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Reclaiming the Streets of Santa Cruz
Invitations were distributed to Reclaim The Streets of Santa Cruz on June 3rd with a free street party for everyone. Slowly but surely, musicians, artists, chalkers, dancers, bikers, disc tossers, walkers and other party goers began arriving at Pearl Alley in anticipation of Saturday night's "experiment in spontaneous urban uprising."
Free loaves of challah and a jug-band got the party started in Pearl Alley. At about 8pm, people drifted into slow-moving traffic on Pacific Avenue to "take over the streets and reclaim community space for community use!"
People left Pearl Alley on Lincoln then marched down Pacific Avenue to Laurel where they danced and played in the intersection before continuing up Laurel and then Cedar. We continued to walk up Cedar as we got word that the Dyke March was on Pacific and heading towards the Town Clock. Reclaim The Streets acted swiftly to join the Dyke March, bringing an interesting twist to both events. The Dyke March was permitted, however Reclaim The Streets did not have or seek a permit.
The intersection in front of the Town Clock was briefly reclaimed to demand equality for people of all sexual orientations. Chalkers drew pictures and wrote "Sin Fronteras" while a couple of partying patriots burned an American flag. Reclaim The Streets moved away from the Town Clock and back towards the busy stretch of Pacific Avenue. Two couches and the back bench of a van were suddenly brought into the intersection in front of Urban Outfitters while classic hits from Michael Jackson filled the air. I could hear onlookers saying, "I love Santa Cruz" as they watched people dancing in the streets. However, not everyone was enjoying the "free street party for everyone" and some of the folks who were unable to get down the street in their cars were quite upset with the situation.
Tensions were eventually diffused at Church and Pacific as the mobile party made it's way towards the Civic Center. The momentum of the party seemed to be dwindling a bit as people arrived, couches in hand, at the intersection of Church and Center Streets. A driver in a truck decided to disregard the people in the street and drove over a bicycle and bike trailer. The bike trailer was stuck under the truck and dragged with sparks flying from Church and Center all the way to Walnut and Chestnut. At this point, Reclaim The Streets was over and one person was a bit scrapped up after being entangled in his bicycle and dragged for a short period of time along with his bike trailer. A couch and van bench were taken to Good Will and one couch, in good condition, was left on the sidewalk outside the library.
People left Pearl Alley on Lincoln then marched down Pacific Avenue to Laurel where they danced and played in the intersection before continuing up Laurel and then Cedar. We continued to walk up Cedar as we got word that the Dyke March was on Pacific and heading towards the Town Clock. Reclaim The Streets acted swiftly to join the Dyke March, bringing an interesting twist to both events. The Dyke March was permitted, however Reclaim The Streets did not have or seek a permit.
The intersection in front of the Town Clock was briefly reclaimed to demand equality for people of all sexual orientations. Chalkers drew pictures and wrote "Sin Fronteras" while a couple of partying patriots burned an American flag. Reclaim The Streets moved away from the Town Clock and back towards the busy stretch of Pacific Avenue. Two couches and the back bench of a van were suddenly brought into the intersection in front of Urban Outfitters while classic hits from Michael Jackson filled the air. I could hear onlookers saying, "I love Santa Cruz" as they watched people dancing in the streets. However, not everyone was enjoying the "free street party for everyone" and some of the folks who were unable to get down the street in their cars were quite upset with the situation.
Tensions were eventually diffused at Church and Pacific as the mobile party made it's way towards the Civic Center. The momentum of the party seemed to be dwindling a bit as people arrived, couches in hand, at the intersection of Church and Center Streets. A driver in a truck decided to disregard the people in the street and drove over a bicycle and bike trailer. The bike trailer was stuck under the truck and dragged with sparks flying from Church and Center all the way to Walnut and Chestnut. At this point, Reclaim The Streets was over and one person was a bit scrapped up after being entangled in his bicycle and dragged for a short period of time along with his bike trailer. A couch and van bench were taken to Good Will and one couch, in good condition, was left on the sidewalk outside the library.
