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Details are quite sketchy, but on August 7th, police raided a home on the 700 block of Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz. It is the same home that was raided on February 24, 2008. In the February raid, police assert that the home, or the people who were inside of it, were somehow connected to what they proclaim are animal rights activists that held a protest that allegedly ended with a scuffle at a UC Santa Cruz researcher’s house. The raid on August 7th was apparently carried out by at least the Department of Justice, FBI, and UCSC police.

While police removed belongings from the front house on the property, other people were loading their items into trucks parked in front of the house. The people in the back house happened to be moving out at the same time that the police decided to raid the house in the front. Apparently nobody was home at the front house during the raid. The following photos were taken at about 7pm. Read More and View Photos

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On August 4th, at the main entrance to UC Santa Cruz, faculty members held a demonstration in support of their colleagues who were targeted with firebombs on August 2nd in what authorities are calling attacks by animal liberationists. Corporate news reporters, and their flock of more than ten white vans, were all over the scene to quickly sensationalize the story.

I spoke with numerous people to listen to their feelings, document why they chose to attend the demonstration, and in some cases to inquire about potential consequences to student privacy when organizing future events. The people I spoke with included researchers, a lecturer, professors, UCSC students, a Santa Cruz High School student that lives in faculty housing, UCSC’s Executive Communications Coordinator, Guy Lasnier, and finally with UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal. Read More and View Photos

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On August 1st, more than a dozen bicyclists went on a “mystery ride” to tour the hallowed out remains of businesses along Soquel Ave., Water St. and Mission St. in Santa Cruz. Mystery rides, where the route is not known by most riders, are usually organized in advance by one or more bicyclists as a fun, creative and safe way to enjoy a community bike ride.

Seeds were sown after cyclists rode around the dirt lot on Ocean and Water, where a Shell station once conducted their dirty business. The next stop was on Soquel Ave. where there was once a Wienerschnitzel. At this point, the question was asked, “Who knows what these businesses have in common?” Someone stated that the businesses were related to a failing car culture, while someone else theorized that maybe the commonality was that the businesses sold hot dogs. Stencils painted onto cardboard were placed along the fence guarding the abandoned Wienerschnitzel as well as one protecting an empty car sales lot. The final stop was an out of business Shatzki gas station on Mission Street. Read More and View Photos

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The Sprockettes, Portland’s all female mini-bike dance team, rolled their veggie oil powered bus into Santa Cruz to give two free performances at the Bike Church on July 22nd. Operation Bike Nation 2008, stopping in bike-friendly towns from Santa Cruz to Seattle, features sex-positive club music while The Sprockettes dance in hot pink and black clothing and do tricks on mini-bikes.

The Sprockettes say their mission is to support and interact with the communities around them, advocate bicycle riding, promote positive self-image for all body types, encourage a healthly and physical lifestyle, and to organize and operate their dance troupe in a collective fashion. Read More and View Photos

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Free Skool Santa Cruz (FSSC) is a completely grassroots effort, a collection of locals acting collectively and autonomously to create a skill-sharing network, a school without institutional control. It is an opportunity to learn from others and share what they know, to help create self-reliance, vital communities, and beauty in the world. Classes and workshops offered during the summer of 2008 include free drawing at Natural Bridges, Ju-Jitsu, knitting, letter writing to prisoners, consent and sexual/intimate violence, building a bike wheel, and so much more.

On July 18th, I went to the Bike Church because the back tire was flat on my bicycle. Although the mechanic was getting ready to close shop for the day, I given a warm welcome to put my bike up on a rack and repair it myself. It felt good to personally take care of my transportation needs rather than rely on the assistance of someone else. I returned home, checked my Free Skool Santa Cruz calendar, and learned that a class called “Intro to Bikes, Bike Maintenance” was being held the next morning at the Bike Church.

That next morning, July 19th, I rode down to the Bike Church ready for my first day of summer skool. A very kind bike church mechanic and two other classmates were ready to get started. The class was a practical overview of the bicycle, from brakes to shifting to proper tool usage. It was also a useful introduction to the Bike Church. Time was allocated for group instruction and discussion during the first portion of class and then time was given for the three of us to troubleshoot our own bicycles with guidance from the mechanic. One highlight for us was learning to true our wheels. After class, not only did our bicycles ride much smoother, but we felt empowered and made new friendships. Read More and View Photos

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