Feature Archives

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.

On Sunday, June 27, Yonatan Shapira, an Israeli military refusenik, and Eaw Jasiewicz, a Polish activist sprayed "Liberate All Ghettos" in Hebrew, followed by "Free Gaza and Palestine" in English on a wall of an original block in the Warsaw Ghetto. In an interview with an Indybay reporter, Shapira states, "In our act we tried to separate between the actions of the Israeli Government and Jews.... the lesson that should be learned from the holocaust are resistance to any form of racism and ethnic cleansing."

On Thursday, July 8th at 7pm in Watsonville, the Brown Berets are hosting a workshop by acclaimed Bay Area artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. 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.

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.

In this chapter of the series “Hidden in Plain Sight,” Indybay volunteer Peter M writes about Greg Landau. Landau is a record and film music producer living in the Bay Area. He learned filmmaking from his father, Saul Landau, while traveling throughout Latin America. Greg spent most of the 1980s in Nicaragua, where he was baptized by fire working for the Ministry of Culture in the Sandinista government. He relates the experiences that formed the cultural perspective informing his career today.

On Friday, May 28th at 1:30pm in Dept 2 at 701 Ocean St. in the court of Judge Burdick, Free Skool Santa Cruz, Last Night DIY, Trash Orchestra, and SubRosa activist Wes Modes goes on trial for 6 infractions, 5 of them nearly 2 years old, in what appears to be a joint action by D.A. Bob Lee and City Attorney John Barisone. At 12:30pm on the steps of the courthouse, there will be a rally in support of Wes, as well the freedom of assembly and community-generated events.

After 8 years, 13 locations and over 150 free films to the community, Guerilla Drive-In is being targeted by the Santa Cruz Police. On May 14th, local film The Jesus Factor by Cheri Lovedog, showing under the Soquel Ave bridge, was shutdown by Santa Cruz police officers before it even started. This is the second time in two weeks that the authorities have shut down the screenings.