Ten years after the Isla Vista massacre, the community is keeping the memory of the victims alive.
At sunset Thursday, Isla Vista Strong and the UCSB Surf Team had a memorial paddle out at Devereux Beach. Students and members of the community were invited to swim out and come together in remembrance of the victims killed on May 23, 2014: George Chen, Katie Cooper, Cheng Yuan “James” Hong, Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, Weihan “David” Wang, and Veronika Weiss.
The clouds parted just in time as participants slowly trickled in a little past 7 p.m. with their surfboards and paddleboards. They were welcomed by a table encouraging them to pick up a candle, flower, or bubbles to carry with them out to sea.
The surfers first joined in a circle on land where Isla Vista Strong members Eric Carlson and Joanna Ting, along with UCSB Surf team captain Bianca Berron, expressed their gratitude.
“It makes me so happy to see you all here to commemorate the lives we’ve lost, and see everyone who’s come together to celebrate each other,” Carlson said. “This is a story that connects all of us, everyone in Isla Vista. Ten years is a long time, and there have been generations of students who have walked the same halls, taken the same classes…”
Carlson, Ting, and Berron led the group in a moment of silence on the bluffs before heading down to the water.
Together, surfers and paddlers swam out to sea where they rejoined in a circle as onlookers stood on the bluffs. This time unprovoked, the entirety of Devereux Beach was once again met with silence.
After a few minutes, a loud shout could be heard from the bluffs after the surfers threw their flowers up in the air as a final tribute to the victims.
A memorial paddle out was first held just days after the killings in 2014, where hundreds of surfers and residents came together in shared sympathy.
“It’s so powerful to see how we grieve here in Isla Vista,” Ting said Thursday. “It’s been really meaningful to be a part of it.”
A memorial ceremony was also held in the Love and Remembrance Garden last week. The UCSB library has a memorial exhibition on display through June 17.
