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SEQUENCE:18814247
CREATED:20120717T161600Z
DESCRIPTION:TWO COURTS AT 9 AM\nPreliminary Hearings for two of the Santa Cruz Eleven 
 are scheduled for July 23rd.\n\nThere is a readiness hearing, however, on 
 Friday July 20th.\n\nIt's at 9 AM for both of them, but in two different 
 courts.  Courts other than courtroom 6--where 95%  of  the hearings have 
 been held before Judge Paul Burdick.  Burdick has repeatedly dismissed 
 these prosecutions as unsupported by the evidence and violating First 
 Amendment rights.\n\nThe  readiness hearings will be held in Courtroom 3 
 for Franklin ("Angel") Alcantara and Courtroom 7 for Cameron 
 Laurendau.\n\n\nHISTORY OF HARASSMENT\nD.A. Young has repeatedly and 
 unsuccessfully tried to eliminate Burdick from the hearing process--making 
 untimely actions & dragging defense attorneys to court on frivolous 
 motions.  She has also refiled the same discredited charges against two of 
 these defendants (the two slated for readiness hearings on July 20th) in a 
 continuing campaign of harassment.\n\nIt's my understanding that the 
 defense attorneys will move for a continuance to postpone the Preliminary 
 Hearings.\n\nIt's also possible the court or D.A. may want to combine these 
 cases with those of the remaining five SC-11 defendants currently charged:  
 Becky Johnson, Gabriella Rippleyphipps, Desiree Foster, Brent Adams, and 
 Robert Norse.\n\nThese five have a joint Preliminary Hearing scheduled for 
 August 20th in Dept. 6.\n\nCome and find out--and provide solidarity with 
 the defendants.  \n\nHowever this is not a key hearing.  If the Preliminary 
 Hearings go ahead on July 23rd at 9 AM in those two courts, that would be a 
 more substantial and informative event.\n\n\nDARK BACKGROUND\nThe D.A. is 
 proceeding with these charges in spite of having been unable to persuade 
 Judge Burdick that the "vandalism", "felony vandalism", and "conspiracy" 
 charges have enough merit even to reach trial.\n\nDefendants encourage the 
 community to provide support by going to the www.santacruzeleven.org 
 website.\n\nThese are the most serious charges yet issued against any 
 Occupy defendants or homeless advocates in Santa Cruz.  Together seven 
 defendants are still charged with 14 felonies and 14 misdemeanors 
 each--which has a maximum sentence of 7 years apiece.\n\nThe attacks on 
 these defendants is happening at the same time as a massive crackdown on 
 homeless people in Santa Cruz and their survival encampments.   See 
 http://santacruzpolice.blogspot.com/2012/07/illegal-campsite-enforcement-efforts.html\nsantacruzpolice.blogspot.com 
 .\n\nThe charges stem from the fact that police and D.A. seem to want to 
 make a frightening example of eleven defendants who were supporters and 
 reporters of the attempt last year by a much larger group of people (none 
 of whom are charged) to create a Community Center at the 3 1/2 years vacant 
 Wells Fargo Bank-leased property at 75 River St.\n\nThat action ended 
 peacefully with no arrests, but two months later deputies went to the homes 
 of high-profile activists in the community generally with only peripheral 
 involvement in the occupation and took them away in handcuffs with high 
 bail.\n\n\nPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS\nWhether this is election year antics, an 
 opportunistic attack on Santa Cruz gadfly activists that police dislike, or 
 a coordinated national effort to crush Occupy nationally and locally is 
 hard to say.   But it has all three effects.\n\nSo far a councilwoman 
 (Katherine Beiers) who--among hundreds of others--came and went in the 
 vacant bank building without being warned, cited, or arrested, has 
 cancelled her City Council re-election run. Beiers was recommended for 
 prosecution by the Santa Cruz police.   \n\nSo the conspiracy by police and 
 D.A.s to single out and scapegoat the SC-11 may also have broader political 
 purposes.  Beiers, though far less outspoken in recent years, has in the 
 past verbally criticized police department abuses, supported a civilian 
 police review board, and initiated human rights legislation for the 
 homeless.\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/17/18717669.php
SUMMARY:Different Courts Split Santa Cruz Eleven
LOCATION:701 Ocean St.  Courthouse
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/17/18717669.php
DTSTART:20120720T160000Z
DTEND:20120720T163000Z
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