Feature Archives

February 3rd marked the first night of Kinetic Poetics Project, a five day poetry and spoken word festival at UCSC's Porter College Theater. Each night, the Kinetic Poetics Project provides a space for local and student poets to showcase their work for the community and highlights an established poet. As a supplement to the featured poets' performances, the Kinetic Poetics Project has arranged free poetry and writing workshops facilitated by the poets themselves.

Perched in the stairwell of the UCSC extension building, Santa Cruz police officer Auldridge was filming the drum circle and Food Not Bombs at the Farmers' Market on January 30th, presumably with regards to the new "15 minute parking lot rule." The filming was interrupted when a man began waving a "Don't Tread On Me" flag in front of the camera. After being blocked by the flag for several minutes and being observed by a growing crowd, the officer left the building and waved to the camera.

Peter Maiden, Photo Coordinator for Indybay, is currently showing his pictures of Latin Music, shot for Latin Beat Magazine, Timba.com, and many other publications. The show includes 16 digital prints in black and white and color, and covers the years 1998-2007. The photos are on display at 1705 Mission Street in Santa Cruz and will remain up throughout the month of February.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299 contract with the University of California (UC) expired on January 31st. AFSCME members (custodians, food service workers, gardeners, maintenance workers, shuttle drivers, and medical center workers), students, teachers, and community allies rallied at UCSC's Baytree Plaza on January 31st, then marched to the Chancellor's Office at Kerr Hall to demand justice for UC's lowest wage workers.

The Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 9.64 concerns the use of public parking lots and garages and was later amended to apply to all downtown public lots, and went into affect in mid-November, 2007. The law prohibits any person from staying in a parking garage or lot for more than 15 minutes and then only if you're parking or retrieving your car or bike. If you're disabled and can prove it, you have 30 minutes.

The exhibition "Sunday Walk to the Zócalo of Oaxaca" is a multi-media artistic response to the popular revolt and resistance that unfolded in Oaxaca in 2006 and the first traveling solo exhibition outside of Mexico for artist Gabriela León. Some of the elements of the exhibition consist of a "barricade dress" made of barbed-wire, tire treads and mattress springs found amidst the detritus; a video projection of the artist wearing the dress walking among protestors and police; a sound installation that evokes the voices of the crowds; and tarps inspired by the temporary living structures during the lengthy protest. The exhibit is at UC Santa Cruz until March 8th.

The community of Santa Cruz won a victory on January 23rd in Parking Lot #4, the lot at Cathcart and Cedar. There under the two tall trees, the weekly drum circle bounced back from last week's police intimidation. Last week cops with ticketbooks dispersed the drummers, Food Not Bombs, and anyone loafing, loitering, or lingering with warnings of $100+ fines.