Posts tagged Santa Cruz
Peace Camp 2010 Relocates from County Courthouse to Santa Cruz City Hall
Aug 11th
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
One Big Earthquake and You’re All Homeless: End the Sleeping Ban
Aug 10th
“One Big Earthquake and You’re All Homeless” was the hand-written message greeting travelers at Ocean and Water, one of the busiest intersections in Santa Cruz County, on Tuesday afternoon, August 10th. The message was displayed by Red and Crow, participants of the Peace Camp 2010 demonstration at the courthouse, who also displayed a sign stating “End the Sleeping Ban”.
Red and Crow have been sleeping outside since their van and personal possessions were impounded. They say they have received only positive looks and feedback from passersby, speculating that people are understanding that homelessness can happen to anybody and anytime.
“If there was a big earthquake, a lot of people would instantly be homeless,” said Crow. “But then the sleeping ban would be lifted,” he added. Read More and View Photos
Kindergartener Nazis?
Aug 9th
Photo by Bradley, August 9, 2010, downtown Santa Cruz.
Text and tip taken from Antifascist 831 (http://antifascist831.wordpress.com)
Encouragingly, someone used black to cross out the “SS” lightning bolt tag in yellow chalk on the wall next to the pay phone on Lincoln Street, and wrote “Kill Nazis” underneath. It is a good practice to cross out racist and nazi graffiti, even if it is written in chalk. Crossing out racist graffiti allows passerby to see that there is that element out there, and also opposition to it, whereas merely covering it up makes the problem invisible.
For those unfamiliar, “SS” refers to Nazi Germany’s Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary force that ran the concentration camps (among other functions), and is a common Neo-Nazi symbol. Read More and View Photo
Sunday Night Sleepers at Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010
Aug 9th
On the night of Sunday, August 8th, eight deputies arrived around 11pm to harass, interrogate and cite two more Peace Camp stalwarts, Chris Doyon and Collette Connally, as they tried to sleep. The wet cold night held health problems for Doyon who said he’d picked up pneumonia after being held for four hours in handcuffs in a police van on Saturday morning, and then stripped of most of his clothes in jail. Read More and View Photos
Attorney Ed Frey Arrested on 35th Night of Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010
Aug 8th
On Saturday, August 7th, shortly before midnight, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs began to awaken and arrest constitutional lawyer Edward Frey as he slept on the plaza of the County Courthouse. It was the 35th consecutive night of Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010, a demonstration against the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban, officially known as M.C. 6.36.010, which makes it a crime to sleep outdoors in Santa Cruz, with or without bedding, at any time between the hours of 11pm to 8:30am.
Frey, and others who have been arrested at Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010, was not charged with violating M.C. 6.36.010, the city law which the demonstration targets. Instead, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs are citing and arresting people for allegedly violating California Penal Code Section 647(e), an anti-vagrancy statute which dates back to slavery laws. Read More and View Photos
