attended the vigil with Laser and Weiss. "We are so sorry this happened."

Burlington mayor and police chief speak out

Both Mayor Miro Weinberger and Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad attended the vigil on Tuesday evening in solidarity with the victims.

Murad, who was one of the first responders to the scene of the Nov. 25 shooting, said he had never seen anything like it in Burlington before and that he hasn't stopped thinking of the victims since Saturday evening.

"This was somebody attacking young men doing nothing, who were minding their own business," Murad said, a strong contrast to the usual violent crimes in Burlington, which he claimed often involve drugs or interpersonal conflict.

Weinberger said the shooting had "confirmed some of the worst fears of Arabs and Muslims living in this community."

"Saturday night's event was a terrible event for the city," the mayor said. "It's a community that is very committed to being inclusive, and Saturday night has sent just the opposite message."

"I wanted to be here to be a part of sending a different message and healing from this terrible event and doing what we could to express to the students and the Arabs and Muslims who are living here that this is a community that values them and supports them," Weinberger said.

Over $170,000 raised for victims

The evening before the vigil in Burlington, a crowdfunding campaign was started to help cover Abdalhamid, Awartani and Aliahmad's medical and rehabilitation bills as well as travel expenses for their families who live in Palestine. In less than 48 hours, over 2,000 people have donated more than $170,000 to the fundraiser, just under the campaign organizers' goal of $175,000.

"We are expressing collective outrage and condemnation in response to a recent potential hate crime that has shaken our community," the fundraising campaign's webpage said. "Such acts have no place among us, and we stand united against any form of discrimination, bigotry, or violence. Our thoughts are with the victim and their family during this challenging time. We are committed to supporting them in every way possible. No one should ever feel unsafe or targeted because of their identity."

The fundraising campaign ends on at 7 p.m on Dec. 23.

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington holds vigil for Palestinian college students shot