39th Santa Cruz Pride Parade: Free Bradley Manning!

Take Back Santa Cruz proposes a Bully Free Zone..

I find this profoundly disingenuous, as they've been bullying people for years.
They make people wrong for panhandling and simply for existing as homeless in the Ocean St.
area, along the San Lorenzo River Levee etc. I remember them doing positive loitering in the
River Flats area where simply being latino and standing on a street corner was something they
were targeting.

TBSC ARE our local bullies.
Isn't it ironic?

Apparently Pride is mainstream, and doesn't care about the 'others' that have been 'left behind'.

I remember when Medea spoke at Bookshop...

I don't know why everyone's celebrating.

Perhaps it's Bradley Manning's 1,000th day of imprisonment, or perhaps the fact that the pigs and opportunists at the top of the SF Pride Parade dissed him by denying him in-absentia grand marshal-ship against the wishes of the majority, or the fact that you're now 'liberated' according to the Pentagon so you can travel to distant exotic lands meet new people and kill them, or maybe it's the 'right' to have your love for one another validated and sanctified by perverse religious institutions and murderous governments... Just so you can monetarily benefit.

There's an old trick in politics, many of you probably know about.

It's to take your biggest weakness, or criticism leveled against you and turn it upon your foes.

TBSC did this.

Yes, they are bullies. Anti-democratic.

How do they position themselves?

As a grassroots, anti-bully organization.

People fall for the trick most of the time.


In the process, TBSC probably gained more traction and legitimacy in the community.


And so, what's the response from this group? Anything remotely organized or coherent? Any common goal or focus or strategy?

If one isn't familiar with the gay and lesbian community, here's a brief summary.

There are queers are on the fringes of both greater society as well as the gay and lesbian community. And then there is the bulk of the "community" which are mostly mainstream, middle class folks who are only queer in the sense of being ostracized for our orientations. As soon as this stigma is distinguished, so too will the "queerness" for many gays and lesbians.

For years the local LGBT community has had to deal with complaints and tensions regarding race. SC is run mostly by white folk even though there is a sizable Latino population. The tension exists within the LGBT as well.

TBSC has positioned itself as a mainstream, grassroots organization that is all about making Santa Cruz safer.

Without deeper examination, the Diversity Center, who is the group who sponsors gay pride march in SC, is probably only too happy to have another group marching in the parade and as well as to be affiliated with a self-avowed activist group who is going to support "anti-bullying measures."

The fact that TBSC is able to continually gain more traction amongst so many groups speaks in a large part to how poorly the left, the forces counter to TBSC are doing on an organizational and PR level. There is no organized counter to TBSC that I can see, no clear, succinct alternatives to the various proposals that they are making.

I have read several posts from people who think groups like TBSC should simply be ignored that we give power to them every time we talk about them. But personally, I don't see that as an effective strategy in dealing with them.

How is a 'queer' differentiated from LGBT?

Though probably most who read this site or post here have seen it, I refer folks to " Video of Take Back Santa Cruz[TBSC]-supported Clean Team Harassing Homeless Forced Off Internet" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/05/15/18736901.php .

Check out the video that TBSC-sympathizers successfully got removed from SC Patch (though activists reposted a voice-distorted image-distorted version on indybay).

One wonders where the thousands who flocked to this parade will be on Tuesday when City Council will finalize two anti-homeless laws (that equally impact the already-stigmatized LGBT poor). See "Anti-Homeless Laws at City Council" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/05/26/18737433.php .

The local liberal establishment's wall of silence on human rights violations against the local homeless is also evident at our recent ACLU monthly Board of Directors meeting (see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/05/29/18737615.php?show_comments=1#18737795 & "ACLU Chair Closes Monthly Boad of Directors Meeting, Homeless Issues Off the Agenda" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/05/21/18737162.php).

HUFF activists are planning to distribute information and organize protests Saturday at the 4-5:30 PM Food Not Bombs and 5:30-6:30 Occupy Santa Cruz meetings at the Town Clock as well as the weekly Red Church meal at Calvary Episcopal Church (Lincoln and Cedar) 5-7 PM on Monday. Volunteer to help at 831-423-4833 or some on down to the meetings. The toxic laws will be on the 3 PM agenda, and probably reach the Council for a rubberstamp vote between 3 and 4 PM.

To e-mail this hopeless TBSC-captive group, go to citycouncil [at] cityofsantacruz.com . However much they ignore the e-mails, it's still useful for creating a public record. It's also helpful to send copies of your e-mails to the media (for the Sentinel--if it's intended as a letter, keep it under 150 words).

Awkward.

Very awkward.