For some, the anniversary of the tragic and traumatic Lynn Valley stabbings somehow managed to sneak up on us. For others, the wounds, both physical and emotional, are incredibly fresh.
One woman was killed. Six more residents were left with knife wounds. Witnesses, bystanders who rushed in to help and professional first responders will remember March 27, 2021, in their own ways.
The accused remains in custody with a trial scheduled to begin in 2023. We will continue to report on the court proceedings but we warn this will be a long, complex process. And no matter the outcome, the justice system cannot restore what has been taken away. That falls to us and our communal efforts at resilience.
In the days and weeks after the incident, we saw a memorial blossom, candlelight vigils, public art works commissioned and more than $130,000 raised to support the victims. Make no mistake: these are the acts that truly define what Lynn Valley is about.
The district has done an admirable job finding a way to commemorate a terrible event that both wounded and brought the community together without adding to our collective trauma.
The flowers that so many of us laid at the site have long since wilted and returned to their most basic elements. Today, because of the district’s thoughtful efforts, they nourish a young dogwood tree in the plaza. It is a powerful reminder for the rest of us that life goes on and that we have reclaimed that community space with a thing of beauty and enjoyment, as it was always intended to be.
