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Indybay Feature

Four Twenty 2013 in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz

by Bradley Allen (bradley [at] riseup.net)
On Saturday, April 20, 2013, thousands of people participated in the annual 420 pilgrimage to Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz. Once again, the counterculture cannabis celebration brought people of diverse backgrounds together for an afternoon under the hot sun.
ucsc-420-2013_1_4-20-13.jpg

[Photo: Students descend from Porter College into UCSC's Porter Meadow.]

This year there appeared to be more spectators and fewer spectacles. Similar to 420 in 2012, many people stayed under the forest canopy bordering the meadow due to the high temperature. In addition to smoking cannabis and socializing, people were face painting, relaxing in a hammock strung up in the redwoods, listening to live and recorded music, juggling, hula hooping, and taking pictures with friends.

In 2012, approximately 10 UC police officers walked into the meadow at 5 p.m. to surveil the celebration. The officers spoke briefly with some people, and left 15 minutes later, while the festivities continued on. This year around 5 p.m., a couple dozen police officers from UC Santa Cruz, as well as from UC San Francisco, walked around the meadow to let people know it was time to for them to move on. Police shrugged their shoulders and were both pleased and surprised while watching the mass exodus from the meadow.

Men in orange vests documented attendees with video and still cameras. I asked one of them who they were filming for and why. The gentleman said he was working for UCSC and, "the university wants to learn more about this event."

If you would like more information about 420 at UCSC, please see:

Coverage of 420 at UC Santa Cruz

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, & 2012
§Drumming in Porter Meadow
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_3_4-20-13.jpg
§Sunglasses
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_4_4-20-13.jpg
§Tent
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_5_4-20-13.jpg
§Hula Hoop
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_6_4-20-13.jpg
§Bird's Eye
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_7_4-20-13.jpg
§Sitting on Trees
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_8_4-20-13.jpg
§UCSC Banana Slugs
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_9_4-20-13.jpg
§Status Update
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_10_4-20-13.jpg
§420 2013 in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_11_4-20-13.jpg
§Smoking a Joint at UC Santa Cruz
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_12_4-20-13.jpg
§Smoke Rises Above Porter Meadow at UCSC
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_13_4-20-13.jpg
§Face Painting on 420
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_14_4-20-13.jpg
§All Eyez on Me
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_15_4-20-13.jpg
§Exodus
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_16_4-20-13.jpg
§UC San Francisco Police Officers in Porter Meadow at UCSC
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_17_4-20-13.jpg
The officers said it was their day off, but they were asked to work. They had a choice between working in Oakland, Davis, and Santa Cruz. They chose Santa Cruz.
§Picnic's Over
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_19_4-20-13.jpg
§Redwoods
by Bradley Allen
ucsc-420-2013_21_4-20-13.jpg
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Be Happy
I'm always a bit mystified that you express indignation and skepticism when the cops film you. Becky Johnson does the same thing. Why are they filming you, you ask? For the same reasons you're filming them. To catch you doing something bad so they can use it against you, and failing that, to deter you from misbehavior. They're actually hired by the people to do that, you know.

Don't worry. If the River Street bank business is anything to go by, they suck at it. I'd take you any day, if I was looking for a video biographer to chronicle my every move. I really would.

Anyway, nice photos, as usual.
by Keep it Real Man
The police and their videographers were there at the event (in theory) to protect public safety.

Bradley was there to document a public event.

Why would they film him at all if their focus is on public safety....or even more generally, if their focus is on so called criminal behavior?

They filmed him obviously as retribution for his filming of them, and to attempt to deter him in his accurate method of portraying the event.

Dubious decisions, as usual, from cops in the SC and UCSC who have too many funds to waste.
by Dan
...arrest was made at this event. According to the LA Times, a 25 year old UCSC student was arrested for felony possession of weed. He had a 4-ft long joint that weighed at least a kilo per UCSC PD.
by LA Times (repost)
Jim Burns, a university spokesman, identified the young man, a 25-year-old UC Santa Cruz student. He was arrested on charges of being in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana.
by twinkie
Bwaha. the 420 smoke out is swarmed with cops! glad i went to evergreen
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