Feature Archives

The Scott and Carrie Support Committee, along with the RNC 8 Defense Committee and friends, are excited to "bring The Conspiracy to Santa Cruz!" On Monday, August 16th at 7pm at SubRosa, the Conspiracy Tour 2010 will feature presentations on the cases of Scott DeMuth, Carrie Feldman and the RNC 8, as well as information on AETA, grand jury resistance, dealing with state repression and more.

Red, a participant in the Peace Camp 2010 protest against the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban, said that she and about 15 other demonstrators moved to City Hall at 3am on August 11th. The Peace Camp had been at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse since July 4th, and persevered through six Sheriff raids. Although Sleeping Bans have been ruled unconstitutional and overturned in several California cities, including San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles and Richmond, it is still enforced vigorously in Santa Cruz.

On the night of Monday, August 9th, between 20 and 40 people gathered, many laid out in sleeping bags, for the 37th night of Peace Camp 2010's high profile protest at the Santa Cruz County Building. Around 4:30am on Tuesday morning, eight Sheriff's deputies were ticketing, evicting, and hauling two people to jail. The total number of citations is now 24, with the arrest total at an additional 9, mostly on the same charge of violating California's anti-lodging law PC 647e, a "disorderly conduct" code which could result in jury trials and public defenders.

On August 7th, shortly before midnight, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs began to awaken and arrest constitutional lawyer Edward Frey as he slept on the plaza of the County Courthouse. It was the 35th consecutive night of Santa Cruz Peace Camp 2010, a demonstration against the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban, officially known as M.C. 6.36.010, which makes it a crime to sleep outdoors in Santa Cruz, with or without bedding, at any time between the hours of 11pm to 8:30am.

Fuck ICE writes: "On Friday evening, August 6, we gathered outside the Santa Cruz County Jail to demonstrate our solidarity with the people locked up inside and express our hatred of imprisonment. About 30-40 of us stood in the middle of Blaine Street, next to both the main County Jail (where 336 people are locked up) and the Women’s Facility (21 people). We banged on drums made from 55-gallon barrels with the intention of creating as much noise as possible to breach the prison walls."

Despite opposition from the City of Scotts Valley and the County of Santa Cruz, PG&E continues to install inaccurate, potentially health damaging 'smart' meters onto homes and businesses. Some Scotts Valley residents have had enough. They are directing employees of Wellington Energy, local contractors for PG&E, to not install smart meters for their homes.

August 4th marked the 31st day and 32nd night of Peace Camp 2010, taking place at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to protest the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban, officially known as M.C. 6.36.010, and provide a safer spot for people to sleep at night. At about 11:15pm, five sheriff's deputies individually approached, awakened, interrogated, warned, and photographed homeless people sleeping at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse.