As you literally may of heard, on January 23rd, the Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra and fellow drummers provided rhythm for the weekly community gathering in the Cathcart parking lot during the Santa Cruz Farmers Market. A vegetarian soup was provided to all interested by a renown local chef and supporter of peaceful community gatherings. The mushroom soup was able to soothe hunger and warm up the cold, although not rainy, afternoon and break the ice while people were beginning to gather around and wonder what was going to happen. Without needing any cues, the Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra got the party started and slowly but surely more and more people began playing music, dancing, sharing food, poi spinning, hacky sacking, talking, documenting and spectating.
One woman was arrested, for reasons that were unknown to her and witnesses to her arrest, by SCPD officer Cline. At least four police cars and a police SUV were stopped in Cathcart Street immediately after the arrest, but they decided to keep on rolling down Cathcart and left the community gathering and drum circle alone. In response to police harassment at the drum circle in previous weeks, a poster taped on a tree urged people to support the market drummers and asked Mayor Ryan Coonerty if having the SCPD issue citations for drumming was his way to Keep Santa Cruz Weird. Read More and View Photos
On January 12th, two University of California police officers used pepper spray to disperse about 15 people gathered below an occupied redwood tree on Science Hill at UC Santa Cruz. The officers got out of their car, which was parked in the parking lot, and then followed the people dressed in black and wearing bandannas across their faces. One of the officers proclaimed that the group was trespassing and then both officers began pepper spraying people in their faces.
On January 10th, a tree-sitter on Science Hill at UC Santa Cruz dangled a lime green shopping bag from a platform high up in a redwood, presumably with the desire of receiving food, dry clothing and other supplies for occupying the crown of a coastal redwood during a stormy winter. UC police officers stood below the trees to prevent people from sharing with tree-sitters. A security guard also confiscated a backpack from under a tree and then turned it over to the police. UCSC has resorted to a diversity of tactics in trying to end the tree-sit which has been ongoing since November 7th, 2007, including police intimidation and violence, public relations lies and propaganda, and seeking a court injunction against named and unnamed individuals. 
Most people consider saxophonists, drummers, sitarists, tambourinists, guitarists and other musicians in a drum circle alongside the weekly Farmers Market to be an enjoyable aspect of the downtown Santa Cruz cultural mix, however some people interpret this musical gathering as a noisy disruption to their marketing experience.
A tree-sit on Science Hill at UC Santa Cruz is entering its third month since it began on November 7th, 2007, as a protest against UCSC’s 2005 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The tree-sit has opened up a social space, both below and beyond the trees, for students and community members to visualize their contempt for the LRDP and solidarity with the county-wide movement to limit university expansion. In response, the university is seeking a court order to prohibit the tree-sit and all activities they deem in support of the demonstration. 
