CA CA - Sydney “Syd” West, 19, University of CA student, San Francisco, 30 Sept 2020

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Quote RSBM.

We, society, need to help college-aged kids take a step back and think of ways to cope with this. The pressures (academic, financial, social) of college can be crushing but don't have to be. And Covid-19 is temporary.

We need to let them know there are other paths. That it is okay to wait or attend part-time, start at community college, learn a trade, even take an extra loan and work less while in school. And figure out ways to cope with the isolation. Take antidepressants if needed.
IMO it's only a nightmare if you hate living it and feel like you don't have choices.
We can help them with both choices and coping strategies.

I'm a huge advocate of alternative choices. College is not for everyone.

That said, for a young adult with high expectations of herself/himself - high enough to take a year to realize those expectations - the effects of an unexpected, crushing pandemic can be too much to bear. Many mature adults have found it impossible to bear as well.

So I'm not sure one can adequately prepare for that. The pandemic has literally reduced us to a society with fewer choices, at least for the near future. For some, that future can seem insurmountable.

What little I've learned about Syd's life has reminded me to not only be kind to one another but also, perhaps more importantly, be kind to oneself.

I'm praying she's found soon.
 
“Unlikely to bear fruit” makes me think they have some information that she left voluntarily (if she did, she would be unlikely to stay in Chrissy field).
It seemed pretty clear that there had been no activity on her phone or her bank accounts since 9/30. It’s possible she had a second phone. And others have speculated that she may have cashed out tuition when she withdrew from classes. Those theories could support a voluntary departure, but that just feels off to me for some reason.

I truly hope some answers come to light soon. Her family and loved ones need to know what happened to this lovely young woman.
 
I'm a huge advocate of alternative choices. College is not for everyone.

That said, for a young adult with high expectations of herself/himself - high enough to take a year to realize those expectations - the effects of an unexpected, crushing pandemic can be too much to bear. Many mature adults have found it impossible to bear as well.

So I'm not sure one can adequately prepare for that. The pandemic has literally reduced us to a society with fewer choices, at least for the near future. For some, that future can seem insurmountable.

What little I've learned about Syd's life has reminded me to not only be kind to one another but also, perhaps more importantly, be kind to oneself.

I'm praying she's found soon.
Sometimes it's hard to understand that college might not be what's best for you. It seemed like she wanted to go to college, and was having a bit of a hard time because she didn't get into an Ivy school or Stanford.
 
Sometimes it's hard to understand that college might not be what's best for you. It seemed like she wanted to go to college, and was having a bit of a hard time because she didn't get into an Ivy school or Stanford.
From SM posts, I think she was expected to get into an Ivy, but after that option was out, there was no approval or support for her next choice. She had moved on, regrouped and had a plan B. But she felt her plan B wasn’t good enough for others. That’s got to be exhausting and hurtful. Imo
 
“Unlikely to bear fruit” makes me think they have some information that she left voluntarily (if she did, she would be unlikely to stay in Chrissy field).
Yes, this is the impression I'm getting from the overall picture, and the lack of interest in outsider suggestions. I think the family, and possibly LE, are looking for specific information from some specific people. The varying descriptions of what she was wearing, did she have a backpack?, etc. may just have been best guesses made when filing missing persons reports. I kind of feel like the kind of help WS members are good at, namely sifting through circumstances around a person's disappearance to make educated guesses, isn't really what they wanted at all.

On another note, looking at the SFPD's missing persons web site is pretty discouraging too. They only list five people, all of whom were last seen more than ten years ago. Missing Persons | San Francisco Police Department
 
What's that?

I can answer because I followed that terrible fire that broke out in the warehouse that was being used as housing in a unique semi-off-the-grid type of community. They had quite a few people living in the warehouse. It was a unique place to live and offered a place to stay for the people living there. Im not sure why the nickname of Ghost Ship was used. My understanding is it was a nickname for the place.

Below is the WS link and also a Wiki link

CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3

Ghost Ship warehouse fire - Wikipedia
 
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Yes, this is the impression I'm getting from the overall picture, and the lack of interest in outsider suggestions. I th I kind of feel like the kind of help WS members are good at, namely sifting through circumstances around a person's disappearance to make educated guesses, isn't really what they wanted at all.

On another note, looking at the SFPD's missing persons web site is pretty discouraging too. They only list five people, all of whom were last seen more than ten years ago. Missing Persons | San Francisco Police Department

If it wasn’t voluntary, I would’ve expected searches by dogs and volunteers in the early days (there’s been no report of this), a release of basic information like her address (so that people with security cams in the area could check them before footage was erased), and more participation and visibility by her roommates (and friends). Media has likely been in touch with them, as this story checks all the boxes for “clickbait,” and I can only assume they’ve been asked not to talk (since this story has completely stalled with no information since early October).

Edit: as for credit cards not being used, etc., this would be easy to pull off if you had moved in with someone who was buying your food, etc.
 
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I can answer because I followed that terrible fire that broke out in the warehouse that was being used as housing in a unique semi-off-the-grid type of community. They had quite a few people living in the warehouse. It was a unique place to live and offered a place to stay for the people living there. Im not sure why the nickname of Ghost Ship was used. My understanding is it was a nickname for the place.

Below is the WS link and also a Wiki link

CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3

Ghost Ship warehouse fire - Wikipedia
Thank you! These days, if you don't want to be found, it's actually really easy to not be found.
 
