Margarita Lopez, whose son Jesse Lopez (1/25/97 – 12/10/11) was killed on the evening of Saturday, December 10, 2011 off Hecker Pass Road in Watsonville, marches in the annual Peace and Unity March.
Peace and Unity March 2012 in Watsonville
Tag Archives | Watsonville
Letter from Bob Fitch, Renowned Civil Rights Photographer, to Santa Cruz DA: Dismiss All Charges
From: Bob Fitch
Date: March 28, 2012
To: dao@co.santa-cruz.ca.us
Cc: Sam Farr, Luis Alejo, Don Lane, Katherine Beiers, Tony Madrigal
Mr. Lee – regarding prosecution of Bradley Allen for documenting an Occupy event —
I have been a globally published photojournalist for 50 years, on some occasions on assignment from conventional media like LIFE, LOOK, POST, and many times on assignment for “alternative” media like MOTIVE, RAMPARTS, WIN, MALCRIADO, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER, YOUTH, and INDY MEDIA, etc.
18th Annual Peace & Unity March in Watsonville
Article by Heather R. Putnam; photos by Bradley Stuart
On Saturday, October 29, the 18th Annual Peace & Unity March was held in Watsonville, California. The march was organized by the Autonomous Chapter of the Watsonville Brown Berets in collaboration with White Hawk Danza Azteca to honor victims of gang-related violence in Watsonville and to push for an end to the violence in the community. The opening ceremony at Watsonville Plaza began with a blessing song performed by local drummers. Following that, Sandino Gómez, historian for the Watsonville Brown Berets, recounted how the march began in 1994 to honor Jessica and Jorge Cortéz, 16 and 9 years old, who were gunned down execution-style because they had witnessed a gang–related crime. Gómez emphasized that “violence is not the solution” and that everyone present “must be part of the solution”. A representative of the mothers of victims, Rose de Ramirez, who lost her son to gang-related violence sixteen years ago, emphasized, “We need support from the community to stop violence”.
March 4 Day of Action for Education in Watsonville
On March 4, 2010 the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, along with Viernes Cultural, parents, students, and community partners, held a rally in the Watsonville plaza and a symposium to support public education and bring the community together to call for “No more cuts to education!”
The rally began with music by La Sangre. High School students, parents, teachers and union members spoke at the rally. A symposium was held in the Watsonville Cabrillo College Forum and featured John Silver, a filmmaker and video director for the New Teacher Project.
Watsonville Shines at First Annual LGBTI Pride Celebration
People throughout the Monterey Bay Area marched, danced, and sang, with style and grace, at the historic, first annual, Watsonville LGBTI Pride Celebration on August 24th. Many families and youth took part in the march and rally, as well as non-profit, community and religious organizations. The most flamboyant marchers may have been Grupo Horizontes, a social support group in Watsonville and Santa Cruz for gay and bisexual Latinos that works to elevate personal esteem and mutual respect within the queer community with a focus on personal identity. The Brown Berets, perhaps the most recognizable organization in Watsonville, received a loud applause they marched into the plaza with a spray-paint banner that translates from spanish to english as, “Liberation for All of the Oppressed.”