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A large poster of Kate Steinle was torn down at the University of California, Berkeley hours after students held a vigil to reflect on her life and mourn the acquittal of the illegal immigrant charged in her death.
The Thursday night vigil wasn't without controversy; as some students spoke, others nearby chanted in dissent.
“They were shouting during my remarks, and throughout the vigil. Before, during and after,” Naweed Tahmas, external vice president of the Berkeley College Republicans, told the College Fix.
After the vigil ended, a small memorial was left behind on the steps of Sproul Hall, including flowers, candles spelling out "Kate," and an easel with a large picture of Steinle’s smiling face. Before dawn, the poster of Steinle’s face was torn off the stand and put in the trash.
Thirty-two-year-old Steinle was shot and killed in 2015 by a ricocheted bullet on Pier 14 in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. President Trump frequently raised her death on the campaign trail, and her killing has been at the center of the debate over immigration laws and so-called sanctuary cities in the United States.
“Last night we held a candlelight vigil in honor of Kate Steinle. This morning someone tore up our poster of her and threw it in the trash. This is typical at UC Berkeley, where honoring the legacy of someone who was killed by a 7-time felon and 5-time deportee is offensive,” the Berkeley College Republicans posted on Facebook Friday.