Feature Archives

Since July 4th, a couple dozen people have been protesting the Santa Cruz Sleeping Ban by camping each night from 8pm - 8am at the County Courthouse. Organizer Ed Frey says that the demonstration aims to "convince local and national government to stop breaching the peace, especially that of peaceful sleepers, and to instead use resources to discourage violence and warfare in all its forms."

On July 7th, a group of Scotts Valley residents alarmed about PG&E’s installation of wireless ‘smart’ meters that use microwave radiation to report one’s electricity and gas usage to the utility took their protest to the Scotts Valley City Council. The new group, Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters, is asking the City Council to sign on to moratorium requests to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) by the City of San Francisco and the EMF Safety Network.

According to Staff of SubRosa Cafe, there was a break-in and burglary at their space in downtown Santa Cruz in the early hours of June 26th. Someone broke a window, took some stuff from the backroom and a small amount of money left in the register. A small portion of the SubRosa collective, who were dealing with the aftermath and cleanup, decided that they do not want to pursue charges against the person who was arrested. SubRosa Staff say, "We see this as another symptom of capitalism--some people have nothing and feel desperate enough to break in to spaces that also, it turns out this time, have nothing."

On Thursday, July 8th at 7pm in Watsonville, the Brown Berets are hosting a workshop by acclaimed Bay Area artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. Favianna will discuss the process of developing art in collaboration with community-based organizations. She will also discuss steps for designing visually engaging posters for social justice campaigns.

On June 26th, the Santa Cruz Indian Council Inter-tribal Gathering took place in Louden Nelson Park. There were many performances by native dancers. Elders spoke about the rich history and plight of Native Americans. There were also many vendors and informational tables.

On Thursday, June 24th at 6:30pm at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz, local anarchists are hosting a panel discussion entitled "Demystifying Anarchy" to help non-anarchists understand the depth and nuance of anarchism. The event is intended for people who are curious about the philosophy, or might have questions or concerns. Demystifying Anarchy will feature a panel of anarchists who will speak about what anarchy means to them and how they see the world.

Free Radio Santa Cruz has had their transmitter evicted. The landlord has given word to the collective that their transmitter has to go. Free Radio Santa Cruz has been on the air for over 15 years, but not without having to move from time to time. This is the downside of being an unlicensed, DIY, pirate radio station. Free Radio is urgently reaching out to the community in search of a secure location for their antenna.