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UID:Indybay-18728277
SEQUENCE:18829137
CREATED:20121217T031300Z
DESCRIPTION:The Unstoppable DIY New Years Eve Parade\n\nDespite Santa Cruz City 
 Efforts, Do-It-Yourself Community Celebration Marks Eight Years\n\nSanta 
 Cruz, CA, December 12th, 2012:  On New Year's Eve, as it has for the past 
 eight years, Santa Cruz will again host the Last Night DIY New Years 
 Parade, an event with a long history as a homespun, family-friendly 
 alternative celebration, despite city attempts to portray it as dangerous 
 and irresponsible.  The result of eight years of do-it-yourself community 
 organizing, the Last Night DIY Parade, a community-sponsored New Year's Eve 
 celebration will again hit Santa Cruz streets. \n\nThe Do-It-Yourself 
 parade invites families, friends, and lovers to come and enjoy a community 
 celebration.  Bring your bikes and your costumes, unicycles and musical 
 instruments, drums and banners and noise makers, to bring in the new year 
 in a celebration together.\n\nCommunity members carefully handle 
 organization, traffic control, and cleanup. Every New Years Eve since 2004, 
 the DIY celebration has been peaceful, creative, and fun.  \n\nHowever, 
 because of its lack of official sanction, civic leaders have opposed the 
 celebration from the beginning.  The community-organized event has survived 
 police infiltration of planning meetings, official condemnation, targeting 
 of planners and individuals, and frequent comparison to events that 
 resulted in violence and vandalism.  After eight years, the celebration, 
 however, has enjoyed a spotless record.\n\n"While police and civic leaders 
 try to frighten us with the specter of downtown violence, we just want to 
 participate in a communal celebration with our neighbors," said Elizabeth 
 Burchfield. "They should be ashamed to oppose a peaceful community event.  
 We are tired of being afraid.  It's time to organize together."\n\nIn 2004, 
 Santa Cruz police made national news after they were discovered 
 infiltrating the parade planning group.  An outcry by community members 
 with the help of the ACLU put in place rules to severely restrict local 
 surveillance operations of community groups.\n\nAccording to the Last Night 
 DIY website, the parade, from its beginnings in 2004, was not about merely 
 celebrating, "but celebrating what we as a community can do ourselves, 
 without corporate or city-sponsorship.  It is a celebration of both our 
 autonomy and the support we offer each other."\n\nAs with other years, 
 organization is spontaneous and open.  There is no single group of 
 organizers.  "Everyone who participates makes it happen," said 
 Burchfield.\n\nThis year on New Year's Eve, the DIY Parade will meet at 5pm 
 near the Saturn Cafe parking lot on Pacific Ave and Spruce Street.  Fliers 
 for the event are online at the website at 
 http://lastnightdiy.org\n\n###\n\n 
 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/12/16/18728277.php
SUMMARY:Last Night DIY Parade
LOCATION:Gather at Pacific Ave and Spruce Street
URL:http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/12/16/18728277.php
DTSTART:20130101T010000Z
DTEND:20130101T023000Z
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