UCF students gather to remember Miya Marcano, raise awareness of Miya's Law - Orlando Sentinel
People remembering and celebrating the life of Miya Marcano gathered at the University of Central Florida Thursday, many of them dressed in blue - Marcano’s favorite color - while members of the Caribbean student association passed out butterflies for people to hold as they remembered the Valencia College student who was murdered in October.
It was also an opportunity for UCF’s student government and the Caribbean student association to raise awareness about Miya’s Law, a bill introduced Nov. 12 in the Florida Senate by State Sen. Linda Stewart aimed at those who rent apartments by requiring managers perform background checks on maintenance workers and require a minimum of 24 hours notice before entering an apartment, among other protections.
Xori Green, president of the Caribbean student association, said the two organizations felt it was important for students to come together to spread awareness of Miya’s Law and to give students a space to grieve.
“This was like a closing celebration to finally put everything together,” Green said. “I really hope all of the students had a chance to grieve the situation.”
Green said Marcano’s disappearance was a “lightning strike” to the campus and students didn’t know how to talk about it at first. But now, Green said, many students said they feel Marcano’s story is important and needs to continue to be shared.
Ross said she sometimes feels unsafe in the neighborhood, even when she’s walking home. She said she had also crossed paths with Armando Cabellero, the man accused of killing Marcano, multiple times and that it scared her because he seemed “normal.”
Jasmine Fletcher, UCF’s student government communications coordinator said as the community mourns losing a fellow Knight to violence, she hopes they think of ways to honor Marcano’s life. Fletcher said what happened to Marcano is part of a larger systemic issue, and students should be allowed to feel safe.
UCF police-community partnerships division Sgt. Adam Casebolt said that he attended the memorial because he felt impacted from a police standpoint. Casebolt said the UCF police department has provided more self-defense classes for students since Marcano’s disappearance and although it isn’t a UCFPD case, the department wanted to show support for students.
“On or off-campus, we can be a resource and help them. Even if we aren’t directly investigating a criminal case,” Casebolt said.
source: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-ucf-miya-marcano-vigil-20211121-ax2pu3v7kzawji6xl5sk3siucu-story.html
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