> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Santa Monicans offer opinions on city tragedy
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monicans-offer-opinions-on-city-tragedy/
- Published: 2003-07-28T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:39:25.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

(Editor’s note: The Santa Monica Daily Press opened our Q-Line last week to give community members an opportunity to share their feelings and thoughts about the recent farmers market tragedy. This is the last installment.) ■ “I think that Steve Stark, the city’s new finance director, will have his hands full with all the lawsuits that are going to be filed against the City of Santa Monica for the farmers market crash. I imagine that everybody that was killed and most people who were injured will be filing lawsuits of half a million dollars or more. Santa Monica’s deficit of $16 million will balloon and continue on for a couple more decades because of this. As your paper said, this is the worst disaster Santa Monica has ever had.” ■ “I would just hope that this accident would help the community of Santa Monica to realize there’s been a big change in Santa Monica and people are not as considerate of their neighbors, especially in traffic. There is a big concentration on rushing to get places, cutting people off, impatience, tail-gating, swiping around them, not any eye contact — it’s changing here in Santa Monica and perhaps this could help people come back down to earth and realize it’s important to acknowledge people in a very respectful way.” ■ “It’s amazing with all the building on the streets going on and all the construction and new benches and new street signs that nobody would have thought to put up barricades around the farmers market, which seems like a very simple thing.” ■ “I just wanted to say I grieve along with all the people of Santa Monica for this terrific loss of life. But we must remember two children are also dead. These are two children who will never grow up and this man who hit them should be made to pay.” ■ “I was thinking about the two little children who were killed in the farmers market accident and I believe that they did have purpose in life and maybe God called them to be two little guardian angels in heaven to watch over all the little children of Santa Monica. Maybe — just maybe — this was their mission and maybe this is purpose of their little lives. Maybe the children now are better protected and two little stars in heaven are now watching over them. I, for one, sure would like to believe it.” ■ “As a longtime senior citizen of Santa Monica who drives, I have to state that although I might be a little put-out by the inconvenience, I do think that everyone over 60 should be given a yearly competence review with whatever that might entail. Medical and physical competence reports should be required. Lives and safety are far more important than convenience. The man may regret his actions — albeit a bit too late — but wasn’t he overheard saying, ‘They should have gotten out of the way’?” ■ “Having grown up in Santa Monica since 1941, I have seen many changes — some good, some bad. I’ve always loved the farmers markets and frequently shop there. I missed the tragedy on Arizona the other day because I had stopped in for lunch a few blocks down the way at Chez Jay. My heart goes out to the families and victims of this tragedy, one of whom could have been me. But I’m puzzled by the fact that neither Senators Barbara Boxer nor Dianne Feinstein have not yet taken the publicity opportunity to try and blame the entire accident on lack of gun control.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 28, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072803.pdf?ref=smdp.com)