In most communities, Halloween Weekend does not connote dangerous activity or increased levels of crime, but rather a weekend of fun activities such as trick or treating and costume contests. However, this weekend has a complex history in Isla Vista, often associated with large crowds in a very small geographic location of approximately 1 square mile. With an influx of an additional 15,000 people, violence and crime often occurred. In a joint effort between UCSB student leadership and other relevant stakeholders in the community, since 2014, Halloween Weekend is no longer categorized by such levels of danger. A myriad of community-oriented activities and events have been programmed annually in an effort to deter such violence and crime, and to keep Isla Vista safe and local. For more context, take a look at the Daily Nexus’ newspaper issue for October 29th, 2015 here.

Halloween Weekend in Isla Vista has been dormant for many years after Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) implemented the Outdoor Festival Ordinance in 2017 in an effort to halt party activity. This was after the County decided Halloween Weekend is a dangerous event due to its lack of regulation. Despite the fact that this ordinance effectively disables party activity over Halloween Weekend, the Sheriff’s office consistently plans for an increased police presence to monitor Isla Vista every year. This year, SBSO estimates that Halloween weekend will necessitate a higher police presence and surveillance than years prior, due to the school year being fully in-person again after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (SBSO) has proposed plans to install video surveillance cameras on 6500, 6600, and 6700 Del Playa Dr in Isla Vista. These are planned to be mounted on telephone poles for Halloween Weekend of 2022. In response to these plans, Hailey Stankiewicz, the 2022-2023 External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) and her Office hosted a Halloween and Policing Town Hall on October 14th, 2022 to give students a platform to voice their concerns and ask questions to stakeholders in the community about the planned surveillance and increased police presence. A recording of this Town Hall is scheduled to be broadcast on KCSB-FM 91.9 on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 at 5:00 PM PST. It will be made available on the ASUCSB EVPLA webpage and streamed on www.KCSB.org. However, the EVPLA Office and community members remain frustrated at the lack of clear answers or plans communicated by Isla Vista Foot Patrol and SBSO. 

At the October 14th Town Hall, police asked students to trust that they will limit recording to public spaces and not the inside of homes. They are also asking students to trust that these will be taken down after Halloween Weekend. Further, Isla Vista Foot Patrol and SBSO has told students that they will not use these surveillance cameras to prosecute students and community members for petty crimes such as MIPs, Open Container Citations, or Public Intoxication Citations. 

Despite communicating these terms of use, Isla Vista Foot Patrol and SBSO hold reservations about signing a memorandum of understanding, which would detail explicitly what these cameras will and will not be used for. Police have also not been clear on what the scope of the cameras are, who will have access, when they will be used, and who will be in charge of live monitoring them. Further, Isla Vista Foot Patrol has not successfully mitigated student and resident concerns about implicit bias and how it may exacerbate the criminalization of minorities and BIPOC community members. They also offered no clear elaboration on the proper training provided to educate their own staff on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This cannot stand.

The EVPLA office’s largest concern is that if SBSO is allowed to install cameras in the Isla Vista community, this could result in increased racial profiling and the increased harassment of our marginalized community members and UCSB students. Isla Vista residents and UCSB students must take a stand NOW and draw the line here in order to ensure every Isla Vista resident, regardless of background or identity, feels safe and at peace in their community.

Sign this petition if you agree that SBSO should HALT ALL plans (even for short periods of time) to install video surveillance cameras in Isla Vista on Halloween Weekend or for any future public events