Feature Archives

Students, educators, workers, and supporters of the Occupy movement, converged in the thousands on the State Capitol in Sacramento on March 5th. They were there to demand that the government fund education and social services. In the morning, a march left Sacramento's Southside Park headed for the Capitol. There they were joined by thousands of other protesters. They came from across the state.

One of the major issues now confronting the City of Santa Cruz, and residents outside the city limits, too, is whether or not the City should partner with the Soquel Creek Water District to construct a $100 million dollar desalination plant to meet the need for water during drought periods in the City of Santa Cruz water service area, and to help relieve the threat of groundwater overdraft in the Soquel Creek Water District. A kickoff party for the Right to Vote On Desalination initiative will be held on Sunday, February 12th in Santa Cruz.

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, January 30th, a small group of activists hung a banner from the La Fonda HWY 1 overpass by Harbor High. The banner read "WIDENING WASTE$". The approximately one-mile widening project will cost almost $20 million, to be funded by the State Transportation Bond and State Transportation Improvement Program funds. There are a number of other projects competing for those millions of dollars that may now not be funded because of the high cost of the widening project.

Occupy Oakland planned to reclaim a large vacant building with the purpose of putting it to use as a social center, kicking the new occupation off with a two day festival packed with speakers, workshops and performances. Marchers headed toward the abandoned Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, but Oakland police formed lines of riot police on perimeter streets and around the building. Tear gas was fired at marchers in front of the convention center, and again in large amounts along with projectiles around the corner at 10th and Oak streets. Later, another march headed through downtown Oakland, presumably to find an alternative building to claim as community space. Police kettled marchers in the Uptown Apartments park on Telegraph, and then again on Broadway in front of the YMCA. At the YMCA, hundreds were arrested, including several independent journalists. Many of those not kettled then marched back to the plaza where protesters burned a flag on the steps of City Hall.

Gary Johnson, the homeless activist doing the nightly protest against the Sleeping Ban, the Lodging Ban, and the curfew at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse from late December until earlier this month, has been incarcerated since January 6 in what amounts to indefinite detention for the crime of sleeping. Johnson has received the bail amount of $5000 after having been arrested four times for "lodging" 647(e) and "trespassing" 602(o) during his protests.

A community park was established in downtown Santa Cruz on December 3rd when volunteer gardeners gathered at dawn to build raised concrete flower beds, plant shrubs and fruit trees, and build benches. By early afternoon they hung a sign to welcome people to the new community park. "This is an ongoing process of creation," said one of the gardeners, "We'll be planting through the winter. As these new sprouts take root it will be beautiful!"

Friday, December 2nd will see a full afternoon and evening of protest on the streets of San Francisco. With the rallying cry, "Stop the Cuts! Tax the Rich!", labor and community activists will occupy the Federal Building plaza at 7th and Mission from 2pm. Later in the afternoon they will march past symbols of corporate and financial corruption, continuing into the evening with a rally and concert at the OccupySF encampment at Justin Herman Plaza.