MARYSVILLE — Yards of red and white ribbons were cut in Comeford Park as the Marysville and Tulalip communities kicked off their “Paint the Town” event Oct. 27.
The ribbon-cutting and tying event was organized literally overnight, by members of the Snohomish County Crime and Community group, to bring the community together.
Elaine Soriano, grandmother of 14-year-old shooting victim Gia Soriano, offered the final words of the event to the volunteers, whose numbers included members of the Marysville Getchell, Arlington and Cascade high school football teams, before they headed out to tie ribbons from I-5 to the west, Highway 9 to the east and Smokey Point to the north.
“She loved her school, and she loved all of you,” Elaine said of Gia, who died Oct. 24. “And one of her kidneys has already been placed with a relative.”
Soriano was joined in speaking by fellow Tulalip Tribal members Les Parks, vice chairman of the tribal council, and state Sen. John McCoy.
Even as he deemed the Oct. 24 Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting “one of the worst times in our lives” and “an unspeakable horror that has hit this community,” Parks reflected on the longevity of the community itself, tracing the town of Marysville’s origins back to the 1850s, and the Native American settlements of the lands thousands of years before that.
“We’re separated by a freeway, but it’s an invisible barrier,” Parks said. “We are one community. Your hearts are broken. Our hearts are broken.”
Parks praised Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring for his support, and spoke for Tulalip Tribal Chairman Herman Williams Sr. in saying how heavily this weighed on his heart.
“And let’s not forget our kids,” Parks said. “Our youths are going through so much more than we can imagine.”
McCoy told the high school students in attendance that “your teachers need hugs as much as you do,” and expressed optimism that the Marysville-Tulalip community would pull through this tragedy together, based on how well they’ve responded so far.
“We’re in this together,” McCoy said. “You’re not alone. And if you feel like you’re alone, talk to somebody. That goes for grown-ups too. Kids know how to ask for help, but adults often don’t.”
Marysville Parks and Recreation Director Jim Ballew encouraged the volunteers to be creative and prolific in tying red and white ribbons throughout the community, so long as they abstained from tying them to stop signs or around the intersection of State Avenue and Fourth Street, and exercised caution by accompanying children in their efforts.
“When you tie them on, make sure you do it firmly enough that they’ll stay for at least a couple of weeks,” said Ballew, who noted the efforts of city staff, police officers, firefighters and sheriff’s personnel in response to the shooting, but also asserted that “they are all proud of what you’re doing today.”
