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Drum Circle Defense: Drum-De-Dum-Dum at Parking Lot #4 This Wednesday
Obstructive green mesh fencing continues to appear like virulent weeds every Wednesday morning around the public assembly area at Cathcart and Cedar Sts. in Parking Lot #4 next to the weekly Santa Cruz downtown Farmer's Market. The larger the supportive crowd, the less vulnerable are those reclaiming the public space. Come on down and help out.
The Drum Circle is a traditional weekly event that's been going on for more than fifteen years. In late August and early September police began harassing, warning, scaring and "persuading" away drummers and their audience. On 9-3 Sgt. Harms and his two armed companions succeeded in driving away the Drum Circle for the afternoon.
Police made special use of the new "Parking Lot Panic" Law, passed by Mayor Coonerty making any public assemblies in all 10 downtown city parking lots and garages a $100+ crime.
The next Wednesday, and each Wednesday since, green mesh fencing has been put up each Wednesday morning around the three groups of trees under which people traditionally, sit, socialize, drum, and eat. The community has regularly torn them down and restored the Public Assembly space each week.
Participants in this struggle to restore public space have been the Trash Orchestra, Food Not Bombs, HUFF, SAFE, food caterer Joe Schultz, chalk artist Whitney Wilde, the Raging Grannies, Santa Cruz Indymedia, and dozens of others came together to support the right to assemble in this traditionally public space.
The latest update on the situation can be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/07/18543334.php
Since then, the SCPD has not replied to my e-mail requesting Public Records. At least three Santa Cruz City Council candidates have apparently come out in favor of restoring the public space there (Kenyatta, Canada, and Cabrera).
Smaller drum circles led by Suzanne and others have continued downtown with some police harassment in front of New Leaf during the week. SAFE (Society for Artistic Freedom and Expression/Streetperformers Against Foolish Enforcement) continues to show up Tuesday nights near the chained off area of the sidewalk in front of New Leaf.
There have been no new charges leveled against Public Space defenders Jack Russ (who still faces a resisting arrest charge), Wes Modes (injured, jailed, heavily charged, then released without charges), and Crow (charged with petty theft for trying to reportedly trying to remove and recycle the green mesh fencing torn down by others lying in the street).
Wes now believes the D.A. is going to hold potential "resisting arrest" charges over his head for the next eleven months to deter him from filing a civil lawsuit for damages--as he says he was struck with a baton while in custody.
For the community, the question remains the same: Will the police and other city agencies continue to provoke the community by trying to fence off the traditionally public area used for the Wednesday festivities? If so, will folks continue to risk harassment and arrest by removing the public nuisance fencing?
Come down at 3:30 PM to support open public space, traditional first amendment-protected activity, and the reclaiming of one of the few regular gatherings poor and homeless people have in Santa Cruz.
Soupslinger Joe Schultz may be there as well giving out tasty dollops of healthful broth.
Audio interviews from last Wednesday as well as a "flashback" to a 2001 crackdown on the Drum Circle can be heard at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb081009.mp3 and http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb081012.mp3 respectively.
Police made special use of the new "Parking Lot Panic" Law, passed by Mayor Coonerty making any public assemblies in all 10 downtown city parking lots and garages a $100+ crime.
The next Wednesday, and each Wednesday since, green mesh fencing has been put up each Wednesday morning around the three groups of trees under which people traditionally, sit, socialize, drum, and eat. The community has regularly torn them down and restored the Public Assembly space each week.
Participants in this struggle to restore public space have been the Trash Orchestra, Food Not Bombs, HUFF, SAFE, food caterer Joe Schultz, chalk artist Whitney Wilde, the Raging Grannies, Santa Cruz Indymedia, and dozens of others came together to support the right to assemble in this traditionally public space.
The latest update on the situation can be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/07/18543334.php
Since then, the SCPD has not replied to my e-mail requesting Public Records. At least three Santa Cruz City Council candidates have apparently come out in favor of restoring the public space there (Kenyatta, Canada, and Cabrera).
Smaller drum circles led by Suzanne and others have continued downtown with some police harassment in front of New Leaf during the week. SAFE (Society for Artistic Freedom and Expression/Streetperformers Against Foolish Enforcement) continues to show up Tuesday nights near the chained off area of the sidewalk in front of New Leaf.
