Feature Archives

The second public meeting to save the Beach Flats Community Garden took place on April 3rd. At the meeting, the gardeners put forward a bilingual plan for the garden to be managed by the gardeners. Reyna Ruiz of the Beach Flats Community Center said that the plan was something that she could work with and present to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation as well as the Seaside Company which claims ownership over the land. The gardeners asked Brent, a supportive neighbor of the garden, to accompany Reyna when she presents the plan to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation Department.

A groundbreaking independent report prepared by the Environment and Human Rights Advisory outlines 23 international human rights that may be violated by the aerial spraying program conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for the Light Brown Apple Moth. These are in addition to other potential violations of US and California constitutions and state statutes.

In the fall of 2007, workers at Lakeside Organics in Santa Cruz County filed numerous complaints against their employer, including denied breaks and unpaid overtime totaling more than $10,000, sexual and discriminatory harassment, unsafe working conditions, lack of medical compensation for job related injuries, and "dumping" injured workers. Long drawn-out legal efforts to hold Lakeside Organics accountable for its labor abuses have highlighted the discrepancy in legal resources between the laborers and the corporation. Traditional legal support systems for migrant laborers such as California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) have been systematically targeted and de-funded by corporate interests that the government has come to represent.

At 9:45 in the morning of March 31st, a large force of Yolo County Sheriffs stormed the buildings at D-Q University, battering their way into the hallway of the large dorm with guns drawn, and arresting 18 students, community supporters, and elders. In a similar incident on February 20th, Sheriff's deputies came onto the sovereign campus and arrested three students. The students arrested on February 20th have their court date on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:30am at the Woodland Courthouse and they have put out a call for supporters to attend. The court date for the 18 people arrested on March 31st is not yet known.

The international network demanding accountability for the murder of US journalist Brad Will released secret documents detailing proposed military support for Mexican security forces implicated in murder, torture and continuing arbitrary detentions.

Bicicleta Bandito writes, "Felipe explains that the police had initially pulled him over for riding his bike incorrectly but then started asking him where he's going (home), where he's coming from (soccer practice), if he's in a gang (no), and then take his picture. He points out that his street is the next block over and that it makes little sense to cross 30-40 feet of pavement just to cross back in a couple of seconds. He also points out that he's seen little girls riding their bikes the way he has and asks me if I think the police would have pulled them over."

The Beach Flats Community Garden has had its ups and downs over the years, constantly reminded that the land is leased, rather than owned, that at any point the land might be taken back. This year, the threat of eviction is a bit more real. The City has created a new garden plot, maybe one twentieth the size of the Community Garden, and has asked the gardeners to give up their keys and stop planting.