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Santa Cruz Indymedia - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area
Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010 continues at the County Building.
Free Radio Santa Cruz has had their transmitter evicted. The landlord has given word to the collective that their transmitter has to go - and soon.
Free Radio Santa Cruz has been on the air for over 15 years, but not without having to move from time to time. This is the downside of being an unlicensed, DIY, pirate radio station. Free Radio is urgently reaching out to the community in search of a secure location on the westside, northside or eastside that has a roof or a tall tree for a transmitting antenna.
Read more |  Audio PSA
The U.S. District Court in San Jose has thrown out the indictment of four animal rights activists who were charged with violating the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, because the government did not clearly explain what, exactly, the protesters did. The case is not over, however. The government can still re-indict the defendants with an amended bill of particulars that clearly outlines their alleged actions.
On Thursday July 22nd at 6pm at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz, the Resource Center for Nonviolence & the Palestine Israel Action Committee, will host a Gaza teach-in to discuss solidarity with Palestine, including what happened during the Peace Flotilla. Paul Larudee, a co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement to break the Israeli siege of Gaza, will be one of the featured speakers.
On July 9th, people gathered at the corner of Pacific Ave. and Cooper St. in downtown Santa Cruz to protest against police murder and the unjust verdict in the trial of Johanes Mehserle, and to express solidarity with protesters in Oakland. About two dozen demonstrators held signs and engaged pedestrians. The demonstration drew reactions from tourists, locals, and the police.
 Video |  Photos
See also: Attack on Police Car
On July 7th, a group of Scotts Valley residents alarmed about PG&E’s installation of wireless ‘smart’ meters that use microwave radiation to report one’s electricity and gas usage to the utility took their protest to the Scotts Valley City Council. The new group, Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters, is asking the City Council to sign on to moratorium requests to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) by the City of San Francisco and the EMF Safety Network.
Questions continue to be raised about billing accuracy, fire safety, and exposure to electromagnetic radiation. “Just as worrying scientific evidence is beginning to emerge about the health impacts of cell phones and wifi, do we really want to install millions of new sources of this radiation throughout our communities, with very little benefit to the consumer?” asks Joshua Hart, Director of Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters. Read more
According to Staff of SubRosa, there was a break-in and burglary at their space in downtown Santa Cruz in the early hours of June 26th. Someone broke a window, took some stuff from the backroom and a small amount of money left in the register.
A small portion of the SubRosa collective, who were dealing with the aftermath and cleanup, decided that they do not want to pursue charges against the person who was arrested. SubRosa Staff say, "We see this as another symptom of capitalism--some people have nothing and feel desperate enough to break in to spaces that also, it turns out this time, have nothing. Crimes against property are driven by poverty and desperation. We have no desire for police in our community and will not be working with them in this case, except to recover our property, which they have in their possession." Read more
On Thursday, July 8th at 7pm at 555 Main St. in Watsonville, the Brown Berets are hosting a workshop by acclaimed Bay Area artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. The Watsonville Brown Berets state, "There has never been a movement for social change without art and visual communications being central to that movement. Graphics are powerful living reminders of struggles for worldwide peace and justice." Favianna will discuss the process of developing art in collaboration with community-based organizations. She will also discuss steps for designing visually engaging posters for social justice campaigns.
Favianna Rodriguez is an artist-entrepreneur who has helped foster resurgence in political arts both locally and internationally. Named by UTNE Magazine as "leading visionary artist and changemaker,” Rodriguez is renown for her cultural media projects dealing with social issues such as war, immigration, and globalization, as well as for her leadership in establishing innovative institutions that promote and engage new audiences in the arts. In 2001, Rodriguez co-founded the EastSide Arts Cultural Center in Oakland. In 2003, she helped established the Taller Tupac Amaru print studio to promote the historical practice of socially-engaged printmaking. In 2009, she co-founded Presente.org, a U.S.-based, nationwide organization dedicated to the political empowerment of Latinos via the internet and mobile messaging.
Read more | Hidden in Plain Sight: Media Workers for Social Change
On June 26th, the Santa Cruz Indian Council Inter-tribal Gathering took place in Louden Nelson Park. There were many performances by native dancers. Elders spoke about the rich history and plight of Native Americans. There were also many vendors and informational tables.
The Santa Cruz Indian Council (SCIC) is an inter-tribal Non-Profit 501-(c)(3) organization composed of Native American and non-native members in the Central California region. SCIC is dedicated to teaching respect for traditional Native American cultural values.
Video and Photos: Part 1 and Part 2
Melissa Schott writes, "Peace On The Streets, being a group for only five weeks, was able to organize a community forum that not only discussed the violence on the streets but was able to address the problems our community has been faced with and came up with many solutions. I have never seen such a great crowd where each person cared so much about their surroundings. In little words I would like to admit that I, Melissa Schott, am proud to be one of many in such a progressive group.
"Many Groups such as The Brown Berets and Familia Center joined in to present ways to help solve our issues with violence. We as the community then took our minds together to create a plan for a better future. Not only did the voice of the community get heard, but the voice of students; a voice that is seldom addressed."
Read more and view photos
Positive Loiterer writes, "When Take Back Santa Cruz first appeared as a response to a gang-related stabbing of a high school student last year, it seemed reasonable enough. Why not have an organization dedicated to making our community safer, largely through encouraging people to spend more time 'positively loitering' in public spaces? Before long, however, it became clear that TBSC had a fairly narrow vision of what safety means, and from whom Santa Cruz should be taken back.
"For TBSC, homelessness is a problem not for desperate people scraping by on the street, but for the rest of us who are burdened with having to see and occasionally interact with them. Thus their solution is not to work towards building a community with sufficient jobs and housing and mental health services, but to 'clean up' homeless camps in the hopes of pushing them away to someone else’s town. Similarly, their solution to gang violence or any other crime is simply to support the police and prisons; analyzing the causes of crimes, and considering preventative measures are not only not mentioned, but rejected out of hand."
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9AM Monday Aug 2
Peace Camp 2010
11:30AM Wednesday Aug 11
Forestparty
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Wes Modes returned to Santa Cruz County Court on July 16th. This high-profile infraction case, claimed by supporters as harassment of Modes, a well-known anarchist activist, stems from his alleged participation in the Last Night DIY New Year's parade on December 31st, 2009, as well as a knowledge that the 2009 parade did not receive a permit. A ruling in the case is expected shortly after August 9th.
