Demonstration in Santa Cruz to Support Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks

Published on December 18, 2010 in Media, Solidarity & Outreach

On December 18th, during a rainy afternoon in Santa Cruz, a small group converged at the Town Clock to show support for Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks. People spoke with one another while Takashi Yogi peddled a bicycle-powered sound system. Most people at the demonstration stood under a portable shelter with a sign that stated, “Free Bradley Manning! We deserve the truth. Thank you WikiLeaks!”

Another demonstration in support of Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks, with speakers and a march, is in the works for Saturday, January 8th at 1pm at the Town Clock. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →

ILWU Rally and Shut Down All Bay Area Ports Demanding “Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops!”

Published on October 24, 2010 in Labor, Police, Race, Solidarity & Outreach

On October 23rd, the ILWU Local 10 longshore workers closed all bay area ports (Richmond, Benicia, Redwood City, Oakland and San Francisco) and rallied in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza to protest the murder of Oscar Grant with the demand “Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops!” ILWU union port workers joined the rally which brought together many organizations, including labor unions, high school and college students, the faith-based community and the general public in a call for justice.

The rally was initiated by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 after Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson of the Oscar Grant Family spoke to union members about the similarity between the murder of his nephew and a mural on the union hall depicting the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike. On “Bloody Thursday,” July 5th, 1934, a striking seaman and a strike sympathizer, Nicolas Bordoise and Howard Sperry, were killed by a police officer who fired a shotgun into a crowd.

Johanes Mehserle, the ex-BART cop who shot Oscar Grant in the back on January 1, 2009 while Grant was being held face down by multiple officers, faces sentencing in Los Angeles on November 5th. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →

Four SCPD Officers Issue Groundless Citation to Woman for Spitting on Pacific Avenue

Published on October 21, 2010 in Police

On the night of October 20th, four Santa Cruz Police Department officers flexed their arbitrary rule in the ongoing war against poor people trying to survive on the streets when they ticketed a woman on Pacific Avenue for spitting. These boys in blue did not find it prudent to give this guest to our city a warning about spitting on the sacred sidewalks of Santa Cruz. She was issued a ticket for nothing more than spitting.

Santa Cruz Municipal Code section 9.50.020, governing conduct on public property, monuments, and lawns, indicates that the ticket is unjustifiable and therefore should not have been issued. 9.50.02 (d) forbids the intentional discharge of a liquid substance. However, the municipal code states that a person is violating 9.50.02 “after having been notified by a police officer, public officer or downtown host that he or she is in violation of the prohibition.”

The woman who was cited for spitting told the SCPD officers that she is a military veteran who helped people as part of a special K9 unit. She also demonstrated a chant and march from her military training before giving Officer Winston an “autograph.” After the police left, she showed me and another observer where she got shot in the knee while in the military. She told me that she had been in Santa Cruz for two days. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →

Stop the Dirty Energy Proposition: Vote No on Prop 23

Published on October 10, 2010 in Environment, Government

On October 10th, a day of global action to work on the climate crisis, Santa Cruz residents rallied next to a Valero gas station on Highway 1 / Mission Street urging people to vote no on California’s proposition 23. If it passes on November 2nd, it will suspend California’s Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. AB 32 requires that by 2020 the state’s greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels, a roughly 25% reduction under business as usual estimates. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →

ASA Santa Cruz County Holds First Fundraiser at Trout Farm Inn

Published on August 29, 2010 in Drug War

On August 28th, the new Santa Cruz County chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) held a fundraiser at the Trout Farm Inn on E. Zayante Rd. in Felton, CA. It was the local chapter’s first public event.

Americans for Safe Access, based in Oakland, is the largest member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens working to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic uses and research. ASA works in partnership with state, local and national legislators to create policies that improve access to medicinal marijuana for both patients and researchers. ASA claims to have over 30,000 active members with chapters and affiliates in more than 40 states.

Gail, a member of the Wo/Man’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) who was born with glaucoma and is blind, was grateful for the opportunity to meet and socialize with others who benefit, physically and mentally, from cannabis. As an eighteen year old student at UC Santa Cruz, Gail was passed a joint for the first time. That is when she discovered that marijuana eases the pain she experiences from glaucoma. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →

Peace Camp 2010 Relocates from County Courthouse to Santa Cruz City Hall

Published on August 11, 2010 in Community Building

Red, a participant in the Peace Camp 2010 protest against the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban, said that she and about 15 other demonstrators moved to City Hall at 3am on Wednesday, August 11th. The Peace Camp had been at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse since July 4th, and persevered through six Sheriff raids.

“We took it to the city because it’s a city problem,” said Red. “So we’re camped outside the mayor’s office.” Bob, one of the demonstrators, was reportedly cited for falling asleep in violation of the city’s municipal code against sleeping.

In a frank voice, Red proclaimed, “They chase us around, but there really is no place for us to go. They don’t have shelter space for us. They are prosecuting us for something we can’t help. That’s what the Jones decision was about.” Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Continue Reading →