Members of the Isla Vista community have taken positive steps forward since a devastating shooting and stabbing rampage last May, but even the brave found reason to pause last week after the release of a long-awaited investigative report on the incident.
In the 68-page report, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department provided a moment-by-moment account of the events of May 23, 2014, when 22-year-old Elliot Rodger’s attack left seven dead, including himself, and 14 people injured.
Fearing tragedy details might negatively impact students at nearby UC Santa Barbara, where the six victims killed were students, the university made counselors available.
UCSB Associated Students officers wrote personal messages on social media reminding students of the resources available should they feel “retriggered” by the report.
A helper to facilitate the healing process was how Ali Guthy, a UCSB senior and Associated Students president, described her role as a student leader.
“Everyone grieves in their own way,” Guthy said. “Some students don’t even know the report is out yet.”
Instead of focusing on the report, Guthy highlighted positive steps taken since the heartbreak began.
Two weeks ago, a special Associated Students committee hosted an Isla Vista Week to focus on issues that matter most to residents.
Associated Students last week passed a resolution in support of AB 3, a bill proposed by Assemblyman Das Williams to create a Community Services District that could govern the densely populated unincorporated area of 23,000 residents.
Along with attending workshops to keep the self-governance conversation going, the UCSB student group is currently undertaking a major update to its own strategic plan.
Associated Students spends more than $500,000 annually in the campus-adjacent community, and Guthy hopes a survey of students and residents will better determine where Isla Vista funding is needed most.
While students continue gathering community responses in a survey, she said preliminary results show 54 percent of student responders felt unsafe or uncomfortable in Isla Vista on a daily basis.
The community is also working on a memorial for the victims of the stabbings and shootings. To honor victims as the one-year anniversary nears, Isla Vista Recreation & Park District crews broke ground on a new memorial at People’s Park in the heart of Isla Vista in January.
Jordan Killebrew, a 2010 UCSB graduate who created Project IV Love to build the memorial, said the organization raised $8,000 to install a self-guided botanic tour with a central sculpture element and memorial benches designed by students in UCSB art professor Kim Yasuda’s open lab class.
Supporters plan to gather at the site on May 2 for a “planting day,” and anyone who wants to donate plants or money can attend upcoming fundraising events or email Killebrew at ivlove805@gmail.com.
“The university wants something done in May to coincide with anniversary,” he said. “It’s coming slowly. I’m just overwhelmed with the amount of support. This park has become a pretty big deal.”
As the community seeks solace, UCSB reminded locals that victims’ families remain in the same search.
“The tragic events in Isla Vista last May profoundly affected our entire university family,” the university said in a statement. “As a community, we grieve for the students who were taken from us. Our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of those students who lost their lives, and we offer our continued support for those who were injured or affected by this tragedy in Isla Vista.
“We appreciate the work of the Sheriff’s Office, our own UC Police Department, and the many law enforcement officials who have worked so diligently on this investigation. We also echo their concern for respecting the privacy wishes of the families who have suffered such a great loss or were victims of this tragedy.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.