Feature Archives

On a rainy February 15th, People Power! and other cycling advocates demonstrated the everyday utility of the bicycle for transportation. Beginning at the Hub for Sustainable Transportation in Santa Cruz, the Tour de Everyday took participants through various bike routes riders can take to school, to work, to shopping or natural resources.

Teachers for Class War is back on the air at 101.1 FM, and have uploaded their most recent two shows. On January 26th the Maestr@s, hosts of 'Teachers For Class War,' interviewed Genevieve Siegel-Hawley of the Civil Rights Project about school segregation in the 21st Century. On February 2nd they spoke with George Ciccariello-Maher about the police murders of Gary King Jr. and Oscar Grant, and the community response in the East Bay.

On January 28th, George Cadman interviewed Ali Abunimah on Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM regarding the future of Palestine/Israel. In this interview they discuss the recent Israeli assault on Gaza, the "ceasefire," the death of the two-state solution, and the potential for a one-state or bi-national state in Palestine/Israel. Abunimah is a Palestinian American journalist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a not-for-profit, independent online publication about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

On February 4th at Louden Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz, Michael Parenti spoke on the topic of "The War On Prosperity." The event was a benefit for Free Radio Santa Cruz, 101.1 FM. Copies of Michael's latest book, "Contrary Notions," were available at the event. Parenti is one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts, an internationally known award-winning author and lecturer.

Jeffrey Free Luers writes, "Alongside protecting the wild and fostering respect for our planet, one of the tenets of this movement is creating a sustainable future for our communities. In doing so, we must develop communities that have the ability to provide food, water, sanitation, resources and energy in a decentralized and autonomous manner."

On January 23rd, Annette Garcia, a mother of three, was shot to death by Riverside Sheriffs after they received calls that she was suicidal and under duress due to a marriage dispute. Reports by the family and witnesses state that she "posed no harm to the officers involved, yet she was shot at six times until a bullet hit her in the back as she tried to run for cover." Due to this outrage and other recent police misconducts and abuse around the nation, several community members from Watsonville and Santa Cruz held a candlelight vigil protest on January 25th in Watsonville.

On Tuesday, January 27th, at 7:00pm, the Santa Cruz City Council will consider recommendations by Mayor Cynthia Mathews and Councilmembers Lynn Robinson and Ryan Coonerty to make Santa Cruz’ downtown and beach area "more safe, vibrant and welcoming for community members and visitors alike. This effort will improve and expand existing ordinances in order to make them consistent, understandable and enforceable; other programs will address specific issues."