We recently reported that a big Spring Break beach party on Isla Vista, close to University of California – Santa Barbara, went wild.

So wild that 100 were arrested and many were injured.

UCSB student Alexa Shapiro takes a dim view of the entire event, and indicates that some of the problems stemmed from out-of-towners chasing a party.

For the past three years that I have lived in Isla Vista, I have had a fair number of frustrations at this little town.

I have had my car spray painted allegedly by a gang from Ventura. I have had my home broken into by two men who don’t even attend school in the area. I have had my car mirror torn off numerous times.

I have been groped, harassed, and bothered by aggressive inebriated people. Despite the damage to personal property or psyche, nothing can top the frustration I feel after last night’s Deltopia events.

…[N]one of us could protect against the amount of people who came simply because they wanted to chase a party. Everywhere I went, I met people who didn’t know anyone here, who were lost and didn’t understand where they were going. It’s these people that definitely aided in exacerbating the situation.

I have found that some people from outside of the area do not care to treat our home with respect. They come in here, they aggressively lash out against police officers, they break things, and they start fights.

When all is said and done, they can simply pick up their luggage and leave, leaving the students to deal with the repercussions of the weekend.

Reading through my Facebook feed and through Internet comments, it’s clear to me that Santa Barbara locals are embarrassed. Some people seem to believe that Isla Vista is a terrible, disgusting place that should be locked up and left to rot on its own.

Many seem to believe that everything that happened was strictly the students’ faults. It’s difficult to have pride for our little town when we know what an embarrassment we are to the larger Santa Barbara area.

However, as a student who was stuck in the middle of the conflict, I can tell you the blame is not entirely in our hands, and there is a large line of miscommunication in what the majority of Isla Vista residents want from this town.

I have not yet met a student or Isla Vista resident who is not upset about the events that unfolded last night. While some frustrations may have existed about the intense security enforced by officials this weekend, many students also seemed to understand that the police are here to keep us safe.