'Objective' Sentinel Photographer Dan Coyro Calls Santa Cruz Eleven and Supporters 'Roaches'

Calling Santa Cruz Eleven supporters "Street Vermin"

Dan Coyro (on the left)

From: http://santacruz11.wordpress.com/about/

The Santa Cruz Eleven are local community members who have been charged with an unprecedented variety of offenses arising from their alleged involvement with the occupation of a long-time vacant bank building late last fall, 2011.These defendants are either journalists, members of our local press, and/or activists supportive of the Occupy movement.The Santa Cruz Eleven defendants were participating in constitutionally protected activities either as news gatherers, observers, or as supporters, including a mediator between police and activists inside the occupied building.Each of these defendants has been charged with the following four charges: (1) felony conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, (2) felony vandalism, (3) misdemeanor trespass by entering and occupying, and (4) misdemeanor trespass by refusing to leave private property.Hundreds of individuals, if not more, entered and exited the bank building during the 75-hour occupation, including local elected officials, corporate press and “citizen journalist” bloggers. Only the Santa Cruz Eleven have been charged.The Santa Cruz Eleven are being selectively prosecuted because of their past activism relating to independent media publishing, adversarial relationships with law enforcement and prior public direct actions on issues of social justice that have been critical of the local police department, local government, and the District Attorney’s office for over a decade.

These defendants posed no threat to public order and community safety by their actions, either as chroniclers of the events, or as supporters of the occupiers and the occupation.

Supporters of the Santa Cruz Eleven are seeking local, regional, national and international support for the defense of these community members.

The Court must ensure that these activists are not being selectively prosecuted. All charges based on this constitutionally protected activity should be dropped immediately.

The cost of these prosecutions (including the prosecution and defense attorneys, court costs, and police costs for testimony) is costing taxpayers upwards of a million dollars, with judges dropping charges, and the DA refiling based on no additional evidence.


The occupation referred to is that of 75 River Street. Occupiers had hoped to establish a community center that would supply services to homeless and low income people free of charge.

From: http://75river.tumblr.com/

75River was a community space in Santa Cruz, California, that existed between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, 2011. The occupation began to establish a variety of community projects in the space until occupiers left the evening of the 3rd.

The occupation was set up in the former Coast Commercial Bank, a quite useful building held vacant by Wells Fargo since 2008.

Dan Coyro -- 10 Jan 2014:
"3 groups of bums set up camp at the Town Clock, the most visible corner in Santa Cruz--'Keep Santa Cruz Weird'"

Dan Coyro -- 23 Nov 2013:
"Look what I found at the naked beach along West Cliff. Don't you just love the needle exchange program in Santa Cruz"


Effective April 30, 2013 the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) began administering the Syringe Services Program (SSP). The primary goal of the SSP is to work in partnership with the community to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases associated with injection drug use and to address the community's concern regarding improperly discarded syringes.
http://www.santacruzhealth.org/phealth/2ssp.htm