Parks and Streets Reclaimed in Modesto!

Parks and Streets Reclaimed in Modesto: A Report from Reclaim the Parks
By crudo

On July 23rd, Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians, (DAAA) Collective, called for the third annual Reclaim the Parks in Modesto CA. Wanting to expand the scope of the park occupation beyond just being about the homeless, and the issues that they face regarding police repression, lack of affordable housing, and lack of permanent shelter, the event worked to draw connections between other issues that also affect other communities such as urban sprawl, police brutality, lack of access to housing and jobs, and environmental racism. The event attracted around 100-150 people throughout the day, three meals were served as well as a Really Free Market, and a group of about 30-40 anarchists and anti-authoritarians from Modesto, Fresno, and the bay area also marched through the streets of Modesto in an un-permitted march that lasted close to an hour.

Reclaim the Parks started off with breakfast served by Food Not Bombs, and the opening of our Really Free Market. The only police presence was a police car parked across the street, but soon left after collective members started to video tape it. The Really Free Market was very large, and huge bags of clothing where laid out, as well as extra food, kids toys, and stuffed animals. A literature table was also set up, and massive amounts of anarchist propaganda was put out for free. Lunch was then served, and several games were played. A piñata’ in the shape of a large pink pig with a police uniform was set up on a rope system, as people took turns whacking the crap out of it with a PVC pipe. The piñata did not last long, and soon candy littered the ground underneath it.

Later, a round circle discussion was formed to talk about various issues, and give various communities the chance to talk about different projects going on in their home towns. The group of mostly young people was very diverse, with people coming from various backgrounds. Members of the communities of Grayson and Patterson where on hand to discuss with the group the concerns of their community in relationship to the Covanta plant, which burns various computer parts and plastics and releases Dioxin into the air, and has harmful side affects to the people who live nearby. The presenters also talked about the process of environmental racism in the city, pointing out instances of harmful companies polluting and harming largely working class and communities of color. Bay area anarchists talked about work to counter the Minutemen, work being down around the proposed San Francisco faire hike, and various upcoming events in the city. Organizers with the DAAA Collective talked about the history of Reclaim the Parks, police harassment issues towards the homeless, and also police repression topics that face other communities.

At around 4pm the group took to the streets of Modesto for a march, crying that another Modesto was possible, but one that would rest control in the hands of the people, workers, and communities that made it up, not in the city’s elite. Holding banners which read, “Community not Development”, and waving anarchist, IWW, and other flags, the group made their way towards downtown Modesto. Chanting “Who’s Streets? - Our Streets!”, and “Shelters not Prisons - Food Not Bombs!”, the march worked it’s way down main streets of the city, until the march spilled into an intersection, taking up several lanes. In about five minutes, police were behind the march, and then it was followed by police on motorbikes. Chants were started of “Sammy Galvan Will Be Heard! Justice will be served!”. At one point, police attempted to block the march, and as several police got out of the cars, the march broke out into a full run, and then restarted going up a street of oncoming traffic. According to various people in the march, and also police later in the day, the police called out to various other police on duty and to various people within the march by their first and last names, identifying various collective members that were in the march. Now marching up a street of oncoming traffic, the march was now trailed by several motorbike cops, an undercover car, and police cars. Police made attempts to push the march onto the sidewalk again and again, as the march went in and out of the road.

The marchers continued to march, as they took a side street that was completely empty of people, as they walked closer to their destination of Cesar Chavez park. Police, using the opportunity of no one around, drove their motorbikes onto the sidewalk, (where the large portion of the marchers were at that time), and blocked exit into the street with police cars. Quickly the officers moved out of their cars, and detained one person who they considered to be the leader, (the author of this report), and then proceeded to detain two other individuals that are organizers with the collective. When asked why they were being detained, the officers replied to the protestors that they three were being detained because the police officer “knew them”. One collective member with a camera who was filming the march and stayed on the sidewalk the entire time, was told that he was being detained, (after repeated asking), because he had crossed into the street without using the cross walk at a specific intersection. The officers that were present indeed did know many of the local organizers with the collective. Many of them have either had arguments with us and threatened us with arrest while we engage in Copwatch, have argued with us, ticketed us, or threatened us with arrest when we table in the downtown area during Anarchist Café’, some have had complaint forms filled against them by us, and the head police officer on duty also has taken statements from us in regards to complaints we have filed against various officers. Police have also numerously singled out various people within the collective who they consider “leaders” for ticketing before. While the three people were getting cited, police then tried to talk to “the leader” of the event with little success. After picking out the tallest white man in the group and trying to talk to him, the detainees were let go. As the police then left, we then spotted a police officer taking pictures of us, but when we started yelling at him and talking pictures of him, he then rushed off in his car with great speed.

After the police left, the march continued on the sidewalk until we reached the next street. This street was the freeway overpass, and once again the street was occupied. The marchers then made their way through the West Side Modesto neighborhood, chanting, flying flags, and holding banners. Many people came out of their homes, talked to us, and were very supportive. Once at Cesar Chavez park, we fed dinner, re-set up the Really Free Market, drank water and rested in the shade of the trees as we reflected on a long day.

We feel like the event was a success, although we can learn many things about the action that we can do better next time. In both the areas of militant street protest, and on the ground organizing, we can only expand and learn in both arenas. The added help of people from out of town was also crucial to the action itself, and shows that solidarity can greatly help small town collectives with the help of just a handful of new people. Outreach and critique of capitalism and the state will continue, organizing and working to build alternatives to it will go on, and actions against the apparatus of private ownership of the means of production and the hierarchal nature of class society will increase. Here in the valley, as well as across the world - our resistance is as global as their capital! Our cities are like factories, and the police like the guards - join us on strike!