ALERT: Drummers Being Hassled at Farmer's Market

Sgt. Flippo, Officer Aldridge, and three other cops (two as back-up) began writing warnings to folks on the edges of the drum circle about half an hour after surveilling the crowd from a double-parked squad car.

A week ago Aldridge had parked in the same spot repeatedly watching the larger crowd—swollen by prior publicity and the presence of the Trash Orchestra. He issued no citations or warnings at that time. In the two weeks previous to that police had advanced on smaller drum circles and driven them away, according to Suzanne the drummer.

HUFF activist Coral videoed the police contacts which we hope to place on indybay later. I also recorded some commentary and interaction which I will be playing on Free Radio Santa Cruz at 101.1 FM (http://www.freakradio.org) tomorrow between 6 and 8 PM.

The text of the current “Parking Lot Panic” Law as I call it can be found at http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/council/ordinance/2007/17.pdf . The earlier law, now superseded by this law, is still in the Municipal code on law. The current law does not require the police to warn you, allows for the automatic expansion of the law to all downtown public parking lots and ‘adjacent’ lots.

The drummers, after ignoring the police for awhile, moved to Pacific Avenue to continue drumming at Soquel and Pacific.

There will be a Know Your Rights forum downtown Saturday 1-3 PM across the street from the Cinema 9. HRO (the Human Rights Organization) also meets Saturday 2-4 PM at the Firefly Café.

I would have suggested the drummers move to sidewalk in front of the Bookshop Santa Cruz, since Mayor Ryan Coonerty is the chief author of this law, but only thought of it later.

Strategies for resisting the law will be discussed at the next HUFF meeting (Wednesdays 9:30 AM 701 Ocean St. basement of the County building in the cafeteria).

Yes the drummers and anyone else who was there was hassled right around 4:20 pm. [Coincidence on the time hehe?] I heard it on the radio scanner. At least 3 cops where there at "lot number 4" [Chathcart and Ceder] Also the the cops have begun to refer to the city parking lots by their numbers at all times for all calls and info, even when its not involving the "15 mintue rule"

Join us next Wednesday starting at 4pm in a rousing drum circle chorus of that old civil rights-era spiritual "Fuck the Police State." Trash Orchestra and the Trash Orchestra Auxiliary Brigade will be there.

Oh, you're part of the Auxiliary Brigade, by the way. Read on.

This time, I suggest everyone come out. Leave your ID at home and if they ask for your ID simply refuse. At that point, they can cite you as a John or Jane Doe, or will be obligated to arrest 50 drummers for violating the parking lot panic lot. It'll take every cop car in town.

And in the meantime, we'll drag every shopper in the market over to witness the fun.

Come to the Know Your Rights workshop at 1pm on Saturday at Pacific and Cooper and we'll discuss this and more.

Spread the motha fuckin' word.

A NOTE:

Cacerolazo

From Wikipedia

Cacerolazo is the name of a popular form of protest that consists in a group of people creating noise by banging pots, pans and other utensils in order to call for attention.

The word comes from Spanish cacerola, which means "stew pot". The derivative suffix -azo denotes a hitting (punching or striking) action, and has been extended metaphorically to any sort of shock demonstration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacerolazo

A few pictures taken at the Drum Circle Roust.

A few pictures taken at the Drum Circle Roust on Jan 16th 2008.

Pics from Jan 16th 2008 of police presence and crackdown. Strength in numbers! Come next Wednesdays and support the the peaceful gathering.

Jan 16th 2008 approx 4:30pm.