Santa Barbara, my University Community, and Mourning the Murders

Santa Barbara, my University Community, and mourning the Murders ~ this Blog, my Blog I consider Switzerland, I give information, and I work at remaining neutral. I work at researching to give you facts, and I will continue to research. Last nights terror on the streets of Isla Vista, Isla Vista the community adjacent to the campus of UC Santa Barbara led me to want to speak out, this is not my norm. On behalf of my feelings for my hometown, and what happened I am speaking out.

Last night there were 6 known murders in that community that I grew up in, the murderer would make 7 deaths, but I will not count him because I will not validate his death, he is not a victim, but a murderer.  The University I graduated from University California at Santa Barbara is now scarred: the victims, the students, the community, the families.  I am sick to my stomach, and I can't get past this. This community has always been ridiculed as a party community and that always made me angry. When people knew I had graduated from UCSB that remark sometimes made me angry, not for me but for the students. I knew I had succeeded, I knew what I had become ~ but I hated that label for those young students, the students I had gone to mentor, I had now mentored for two years. You know students work hard, graduate, and they are our future ~ I value them, respect them, and I didn't appreciate them being made to be less than.

Now with happened last night, I am even more protective of them.  Not only because it's our school, but because they are our youth, yours and mine, and they are once again scarred.  Yes this time they are from my school, my backyard, this time closer to home, way too close to home.  For me way too close because I saw them last month at the 6th Annual Career Day of the Communication Department.  I still can see the young faces of those on campus, studying on a Saturday, all nationalities. Campus as quite as a library, serene, unbelievably quiet; I loved it. Tonight as I write my heart is full with prayers, and passion to God for the vast feeling and emotions of those left to deal with the tragedy the ~ families, students, teachers, and the community. I have a friend who has a gesture when she can no longer handle a situation and needs to give it to God ~ like a beach ball she tosses it into the air, high into the air, and gives it to God, and says here, I can't do it, take it.  That is all I can offer to those that are remaining after this great tragedy. Give to God, toss it to him ~ and I will keep you, I will keep us in my prayers ~ love - laura.