On August 16th, I applied for my current teaching job; I work at San Marin High School in Novato, California. On August 16th, I was in Fresno, California photographing the Mother of an Angel Network. One day and one month later, I left our school parking lot and looked down Novato Boulevard. I saw familiar road signs blocking the country road. I prayed.
Within minutes, I learned that someone died. By the time I was home in Oakland, Bay Area news stations reported that a Novato High student died at the scene. (Novato High is San Marin High's cross town rival.)
My heart was heavy. Families were changed forever. Students will never forget their friend; they will always remember 2010-2011 as the year that Isaac Brott died in a car accident. Some students will remember that alcohol influenced the death; some will forget. Regardless, many people will struggle to make sense of this loss.
As often happens, people will make sense of the loss by returning to the scene. I have returned every day before school. A week ago, I visited for the first time.
Isaac Brott Roadside Memorial _ Day 4 - Images by bryan farley
As I arrived, two California Highway Patrol officers left something at the memorial; then they drove away. I was grateful to see these officers. My father was a CHP officer. (Coincidentally, he died on August 16, 2004, six years to the day when I applied for my current job.) I am sure he visited roadside memorials too.
Memorials help heal. Of course, Isaac will never be replaced, but he will be remembered. The memorials also help others see something positive at a site that would otherwise remind people of misery. Friends and family and community members are reclaiming the memory.
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