There have been no new charges leveled against Public Space defenders Jack Russ (who still faces a resisting arrest charge), Wes Modes (injured, jailed, heavily charged, then released without charges), and Crow (charged with petty theft for trying to reportedly trying to remove and recycle the green mesh fencing torn down by others lying in the street).
Wes now believes the D.A. is going to hold potential "resisting arrest" charges over his head for the next eleven months to deter him from filing a civil lawsuit for damages--as he says he was struck with a baton while in custody.
For the community, the question remains the same: Will the police and other city agencies continue to provoke the community by trying to fence off the traditionally public area used for the Wednesday festivities? If so, will folks continue to risk harassment and arrest by removing the public nuisance fencing?
Come down at 3:30 PM to support open public space, traditional first amendment-protected activity, and the reclaiming of one of the few regular gatherings poor and homeless people have in Santa Cruz.
Soupslinger Joe Schultz may be there as well giving out tasty dollops of healthful broth.
Audio interviews from last Wednesday as well as a "flashback" to a 2001 crackdown on the Drum Circle can be heard at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb081009.mp3 and http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb081012.mp3 respectively.
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Warm weather. Slower turnout at the Farmer's Market.
Meanwhile, over in Parking Lot #4 under the two large trees where the drummer usually drum--the fence came down around 3 or 3:15 p.m., I was told. The tree nearest the sidewalk was liberated from the embrace of green plastic mesh half an hour later, and people entered the area to sit, sip soup, and socialize.
Master chef Joe Schultz pass out cups of his famous vegan soup. Food Not Bombs fed, a server with a sign around her neck urging people to return their plates. Bradley of Indymedia surveyed the scene. A flour stencil artist made "sweep away" flour pictures on the surface of the parking lot.
The third green mesh fence--the one deepest in the parking lot--remained unmolested, with the rolled up fence and fence polls from the central tree area dumped inside the area.
Lots of happy people, lots of drumming. And, as mentioned above, no visible cops.
I'll be playing a few interviews on Free Radio tomorrow evening, but all-in-all, this struggle was successful. Until the police come again...of course.
Jack Russ, the Food Not Bombs server, who Schultz said was falsely arrested, has an arraignment date for Monday October 27th, presumably at 8:15 a.m. But when he called the D.A.'s office a few weeks ago, Russ said, they hadn't decided to prosecute.
Sometimes the good guys do win. Or hold their ground.
Meanwhile, over in Parking Lot #4 under the two large trees where the drummer usually drum--the fence came down around 3 or 3:15 p.m., I was told. The tree nearest the sidewalk was liberated from the embrace of green plastic mesh half an hour later, and people entered the area to sit, sip soup, and socialize.
Master chef Joe Schultz pass out cups of his famous vegan soup. Food Not Bombs fed, a server with a sign around her neck urging people to return their plates. Bradley of Indymedia surveyed the scene. A flour stencil artist made "sweep away" flour pictures on the surface of the parking lot.
The third green mesh fence--the one deepest in the parking lot--remained unmolested, with the rolled up fence and fence polls from the central tree area dumped inside the area.
Lots of happy people, lots of drumming. And, as mentioned above, no visible cops.
I'll be playing a few interviews on Free Radio tomorrow evening, but all-in-all, this struggle was successful. Until the police come again...of course.
Jack Russ, the Food Not Bombs server, who Schultz said was falsely arrested, has an arraignment date for Monday October 27th, presumably at 8:15 a.m. But when he called the D.A.'s office a few weeks ago, Russ said, they hadn't decided to prosecute.
Sometimes the good guys do win. Or hold their ground.
Even as we try and preserve our long tradition of drumming at the Farmer's Market here in Santa Cruz, there is a similar controversy in Harlem, NY. New white residents are trying to stop the 30 year old drumming circle at Marcus Garvey park.
See: http://africandancedrumlife.blogspot.com/2008/07/drumming-drama-in-harlem-raises-myriad.html
See: http://africandancedrumlife.blogspot.com/2008/07/drumming-drama-in-harlem-raises-myriad.html
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