EDITORIAL:

Any way you see it, the fatal car accident involving Sara Noel Harris is tragic.

Tragic for the family. Tragic for friends.

According to police, the boyfriend said the two — driving in separate cars — had been drinking at a bar in Huntington Beach before the accident at Adams and Mesa Verde Drive.

They may even have been racing on the streets.

That’s where it gets tricky.

The incident touched a nerve in the community. A massive outpouring of sympathy came forth. But when others learned that alcohol may have been involved, they objected, saying Sara Noel Harris, of Huntington Beach, should not be glorified.

Gabriella Hahn, a Huntington Beach woman with a heart, was forced to call off a ribbon-tying ceremony after police told her it could result in violence.

“I am a mother of two, and I don’t want to put my family through anything,” Hahn said.

How regrettable. But back to the matter.

First of all, we don’t know whether alcohol — or racing — was involved. Police are investigating.

But even if alcohol were involved, it seems to us that the outcry against Sara Noel Harris is a bit excessive.

Holding a memorial is a simple and symbolic way to remember a loved one who has passed. It is not a political or moral statement.

On the other hand, castigating those who wish to honor a young woman who lost her life seems unreasonable and even mean-spirited. More to the point, it is hardly the time to get on one’s high horse and shake the whip.

For now, in the days and weeks following the accident, and while the family grieves, can’t we simply honor this woman?

It may very well turn out that her tragedy is a lesson learned.

We’ve seen it before: young folks, feeling immortal, drinking and driving and treating our city streets like racetracks.

But let’s wait until we have all the evidence before making that judgment.