On June 17th, community members, organized by the newly formed Alliance Against Gang Enhancements, rallied and handed out flyers on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and the corner of Ocean and Water to educate the public about the realities of gang enhanced sentences. Organizers say that the sentencing “enhancements” [sic] broadly criminalize youth and do not deter future gang crimes. Rather, they result in huge costs passed on to taxpayers and overcriminalize youth in marginalized communities.
Support for the demonstration was expressed by many car drivers and passengers, as well as people entering the courthouse. However, some folks were apparently less enthusiastic, such as the prosecutor against Richard Bentancourt. The jurors for Bentancourt’s trail were reportedly brought into the courthouse through a backdoor. Bentancourt and two other people are on trial this week for a “gang crime” in which the defendants allegedly participated in a fight in Santa Cruz.
A “gang enhancement” or allegation of involvement in a criminal street gang can transform a simple misdemeanor charge, like shoplifting or trespassing, into a felony crime with consequences that include prison time and juveniles being tried as adults. Read More and View Photos
On May 28th, students, staff, workers, and faculty rallied at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus to protest the UC administration’s decision to cut Community Studies department staff, Latin American Latina/o Studies professors, and director positions at the American Indian Resource Center and the Women’s Center. The rally was organized by the New UC, a coalition that seeks to save quality of education in the UC from regressive, belt-tightening attacks, to ensure universal access to education, and to promote freedom of thought in the university.
On March 31st, César Chávez Day, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department raided the buildings at Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl, also known as D-Q University.
On Sunday, March 30th, a group of about 15 people drove from Santa Cruz to DQU in support of DQU students, elders, land and future generations. At 7:38pm, a Yolo County Sheriff drove onto the property of DQU and then left after about a minute. It is very rare for a Sheriff to drive onto DQU. 
This report is published to raise awareness and as a call out for people to counteract the messages of hate, ignorance and bias on display at UC Santa Cruz and other college campuses.
The UC Activist Defense Committee, along with a large network of supporters, rallied at Kerr Hall on May 24th to defend Alette Kendrick, protect free speech and fight the institutionalized racism that is the University of California. The speak out featured the impassioned voices of History Professor Dana Frank, History of Consciousness graduate student Greg Caldwell and Angela Davis, the most famous professor at UC Santa Cruz. 
