Lights for Liberty at the Lake: Supporting a Nationwide Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, will be Friday at 8 p.m. in Memorial Park in Dunkirk.

Organized by the the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Women’s Action Group, the vigil aims to bring attention to thousands of asylum seekers fleeing terrible conditions in their home countries, looking for a place of safety, are being held without charges or hearings. The group notes the government is holding them in detention centers under unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Governmental representatives have even argued that they do not need soap and toothpaste. Refugees have a legal right to ask for asylum, and the United States has a legal obligation to hold hearings.

Nationwide, hundreds of groups have signed up to hold vigils as part of the “Lights for Liberty” initiative. From the webpage https://www.lightsforliberty.org/: “We are a coalition of people, many of whom are mothers, dedicated to human rights, and the fundamental principle behind democracy that all human beings have a right to life, liberty, and dignity.”

The public is invited to attend and join in this silent, contemplative action. People are asked to bring flashlights because candle flames may be blown out by breezes from the lake. Monetary donations will be accepted for RAICES (Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services) and for KIND (Kids In Need of Defense), and non-perishable food items may also be donated to be delivered to Vive House in Buffalo, an affiliate of Jericho Road clinic, where an unexpected influx of Congolese refugees is being harbored.