“Unlikely to bear fruit” makes me think they have some information that she left voluntarily (if she did, she would be unlikely to stay in Chrissy field).

I think it's because Crissy Field has almost no place to search. It's a wide space with paths, hardly any trees, no rocks. There are small nearby stands of trees/bushes on the Presidio, most densely spaced near the large national cemetery. I would guess that this area has cameras, but it isn't a very big area (and is known for its attraction to homeless people). The trees are most tall eucalyptus without branches near the ground, and the area is dotted with living places, museum spaces and construction. I assume that these areas are used constantly by the people who live nearby.

At any rate, Crissy Field itself could be searched in 10 minutes - it's got a beach and some grass and that's it.

If she headed into the deepest part of the woods at the Presidio, I would assume that means she was trying to live rough. I wonder if LE has considered that or what they would do if they knew for sure that's what she did. Because she would just be one more of the city's large number of homeless. I'm sure there are lots of missing/mentally ill people in that population, but I don't think LE is going to go and roust all of them and try to ID them - they'll wait until someone spots a person who looks like Syd.

So are there actual posters of Syd in and about San Francisco, I wonder?
 
I think it's because Crissy Field has almost no place to search. It's a wide space with paths, hardly any trees, no rocks. There are small nearby stands of trees/bushes on the Presidio, most densely spaced near the large national cemetery. I would guess that this area has cameras, but it isn't a very big area (and is known for its attraction to homeless people). The trees are most tall eucalyptus without branches near the ground, and the area is dotted with living places, museum spaces and construction. I assume that these areas are used constantly by the people who live nearby.

At any rate, Crissy Field itself could be searched in 10 minutes - it's got a beach and some grass and that's it.

If she headed into the deepest part of the woods at the Presidio, I would assume that means she was trying to live rough. I wonder if LE has considered that or what they would do if they knew for sure that's what she did. Because she would just be one more of the city's large number of homeless. I'm sure there are lots of missing/mentally ill people in that population, but I don't think LE is going to go and roust all of them and try to ID them - they'll wait until someone spots a person who looks like Syd.

So are there actual posters of Syd in and about San Francisco, I wonder?
Thank you for this info - I had no idea what Crissy Fields consisted of.
 
Small update: Syd’s dad talked to her on the 29th for “a long time,” and they talked about their love for each other and the family and what she needed to do to “remain healthy and keep working forward.” Hoping I’m allowed to post links to articles and interviews? Find Sydney West: Hopeful friends, family gather in Pleasanton | KRON4
 
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I think it's because Crissy Field has almost no place to search. It's a wide space with paths, hardly any trees, no rocks. There are small nearby stands of trees/bushes on the Presidio, most densely spaced near the large national cemetery. I would guess that this area has cameras, but it isn't a very big area (and is known for its attraction to homeless people). The trees are most tall eucalyptus without branches near the ground, and the area is dotted with living places, museum spaces and construction. I assume that these areas are used constantly by the people who live nearby.

At any rate, Crissy Field itself could be searched in 10 minutes - it's got a beach and some grass and that's it.

If she headed into the deepest part of the woods at the Presidio, I would assume that means she was trying to live rough. I wonder if LE has considered that or what they would do if they knew for sure that's what she did. Because she would just be one more of the city's large number of homeless. I'm sure there are lots of missing/mentally ill people in that population, but I don't think LE is going to go and roust all of them and try to ID them - they'll wait until someone spots a person who looks like Syd.

So are there actual posters of Syd in and about San Francisco, I wonder?
Thanks! I'm sure that's a helpful description for most people. FWIW Crissy Field was actually a military airstrip, but was decommissioned following the Vietnam War. So think large and flat, as in a big enough space to land airplanes. Off topic, but the last time I was there I was running on a trail in the Presidio when several large helicopters flew directly overhead and landed at Crissy Field. I found out later it was President Obama's entourage visiting SF. It was newsworthy in part because it hadn't been used as an airfield in many years.
 
Find Sydney West: Hopeful friends, family gather in Pleasanton | KRON4
The San Francisco Police Department considers her an at-risk missing person because she suffers from depression.

A vigil was held for her Thursday evening in Lions Wayside Park in Pleasanton, where she grew up for most of her life. Music playing in the background was a recording of West singing. In addition to being a star athlete, she is also a talented musician, her father, Jay West, said.
Snipped due to 10% copyright rule; the article can be read on the link above
 
Amy Larson @AmyLarson25
14h

When I arrived at the #FindSydneyWest vigil in Pleasanton, I said whoever is singing has a beautiful voice. Turns out, it was a recording of Sydney singing. She is an amazing musician. West vanished Sept. 30 in San Francisco. I interviewed her parents. http://kron4.com/news/bay-area/vigil-to-find-sydney-west-held-thursday-in-pleasanton/…

Amy Larson @AmyLarson25 19h
HAPPENING NOW: Friends and family of #FindSydneyWest are in Lions Wayside Park in Pleasanton, Calif., to support one another as they hold out hope that 19-year-old Sydney West will be found safe. West vanished on Sept. 30 in San Francisco.


Find Sydney West: Friends, family gather in Pleasanton holding onto hope
Sydney West has been missing for 23 days. The 19-year-old volleyball player and UC Berkeley student vanished on the morning of Sept. 30 in San Francisco’s Crissy Field near the Golden Gate Br…
kron4.com
 
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