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Indybay Feature

Developers Don't Give A Fuck About Us

by ~Bradley (bradley [at] riseup.net)
On July 9th, about 60 people paraded through downtown Santa Cruz as part of the international days of solidarity with the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. Marchers carried colorful anti-development signs and banners, handed out leaflets, taped posters up everywhere, and played improvised drums.
clocktower_7-9-06.jpg
A majority of sidewalk onlookers were curious and willing to read the handouts, and a few joined in. The rally began at the clocktower and grew in numbers until spilling out on to Front St. at 3:00pm. Comfortably filling most of the asphalt, the assembly proceeded down Front to Laurel Street, turning to come back northward up the crowded Pacific Avenue drag and finally ending in a courtyard area across from the Post Office. Marchers congregated in the courtyard to listen to speakers, announcements, and a statement from the farmers, broadcasted from the mobile bike cart PA system.

* Text by U.Z.P. task force, Photos by Bradley

Read the full report back:

Report back from SCF Solidarity Demonstration / Parade
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/09/18286711.php

PDF's of the handout and poster from today's SCF solidarity rally/march
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/09/18286694.php

South Central Farmers Statement of Solidarity with Santa Cruz Rally
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/09/18286621.php
http://indybay.org/uploads/2006/07/09/scf_scruz_solidarity_statement.mp3

Signs of Solidarity with the South Central Farm
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/08/18286489.php

Santa Cruz Solidarity With South Central Farmers
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/08/18286501.php

Days of Solidarity Follow Plowing Under of South Central Farm
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/05/18285745.php
§They Could Spy On You Next.
by ~Bradley
spying_7-9-06.jpg
City of Santa Cruz Fails to Resolve the Police Spying Scandal
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/01/18284537.php
§South Central Farm Is Everywhere
by ~Bradley
everywhere_7-9-06.jpg
The urbanites for zucchini proliferation report that, "200 copies of this poster were put up all around Santa Cruz and more will soon hit the streets!"

http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/09/18286694.php#18286696
§Plotting Resistance
by ~Bradley
resistance_7-9-06.jpg
§Front
by ~Bradley
front_7-9-06.jpg
Less than 24 hours after Independence Day, as legal observers, local residents and farmers watched on, Ralph Horowitz began bulldozing the South Central Farm under the guise of "pruning." Hired security forces punched and pinned down supporters who tried to prevent the bulldozer from uprooting the hundreds of fruit trees while police officers watched on. Ten supporters were arrested.
http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2006/07/116504.shtml

“The plants needed pruning”, said asshole Ralph Horowitz, as his bulldozers destroyed 14 years’ worth of agriculture at the South Central Farm.
http://www.axisofjustice.org/wordpress/?p=71
§Solidarity
by ~Bradley
solidarity_7-9-06.jpg
§Pacific
by ~Bradley
pacific_7-9-06.jpg
§Seed Balls!
by ~Bradley
seed-balls_7-9-06.jpg
U.Z.P. task force reports that, "A large quantity of the clay-based balls, made up of native wildflower seeds, were distributed among the crowd. People went their separate ways with the "seed bombs" in hand, placing them thoughtfully throughout the city as a small guerilla gardening action."
§Rainbow
by ~Bradley
rainbow_7-9-06.jpg
§Maestra
by ~Bradley
maestra_7-9-06.jpg
This maestra at Radcliff Elementary in Watsonville has established a community garden at the school in solidarity with the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. Seedlings from the South Central farm will be planted in Watsonville's newest community garden.

