Drum Circle and Food Not Bombs at Santa Cruz Farmers Market

Nice relevant story that sets the scene for what City Council, the Downtown Association, and the SCPD are moving to eradicate.

There will still be plenty to do at the Farmers Market.
We can still buy our fresh veggies, fish, oysters, meats, pies, herbs and all kinds of other things. Mmmmmmm fresh summer corn! Aromatic basil!!
We can do it in an environment that is peaceful and without noise and disruption.
Some people don't like the noise.
A lot of people don't like the noise.
This will make it more enjoyable to a broader group of people.

I submit that the cars driving by and the conversation of the merchant next to you was far louder than any drum circle in the distance. If you want to go over to the drummers and complain to them yourself, that is fine. However when anyone uses the power of government to repress and especially to disband an organization that is simply excercising a broad interpretation of free speech rights, that person or group who does this is being extremely petty in my opinion.

For the record, 501 c3's have only lost their non-profit status due to their political organizing when they crossed a very specific line defined by the IRS: they supported a particular political candidate during an election cycle. I've seen people on both the right and the left try to get their way with 501 c3's by claiming that they violated IRS rules concerning what is an educational institution or by claiming that they violated their mission statement. They pulled this kind of tactic because they thought the 501 c3 was either doing too much political lobbying or not enough lobbying respectively. This type of tactic would legally be characterized as "silly"or "frivilous" if it weren't for the fact that it is so sad. You people need to cool off and learn how to live and let live, or at least organize in legitimate numbers that will get the attention of the org that you want to influence without having to bring out the hired guns of the police state.

Thanks Bradley for the post. Here is a video from Jan 9th, 2008 where the Santa Cruz Trash Orchastra came and many concerned citizens and musicians joined them. Their was lots of police surveillance but no arrests or driving them away, I believe due to there numbers. Thanks all who stood up, who feed, who continue to fight for our right to use public property. Peace Out!
Tim Rumford

someone commented that "some people don't like the noise" of the drums, and there would still be plenty to do. well, there would still be plenty to do if music was banned altogether from society, but i wouldn't want to live in such a society. for one thing, they're not that loud in the market itself, cause they're not in the market space. far more annoying than drums are the noise of cars, motorcycles, and the pollution spewed by both, as well as the total toxifying of a once wild area. people have to be pretty desensitized to think that the daily posioning of the earth and all creatures is less annoying than people engaged in communal music making at a distance. this is the only regular open drum circle in santa cruz, and it has brought joy to many people.