Thousands Fill Storke Plaza to Remember Victims of Isla Vista Tragedy
Thousands of UC-Santa Barbara students filled Storke Plaza Wednesday to remember the students killed in the Isla Vista Tragedy.
It was the first opportunity students had to gather since the start of the school year.
The commemorative event was called “”Come Together: Remember, Reconnect, and Unite”.
It began with a moment of silence. Then, the names of all six victims of the Isla Vista tragedy were read.
Associated Student Body President Ali Guthy said, “It all happened right as finals were taking place, as summer started. We’ve all been apart and its about coming back together and reconnecting.”
The gathering was not only about reflecting on the violent events of the past year.
But, it was also to inspire students to take back their community.
Michael Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UCSB, told the crowd they have the power to change the culture of Isla Vista.
“It is you the people, individually and collectively who determine, decide and enforce what is tolerated, what is okay in Isla Vista,” Young said.
Former Gaucho and musician Jack Johnson, along with ALO, closed out the gathering.
They performed for more than an hour.
Johnson had high praise for his Alma mater, and the community of Isla Vista.
After the gathering, some students said everyone needs to watch out for one another.
“You got to watch out for the people around you. If you see something going wrong, do you best to intervene. It wasn’t just the shootings. There were riots and other kinds of things that shouldn’t happen in our community, if we watched out for each other,” said student Jacob Appleton.
“I think we are all just going to try and look out for each other. That’s what gauchos do. They look out for each other,” said student Sam Dearden.
