Grieving Vanessa Marquez

Today it has been eight years since Vanessa Marquez was shot in the back and killed by members of the South Pasadena, California Police Department. At the time, I described it as feeling as if a part of my soul had been ripped out. And I still feel as if a part of me is missing, eight years later. Vanessa's death was definitely the most painful thing I have experienced in my life.I have written about this before, but for those new to the blog, the fact is that Vanessa Marquez and I were very close. We first encountered each other on Twitter live tweeting movies on Turner Classic Movies and episodes of Mad Men and Downton Abbey. We soon learned we had much in common beyond classic movies and Mad Men, including a love of Star Wars, Star Trek, and other science fiction shows, a love of old music, an interest in popular culture, and shared political views. Eventually we were in touch every day, through social media and later texts and phone calls I considered Vanessa my closest friend and…