A Portrait: 420 at UC Santa Cruz

Sounds like the demo was great. Great coverage, Josh. For related comments, check out http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/25/18404761.php?show_comments=1#18404818.

Now if such demos were only held weekly or monthly. Or perhaps every time a student were cited or arrested, or a trial was held.

If you've been cited or know of a case, please post it on indybay.

I went down to the meadow early and was turned away by some campus security officers and cops. So me and two other random folks went back to the porter quad and told everyone there that we would all go down as a group at 4pm and "re-take the meadow." Many students were discouraged and instead went up to the college 9/10 meadow, but between the three of us we were able to get around 300 students gathered in the quad.
We actually ended up getting impatient and went down en mass at 3:30ish, and as soon as our group started down, it seemed like everyone on campus followed shortly thereafter, with many people at the 9/10 meadow changing their minds and following us.

There's some good videos of it on youtube, and I know there are many more photos and video floating around there.

On a side note, one of the two other people I was with who were trying to rally the rest of the students was given a write up by administrators for unspecified rule violations.

its unfortunate we cant get this amount of people for more pressing issues.

I was down at the meadow before the larger crowd showed up. I got to the top
of the hill sometime around 2:30, and sat for a while and watched the
propoganda minister (Safety Committee Liaison or something), passing out the
yellow fliers and talking to people. There were two uniformed cops and one
that looked like he was a cop in plain clothes or a university official, and
a few more roaming the field, no more than 10 but I don't think there were
that many. The cops weren't initiating any contact, but some of the students
got into conversation. At that time there were only about 10-15 students
sitting down near the cop's Tahoe.

We talked to the fire department officials that were at the top of the hill,
(outside of the Porter dining hall)...they said that they were called a
month ago by the UC Regents office, and asked them to be there to 'ensure
safety'. The police had a similar story...that they were called by the
Regents about a month ago. The propogandist, however, said that they have
been planning this since last year, after someone was apparantly injured and
there were health/safety concerns. He said that for at least the last few
months they had this in mind.

I did hear those rumors going around that someone called the UC regents and
threatened to pull funding if there was no action taken.....but it was the
same rumor that went around without much else to help or confirm it.

When I was walking to the meadow some passer-bys said that they were
gathering at 9/10, some said they were going to charge the field at 420. I
was sitting down at the meadow, near the cops, which by about 4 or so there
were 4 standing by the vehicle, and the rest were up on top of the hill. We
heard the noise coming from up at Porter and saw the line of people began
walking down. There was also a good-sized group at the top of the hill by
the Porter dining hall where the fire fighters were, and they came down as
well.
When the masses were coming down the hill I was a bit curiously concerned
about what would happen.....whether there were room fulls of police waiting
for their chance....perhaps taking the oppurtunity present after hearing
news that with the recruiters not showing up on Tuesday, thus ruining their
chance to bring another beat down.

... it was completely peaceful....no instigations from either the students
nor the police. They went right on past the police down to the lower part of
the Meadow. The people kept flowing on in...and I wondered down there. Made
it up to where the police were about some time later, an hour maybe, and the
police had left and the crowd had grown to thousands. Quite astonishing
(this was my frist of its kind).

Hmm...don't know if I left anything out.....not the most exact of
observations, but it was a friday afternoon 420.

thanks to one-n-all for all the hard work.
maybe we can do it on the 4th and/or the 20th of each month or something...

"The only Cop at UCSC on 4/20. Arresting some girl for selling water and food to stoners."
http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:1755123

Surviving the heat-NORML members remain determined

Increased UofA NORML activism leads to increased heat from the adminstration & police.

http://arkansas.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20845/index.php