Together we, the residents of 6668 Del Playa Drive, write this editorial both in defense of our house and reputations, and as concerned members of the community. We are writing in response to fliers that have been circulated throughout Isla Vista and the UCSB dorms titled, “Help Stop the Rapists!” As residents of the 6668 Del Playa apartment complex, we find the fliers very offensive and specific in their allegations. We feel as if we have been singled out within the I.V. community for a very unfortunate event that had nothing to do with us. Due to the fact that our address was given out on the flier, it seems as though our household and friends of the household were involved in the alleged assault. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The victim and her attackers were both uninvited and strangers to our home. During the time of the attack, certain members of our household were at home while others were gone. We were all unaware of this incident taking place and, consequently, have very little information to offer to the victim about her perpetrators. We would also like to stress the support we have offered to the victim of this tragedy and our continued support for the future. None of us knew of the event until 8:00 a.m. the next morning, when detectives arrived at our front door. We were all very surprised, shocked and bothered that this had occurred in our own home. We pledged our full support by allowing detectives in our house to search for clues and evidence with no search warrant. We allowed them to stay as long as they needed and answered all their questions very candidly. We all wanted to do our part in resolving whatever happened in our home.

Unfortunately, we feel that this occurrence at our residence will make our house seem wild and unsafe. We are sickened by this notion, as we go above and beyond to make our home as safe as possible. We try our best to keep uninvited guests out and our doors locked at all times.

We have very little information to offer; however, there are certain facts that we know for sure. We can report that the DJ had absolutely nothing to do with this issue. He is a good friend from San Diego, who volunteered to play at our party. He knew very few people at the party and none of them were “students from the Los Angeles area,” as stated in the flier. We are also very worried about how African-Americans are going to be depicted at our house and in our community in the future. Our house is composed of people of various ethnicities, including an African-American. We have numerous friends from many ethnic backgrounds as well and are worried that the public is going to look up at our balcony and see African-Americans and assume they had a role in the alleged attack.

We understand the purpose of the fliers and their intent, but we feel as though the cost of leafleting the whole town has caused damage to our home, our reputations and our lives. We were never notified that they would be released, and consequently could not prepare for the damage they caused. We realize that our feelings of outrage and helplessness cannot nearly match those of the victim herself, but we are nonetheless disappointed. If the purpose was to raise awareness of the alleged attack, we feel that a much better approach could have been taken, such as an unbiased news article expressing opinions and concerns of everybody involved. One that does not impose on the lives of those who are not completely unrelated to the event, yet still warns the public that something horrible did happen and something needs to be done. We want to reiterate our sorrow for the victim and will continue to do what we can. Unfortunately, our letter is going to reach your hands after you have preconceived notions of our residence. We ask that you please understand our concern, and help us by realizing that we are as innocent as the victim.

Thank you for understanding.

The residents of 6668 Del Playa requested that their names be withheld.