Borderline Strong: One Year Later

As the one-year anniversary of the horrific Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooting approaches, all of us at Calabasas Style Magazine wanted to pay tribute to the victims, families, survivors, and loved ones touched by this tragedy. Indeed, we will never forget.

Let’s all take a moment of silence this November 7 in remembrance, to show our solidarity in the wake of this unspeakable act. We will always remember how this senseless tragedy extinguished so many lives long before their time. Our community once again honors these 12 victims and more than 200 survivors.

While most of our lives have returned to normal, the families directly touched by these acts continue to mourn. Most of us were incredibly lucky that our loved ones weren’t at the club that night or had left before the shooting. College night at the Borderline has long been one of our kids’ safe havens. Clearly, we harbored a false sense of security as shootings can now happen anywhere to anyone during these strange times. It’s hard to find strength with this knowledge. However, the outpouring of love and support from the community helps us all stay strong.

A year later, we continue to attend tributes and fundraisers honoring the victims and heroes who helped others escape. People still wear Borderline Strong t-shirts honoring the Borderline 12. A makeshift memorial was also set up near the club last year with 12 crosses, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, poems, flowers, gifts, stuffed animals, and letters. In addition, local artist Ali Alinejad created eight-foot sculptures with the words “Love” and “Peace” reflecting our continued love and support for the memorial. He now has also produced a large sculpture for each of the victims, displaying his or her name. These can be seen at Ali’s Thousand Oaks Clay Studio and Gallery and on Paige Lane in his neighbors’ front yards in solidarity. He is searching for a more permanent location so the 12 sculptures can all be together again.

Construction has also been underway for a healing garden memorial at Conejo Creek Park North, which is planned to open this November by the one-year anniversary. The contemplative memorial will feature 12 granite stone-slab benches and fountain bubbler jets in a pond commemorating the 12 victims, plus 248 paving stones honoring the survivors.

We all continue to be survivors in this war we never started, against enemies who look just like us yet act with such evil intent. We must all find strength in unity as we continue to lead lives full of courage and hope, forever remaining Borderline Strong.