PRAYERS FOR A COMMUNITY

Last night, tragedy struck in my college community. The story is still unfolding and reports are coming, however, police have confirmed that seven are dead, including the suspect, and seven more are injured. I first want to say that my heart goes out to those affected by this, the families and the community.

I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate for me to say anything on the subject here. But the man responsible for the violence showed indications of his feelings over quite some time. He posted a manifesto on YouTube about his intentions and participated on several online forums where he openly discussed his feelings an attitudes.

The internet is a wonderful place to share loves and passions, I share my love of fashion online. But there are very dark corners on the internet, and I’m sure we’ve all seen them or glimpses of them. I want to ask you all not to take this lightly and to report suspicious activity to moderators or police. I also want to plead to anyone who feels alone, who feels like this is the only solution, to find help. I promise you that there are things in life worth living for and worth letting others live for. Violence and killing are not the solution.

I also want to ask people not to blame the community or laws. I’ve noticed huge amounts of talk regarding anti-gun laws. My opinion is irrelevant, however I think it’s important to know whether his weapon was acquired legally or not before casting fault and hatred on people who know how to and have the responsibility to handle guns safely. This man could have chosen any school and may have experienced the same things, it’s unfair to blame the community for perpetuating a culture that is friendly to situations like this. There’s no doubt that some loose behavior seems to be allowed or even encouraged, but not this.

This is not the community or the laws fault, this is a sad testament of how truly disturbed people can be and how, as a society, we’ve become accustomed to it and have stopped seeing the warning signs for what they are: terrifying insights into the minds of people who truly need help.

If you are a part of the Santa Barbara community and want help, there are counseling services available today. Please email me at fashioninflight@gmail.com for information, or use google, I’m sure the info is publicly posted online as well.

If you are not a part of the SB community, but still need someone to talk to, you can contact me. I will say I am not trained at all and will probably recommend you contact someone, but I understand that sometimes a total nobody is exactly what we need. You can also contact 800273TALK, or 800-273-8255. It is a national talk help line available to help you with whatever you need.

Stay safe, and be kind to everyone you meet. You never know what demons they’re battling.