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nice pictures! thoughwouldnt it be better to blur faces for indymedia posts in general? just a thought
yes. everyone knows that federal and local offials have been gathering up people and disappearing them based on images posted to indymedia. i don't want to lose another neighbor.
i heard the freak radio cover of this event...
there was an incident (it may have been the only one) that involved a driver trying to navigate his car through the crowd, only to be heckled which lead to him screaming angrily at the 'reclaimers'.
granted, this guy was probably a jackass in general, but...
for some onlookers who maybe didn't have an opinion of the events, they may have seen this event and been turned off. these may be people who would never support this movement, but they may have been.
it might be a good practice for future 'reclaimers' to make way for vehicles who are just trying to go about their business (people who probably had no idea they would be getting themselves into the middle of it, people who don't want to join and shouldn't be forced to), and to hand out educational pamphlets of the how's and why's of 'reclaiming the streets' to car drivers and onlookers.
there was an incident (it may have been the only one) that involved a driver trying to navigate his car through the crowd, only to be heckled which lead to him screaming angrily at the 'reclaimers'.
granted, this guy was probably a jackass in general, but...
for some onlookers who maybe didn't have an opinion of the events, they may have seen this event and been turned off. these may be people who would never support this movement, but they may have been.
it might be a good practice for future 'reclaimers' to make way for vehicles who are just trying to go about their business (people who probably had no idea they would be getting themselves into the middle of it, people who don't want to join and shouldn't be forced to), and to hand out educational pamphlets of the how's and why's of 'reclaiming the streets' to car drivers and onlookers.
just like the anti-recruiting action, that smoke is awesome. where d oyou get that stuff?
whew! they are hot! heeheee...
Centrum Informacji Anarchistycznej translation into polish!
Reclaiming the Streets w Santa Cruz
oski, Śro, 2006-06-07 12:53 Świat | Kultura | Protesty
3 czerwca dobyła się w Santa Cruz akcja Reclaim The Streets (Odzyskiwanie ulic). Jest to jedna ze strategii ruchu oporu wobec komercjalizacji przestrzeni publicznej oraz zawłaszczaniu miasta przez transport samochodowy, opierająca się na przejęciu przestrzeniu miejskiej przez mieszkańców. Jak głosili organizatorzy: „przejąć ulice i wyzwolić publiczną przestrzeń dla publicznego użytku!”
Akcja, przypominająca spontaniczny karnawał, była otwarta dla wszystkich. Wzięli w niej udział tancerze, artyści, DJ’e, jak i zwykli spacerowicze.
Wszystko rozpoczęło się o godzinie 20. Powoli ludzie zaczęli gromadzić się na Pearl Alley, by wziąć udział w nocnym doświadczeniu spontanicznego, miejskiego powstania. Uczestnicy szli ulicami tańcząc i śpiewając. „Wolne ulice dla wszystkich!” skandowali.
Akcja taka jest „odzyskaniem tego, co od początku powinno być nasze. Nasze nie w sensie ‘naszego klubu’ czy ‘naszej grupy’, lecz nasze, jako ludzi. Wszystkich ludzi. Nasze jako ‘nie rządowe’ i ‘nie korporacyjne’… Chcemy, żeby władza wróciła w ręce ludzi jako zbiorowości. Chcemy Wyzwolić Ulice.”
http://cia.bzzz.net/reclaiming_the_streets_w_santa_cruz
Reclaiming the Streets w Santa Cruz
oski, Śro, 2006-06-07 12:53 Świat | Kultura | Protesty
3 czerwca dobyła się w Santa Cruz akcja Reclaim The Streets (Odzyskiwanie ulic). Jest to jedna ze strategii ruchu oporu wobec komercjalizacji przestrzeni publicznej oraz zawłaszczaniu miasta przez transport samochodowy, opierająca się na przejęciu przestrzeniu miejskiej przez mieszkańców. Jak głosili organizatorzy: „przejąć ulice i wyzwolić publiczną przestrzeń dla publicznego użytku!”
Akcja, przypominająca spontaniczny karnawał, była otwarta dla wszystkich. Wzięli w niej udział tancerze, artyści, DJ’e, jak i zwykli spacerowicze.
Wszystko rozpoczęło się o godzinie 20. Powoli ludzie zaczęli gromadzić się na Pearl Alley, by wziąć udział w nocnym doświadczeniu spontanicznego, miejskiego powstania. Uczestnicy szli ulicami tańcząc i śpiewając. „Wolne ulice dla wszystkich!” skandowali.
Akcja taka jest „odzyskaniem tego, co od początku powinno być nasze. Nasze nie w sensie ‘naszego klubu’ czy ‘naszej grupy’, lecz nasze, jako ludzi. Wszystkich ludzi. Nasze jako ‘nie rządowe’ i ‘nie korporacyjne’… Chcemy, żeby władza wróciła w ręce ludzi jako zbiorowości. Chcemy Wyzwolić Ulice.”
http://cia.bzzz.net/reclaiming_the_streets_w_santa_cruz
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