In lighting his own flesh on fire in a seemingly placid and sunny seaside college town where unredressed racial violence lurks beneath the surface, Thairie Ritchie bore witness to a world that is on fire and hurtling toward the abyss, write activists at Santa Cruz Black. He self-immolated while standing on the Black Lives Matter street mural, which cars heedlessly drive over every day in front of city hall in downtown Santa Cruz. The group offers a tribute to him and his message.