Santana Bonilla Medina
Philadelphia, d. 10.May.2019
Santana was a veteran Philadelphia bike messenger with friends in
many cities. He was loved around the world.
I can’t sleep. I’m so sad & even these words feel inadequate to
describe losing Santana in this way, at this time. He made an impact
on me from our first meeting many years ago. He always made me feel
safe & respected. He truly cared. He felt deeply & loved
deeply. Santana was an amazing listener & had wisdom beyond his
years. All heart. Truly one of a kind. I will always love him. –
Maria Carvalho Sandoval
Yesterday evening i went out for a jog, it was the first this week
since it had been rainy and cold the few days prior. everywhere i
looked i saw reminders of santana. the strongest of all being a
young kid on a skateboard with a backpack zooming past me and
pushing off his foot with so much force so as to get to his maximum
speed as quickly as possible. may have been my crazy mind or it may
have been the universe but i could barely keep my regular (which is
already pretty slow) pace for more than a few minutes at a time. he
has been all over my thoughts for days, haunting me, like his
presence is all around me. it is undeniable the impact he has had on
so many. perhaps it is because it was at a most impressionable time
in my adolescence but even though my time with him was so short, my
memories of him are more vivid than a lot of the last two decades. -
Kandice Marcacci
The universe is a strange and demanding creature. I was thinking of
Santana out of the blew a couple of weeks ago and how kind and
generous he is/was. When I lived in Philly (2009-2010) I lived on
the street behind his house on 24th & Ringgold. My partner and I
were having crazy fights and Santana came home with me one night to
help me grab some stuff, he had offered to let me crash at his pad
till things died down. When I woke up in the morning, he had
rearranged his whole room and told me it was a safe place for me and
my daughter to live there as long as we needed. We never did,
because my partner and I fixed things. But I will never forget
feeling so welcomed by someone who was kind of a stranger to me at
the time. In fact I've always felt guilty that I didn't let him know
how much that meant to me.
So thank you Santana, you were one of a kind - I hope I can be that
selfless one day. - Sandy Peacock
I don't have a physical picture of my most precious memory of
Santana B-Medina, but it's engrained in my memory. We ended up
crashing in the same bed super late after a night of debaucherous
adventures. We talked for hours about some deep and personal stuff.
I remember the sun was coming up and we fell asleep holding each
other. Nothing creepy or sexual - it was totally plutonic. Just two
friends, comfortable sharing stories and secrets, and sleeping next
to each other. It was one of the most tender and intimate, honest
and real, heart warming moments I've ever shared with any human
being. I wish I could have that night with him again. I would hold
him tighter and would not let go. - Michelle Smolka
I love you so much I want you to know I always have fun wherever we
go. In my feels today seeing all the posts of Santana B-Medina and
of course it also brings back the Ja Cobs size hole in my heart. Hug
your friends and my heart goes out to the Cutthroats Bicycle Club
family. I love you all dearly - Callie Watts
Its taken me more than a few hours to write this and it still won’t
do in retrospect. Santana B-Medina, you meant more to me than you’ll
ever know. You were kind to me when being kind wasn’t cool. You were
the rowdiest and softest one in the room. Always and forever our
huckleberry. Mi Latino hermano (along with Pablo Airaldi). Te quiero
mucho mi amor. Tranquilo. - Rosie Frangi
I’ve been dreading this day for a long time. I’m sorry I couldn’t
reach out to you more...I love you bb boy. Our drive to Richmond.
Trips to the farm. You coming to New Orleans. Us living together. Us
sharing multiple elevators at work. I’m sorry you were sad...I’m
sorry we couldn’t pull you up anymore. - Jess Craine
The loss of Santana has help me reconnect with Kandice. I may have
been 20 years since we saw or spoke to each other but an outsider
wouldn’t have known. We just shared stories, laughed and even cried
a little. I think that would have made Santana smile to see Kan and
I together again! We all know the smile I am talking about! –
Bridget Farrarie
Ya dude Santana was amazing. He really came through for me years ago
when I needed somebody. Ill never forget that. He was so giving.
Super sweetheart. Sad day for me. – Sandy Peacock
Mess Fam we gotta talk to each other man. Santana, gonna miss you
CARNAL! Always had anyone’s back even through hard times. Just saw
your roommate & he reminded me to txt you Gonna MISS YOU
SANTANA - Jawn F Kennedy
