One thrown punch, two ruined lives. That is the gist of the story of two young men named Slava Kristopher Olson and Bradley Jones.
Flash back to the night of the Feb 29. Jones, a film major at City College, was walking with a few other friends through the streets of Isla Vista on a night that seemed by all appearances to be just another party night. Then some guys in a large crowd, which included Olson, made some derogatory comments about Jones’ female friends. Jones had something to say about his friends being insulted in such a manner. Then Olson punched Jones hard enough to knock him to the curb. Jones died later that night from head injuries.
Jump back to the present. Two weeks ago a jury of Olson’s peers convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and felony assault likely to cause great bodily harm. He now faces up to nine years in prison.
With this in mind, maybe some of the people who have joked about the middle-school nature of the Friday night dance in the Campus Center should reconsider. Associated Student Senate President James Carter is trying to help students avoid potential tragedies such as this by providing students with sober alternatives. He knows first-hand the sting of alcohol-related tragedy: his brother was killed in a drunk driving accident.
The greatest problem with the hard parties on Del Playa is the fact they are not isolated to just Isla Vista. This sort of thing goes on all over the country, though maybe not quite with the same unchecked fervor.
One could find a story of needless tragedy like this at every campus, college or high school with a little investigation. It sounds like such a cliché, even a nag and a bore, but our parents were right when they lectured us about the need to consider the risks we take and the consequences of our actions. But we never listen, and because of our stubbornness, people like Jones and Olson have to pay with their lives one way or another reminding us this stuff doesn’t just happen to other people.
The most important reason we should’ve listened to our parents and elders is because they’ve been there, done that, and probably knew someone who went down somewhere along the way.
They know the nicest of guys and girls can turn into the meanest of drunks. They understand that the most conservative bookworms can transform into the biggest risk-takers. They also know that we’re more vulnerable than the vast majority of us will admit. The message behind all of these preachy lectures is not that young people should never party and never have fun. Those who have lived enough to understand the gravity of consequences simply want those who haven’t to understand that no one is invincible, immortal or immune to tragedy. Stop and think about your actions, don’t wait for a tragedy to consider the consequences.
The Channels hopes that all City College students and all the other young people who partied in Isla Vista this Halloween weekend partied safely, stayed out of harm’s way, and kept the Olson-Jones tragedy at least in the back of your minds.