Feature Archives

Bulldozers entered the South Central Farm in Los Angeles early on July 5th to tear up the farmers' plants-- in spite of the fact that the farmers and community have a scheduled July 12th court date to fight the legality of the sale of the land. Several protesters were extracted from inside the farm, where they had been using their bodies to stop the bulldozers. Hired security guards inside the farm have been working with police to keep farmers and their supporters out of the farm. July 7th through 10th will be South Central Farm International Solidarity Days. There was a solidarity rally at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland on Saturday, July 8th ( Photos | Audio ), and a rally and parade was held in Santa Cruz on Sunday, July 9th ( Photos: 1 | 2 | Audio )

On the Fourth of July, patriotic Americans everywhere celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, cookouts, and time with their families. This year, some celebrations were interrupted by reminders that the United States does not give freedom to everyone. One activity was nearly made illegal this summer: burning the American flag. An amendment backed by the Bush administration to give Congress the power to “ban desecration of the American flag” received one vote less than was needed for passage. Fourth of July protests in the Bay Area reminded people that US imperialism in the Middle East is causing detention, torture, and death for many. Santa Cruz held its 2nd Annual Old Time American Flag Burn at Seabright Beach. Photos

On June 28th, the California State Assembly Agriculture Committee voted unanimously in favor of SB1056, a bill that could take away local government authority over seeds. It will next be heard by the full Assembly Floor, and if it passes there will go back to the Senate. If it passes, this bill would override restrictions on genetically engineered (genetically modified, or GM) crops and seeds, as well as all other local regulation of seeds. People who are concerned about food safety worry that GM foods are being rushed on to the market without adequate time to test the technologies and assure people that genetic engineering of foods is safe.

Several cities and counties in the state have voted to ban genetically-modified organisms within their territories, and these laws would be made invalid by SB 1056. SB1056 would prevent cities and counties from passing any local regulation on seeds, including a prohibition on GE crops, while undermining existing local ordinances that restrict GE in agriculture, and prohibiting any future citizen initiatives relating to food and agriculture. This would invalidate the recent vote by the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors to set up a Precautionary Moratorium on the planting and production of GE crops in Santa Cruz County.

Food safety organizations are asking for people to call, email or fax their Assemblymember to ask him or her to oppose SB 1056. Info about contacting Assemblypeople.

At 8:30am Friday morning, demonstrators staged a blockade at a central Santa Cruz intersection as a gesture of solidarity with the hundreds of families who lost their land in Tuesday's forced eviction of the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. Holding signs both large and small, the 30 or so demonstrators blocked traffic at the intersection with A-frames, a stray sofa, and at least four dumpsters rolled in from nearby businesses. At about the same time that the blockade began, a 20+ foot banner was unfurled over a Hwy 1 overpass reading "Remember South Central Farm--Fuck Ralph Horowitz--Fuck LAPD--SouthCentralFarmers.com"

The death toll for American soldiers in Iraq now stands at 2500. Vigils are planned in Fresno, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and other cities in California. The number of Iraqis who have died as a result of the US occupation is unknown but a study done over a year and a half ago by the British medical journal The Lancet estimated the number of civilian casualties at 100,000.

On May 17th, students, workers and unions were at the UC Regents meeting held at UC San Francisco, primarily in response to University of California's plan to cut workers' pensions. The unions were united and unapologetic, cheering loudly as three California State Senators, including Figeroa (D) and Maldonado (R), called for President Dynes' resignation. ( Audio | Photos)

For the second straight year, anti-nuke/demilitarization activists from around the state disrupted the second day of the UC Regents meeting at UCSF on May 18th. In addition to concerns of corruption on behalf of top UC officials, students continued the decades old tradition of opposition to UC's vital role in the production of weapons of mass destruction. Through it's management of both Los Alamos National Lab and Lawrence Livermore, UC employees have designed every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. As such, the University of California would be complicit in the event of a nuclear strike on Iran. Read more and view photos.

past coverage: DeNuke UC! -- UCSC Students Rally Against Bechtel and Nuclear Proliferation || UC Regents Ignore Massive Resistance, Vote to Build Nukes

The 14-acre South Central Farm was raided early in the morning of June 13th. The police arrested some 40 supporters of the garden, and bulldozed fences and trees.

The South Central Community Farm in Los Angeles had been under consistent attack from the City of LA since the beginning of March. The week before the eviction, the farmers had reported that they had raised enough money to purchase the property.

Photos | Audio 1 | 2