November 7, 2018 started out as any other day in Thousand Oaks. Folks went about their day at work or at school, and no one could have imagined a more horrific ending than a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill. 12 innocent lives were lost. Within days, artist Ali Alinejad began his grief inspired journey to memorialize each victim to help the families, friends and community to heal.

Over the course of a year, Ali created vibrant 8- to 12-foot ceramic totems for each victim, stacking the letters of their first names and inscribing the back of each totem with special memories.  The colorful, joyful sculptures are temporarily on display in front of the Tarantula Hill Brewing Company on Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Ali's inspired journey garnered tremendous attention and support within the Thousand Oaks community, victims' families, and beyond. His motivation for activism continues.  He built a totem in honor of George Floyd and is currently working on his latest endeavor, the Peace Totem Project. 

We are seeking a permanent location for the Borderline Totems. Please call or email us if you can sponsor a site or would like to donate.