UCSB Student Dies After Fall From Cliff

This is a horrible tragedy and illustrates the wisdom of the BOS in banning alcohol on some of the beaches in IV. It was specifically designed to thwart the Flotopia II event partially in hopes of avoiding just this sort of terrible tragedy. I am not suggesting that alcohol played a role in this particular incident but it often has in the past and the risk of it happening during an event with hundreds and even thousands of young people drinking and wandering the bluff tops cannot be underestimated.

Terrible tragedy, my heart goes out to the Krom family.

Noletaman, banning alcohol on the beach does not prevent drinking up on the bluff and a subsequent fall.

Unfortunately, students and other residents have been falling off the bluffs in IV and UCSB for 50 years. Many fences exist, but the intent of most is to provide a warning... very confused people, often having imbibed alcohol or other mind-altering substances, climb over the fences and accidently fall. There is a very strong case for larger barriers, particularly in the densely populated portion of IV. Tall narrow rods could preserve the view but be extremely difficult for the confused to climb over, if about 8' tall or more. A rod-fence or 2 already exist on DP, albeit not to protect from bluff falls, but to protect private property without impeding the view.

I have to side with Noletaman on this one, even if possibly for a different reason than he stated.

Alcohol is more than just an inevitable presence in our culture, it is something that is so celebrated on practically every strata that it has a life of its own.

A seemingly nominal step such as Noletaman suggests would be a good start in setting forth the idea that perhaps alcohol isn't so "cool" after all, and might make enough people realize that there are consequences for making it a staple of one's life.

I am not in any suggesting all out prohibition since we know what a failure that was, but like smoking, it needs to be curbed to some extent with the hopeful side effect of getting people to realize that it isn't such a good thing after all.

The ban on alcohol on the beaches must not be enforced. My family and I walked from the end of Del Playa east to the campus lagoon early last Saturday morning and the Sunday morning before, and ended up picking up countless red cups, cigarette butts and other trash below the bluffs. We didn't even bother with the many glass bottles. It was pretty disgusting; we couldn't bear to leave it on the beach.

Well, I just don't think banning alcohol on the beach does anything to prevent falls from the cliff; they are unrelated issues.

Now banning alcohol in the whole County, that would do something, particularly in IV, which is far from County borders. Of course the ban would be evaded, but there would be a big decrease in all sorts of alcohol-related crime and accidents, which is an awfully big portion of all crime and accidents.

But I guess we tried that nationwide in the 1920's and gave up on it.

Perhaps a nice big County surtax on alcohol sales, say, $0.50/drink (or equivalent) with the money going to law enforcement and alcohol & rape programs would be good. Amazing how cheap beer is... seems to me beer is cheaper than apple juice, and apples grow on trees for goodness sakes.

Not trying to spread rumors, but can anyone comment on this account by someone claiming to be a UCSB student? http://txtb.in/2XM

Why the discussion about booze? The Indy article said nothing about it.

Wow, thanks anonanon. That is a pretty sad that the cops did not take it seriously to begin with, perhaps he was merely injured from the fall and could have been saved?

I don't see what a ban on drinking on the beach would have done considering he had apparently been drinking downtown.

As noted, most years one or two young people fall to their death from the IV bluffs. Usually they were intoxicated at the time of the fall, on their way to or from or looking for a "party." I wonder if anyone has figures for how many have died from falling from IV cliffs over the past 20 years and how many have deliberately jumped from Cold Spring Bridge.

[I know nothing about this particular tragic loss of a young man about to embark on his adult life. I have two sons near his age and my deepest sympathies go to his family. My comments here are not about the circumstances of his death, about which we do not yet know.]

Re: alcohol in I.V. It is plentiful and easy to obtain. Any kid of any age can get whatever they want if they have money. Many of the homeless guys provide this service. And Costco, up the street from IV, does not require a membership for customers who are buying just alcohol or drugs -- go there some time before a "big" weekend and see the students with shopping carts filled with half-gallons of vodka, cases of beer, etc.

Do you want to see the most amazing display of alcohol in SB County? The Keg 'n' Bottle Market at 915 Embarcadero Del Mar (968-1316) in the heart of IV is impressive.

There are many other alcohol outlets in Isla Vista and the consequences of the excess consumption are visible and audible to anyone who cares to look. Is this a problem? Is anyone interested? Should anyone or any agency do anything?

We can count on a steady trickle of young people dying needlessly, accidentally, in Isla Vista, and many others having serious injuries and traumas related to the culture of intoxication that is fostered there/here.

This has triggered a lively discussion about the many and often dangerous consequences of drinking in a densely populated community with a good portion of the residents below the legal age for drinking. However, in this particular case, there had been one report, a couple days ago, that this young man may have been running to evade a taxi driver who was pursuing him for failure to pay his fare. This may not have anything to do with the pros and cons of Isla Vista lifestyle...but just an unfortunate accident after an even more unfortunately bad decision on this poor young man's part. My heart breaks for his family.

what a biased article and blog. just remove anything with an opionion that doesnt agree with the above.

More at this link in Orange County where Noah's family lives:

http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/06/irvin...