Watsonville Community Garden established in solidarity with South Central Farm
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/05/18285796.php
§Stencil
by ~Bradley
stencil_7-9-06.jpg
§Destroy What Destroys You!
by ~Bradley
destroy_7-9-06.jpg
§Solidarity With The South Central Farmers
by ~Bradley
scf-solidarity_7-9-06.jpg
According to urbanites for zucchini proliferation, "At the north end of Pacific Ave, across from the post office, is a bridge over the exposed foundations of what used to be Bookshop Santa Cruz (before the earthquakes struck). There are murals on the old brick walls, the largest one depicts people fleeing in horror from a collapsing city, from the American flag, to the green of communal life in the countryside. This unique public courtyard is now threatened with annihilation by a city-led “eminent domain” purchase-and-sale to a developer to construct a massive complex of luxury apartments, stretching from the sidewalk of Pacific all the way to the sidewalk of Cedar Street."
§Hurry To Forget
by ~Bradley
hurry-forget_7-9-06.jpg
HURRY TO FORGET
Forget The Land Under
The Concrete
The Stars Behind The Lights
The Imagination Drowned
In The Acceptance
Of This Everyday Life
THIS USED
TO BE
BEAUTIFUL.
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by brightpathvideo
Developers are the way they are because they lack consciousness development.
Plain and simple.
Fight em, yes. And use positive prayer to work on the subtler side of the mind that unifies us all.
by big momma
thanks for these great pictures
by longtime observer
. . . that no one is watching. Seriously, at some point does it not become painfully obvious to SC activists that a finite group of people come out for virtually every protest, and that beyond themselves virtually no one is paying them any attention? Activists in SC are entertaining themselves, to be sure, but they are not reaching the outside world, and they are not changing anything.
by Sean
I agree with the general premise that most of SC is apathetic- which is so dissapointing to me considering the towns progressive reputation. People around the country think of this town as an active town politically. Personally, this goal is not always to get as many people out in the streets. In this case is was to bring attention to the situation at the South Central Farm in LA, and to get people thinking about local community gardens. This type of action doesnt have to involve thousands of people. However, if you look at the May Day participation, there were over 1000 people in the streets. If we can bring the student population together with the poorer areas around the beach flats, there can be a strong movement built towards change. It is the rich white population that could give a fuck- as usual
by again
You folks should start backing plans that work. The South Central Farm folks were on someone else’s land, plain and simple. Everyone who is in favor of such projects needs to back it up with their own money and help buy some land to make a city garden work.

And to say that the college students aren’t also rich white folk is hilarious at best. Not that it matters how much money you have; how much money is in your pocket does not make your ideas valid or invalid.
Shit, this website inevitably draws me into pointless arguments with virtual people...

I don't know if anyone can feel the withering scorn that I'm directing towards "brightpathvideo" and the inane belief that developers "lack consciousness development." Rich individuals (like developers) reflect this entire fucking civilization, they just happen to be at the top at this moment. But even if Ralph Horowitz converted to some nonviolent hippy ideology, there would be other ruthless individuals to fill that same niche in the hierarchy that is this society. I say kill the mind that unifies us all!

Of course, the ineffectuality of protests should be clear to all but the most sadomasochistic of liberals. But I would like to say that many of the people I saw at the protest were...of more radical views than your standard "demonstrators." This was an *act of solidarity,* it was meant to be symbolic. We made a public statement and did that whole "raising awareness" shit (which is important, but not as important as real action) with some really good flyers and posters; we also took the streets and had fun. And if you look closely, we ARE acting towards change in the world directly around us--by seedballing, by growing gardens, by creating community, by talking about local issues (the Pit on North Pacific, the redwoods above UCSC, Arana Gulch, autonomous local gardens, the Werkshop Museum).
by Klost
So folks know, we are being watched….
http://butiamaliberal.blogspot.com/
by A
My thanks to all who made this rally happen. It's good to know there are people around the state who care about our fight here.

The crops have been lost, but they can be replanted. We will take back the land. And this land at 41st & Long Beach in South Central Los Angeles will grow food again.
by in solidarity
actually folks are watching. i think it meant a lot to people in L.A. that solidarity actions were taking place, like the one here in SC. when at the forefront of serious action and in the face of state repression, it is strengthening to know that you have comrades out there who are supportive and willing to act.

by poor white educated, so what?
Yeah, I was there. You don't know me, you don't know my life. You don't know how broke my parents are, how hard i worked to go to college, or what i got out of my "liberal" education (it probably isn't what you think). You don't know that I would rather see governments crumble than liberals elected, that democracy doesn't speak for me, that I am the only one who speaks for me. You don't know that I don't go to every march, every demonstration, in santa cruz or anywhere else. You don't know that I hate Horowitz as much as I hate the people planning the development of new condos all over santa cruz, as much as I hate all of us when we just sit back and let it happen. You don't know that i just want a place where I can scheme, dream, create, plan a future that doesn't include this fucked up civilization. You also don't know what else I am doing with my time, you saw only one hour when I walked down pacific with a drum and a sign. You assumed I had been there before, because you didn't bother to look at me as a real person at a loss for how to act under threat of repression, in the face of destruction. You covered up my face with labels so that you dismiss me as just another "activist." Yeah, it was symbolic. Yeah, it didn't express all the anger and hurt I feel every time a place someone cares about is destroyed.

This action certainly deserves critique, but leave out your assumptions. It felt purely symbolic, not a realm I like to dwell in. But it also felt good to talk about places we care about, to go out and plant new life, to watch children decorate buildings with chalk. I like seeing that photo of the guy in a car holding a poster. It wasn't subversive, it didn't feel like it was attacking this system that I hate. But when I do something that really feels like that attack, I won't be talking about it on indymedia.
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