Protect the Altar for Black Lives and Vigil for Tamario Smith

Please come out and defend this sacred space ?

The community altar at the clocktower in downtown Santa Cruz was created on June 4th, 2020 by Queer Black, Indigenous, POC community activists and students. This space is meant to serve as a sacred site of visual representation to show our love and grief for those who have been killed by state violence. This is a space meant to honor the Black lives that were cut short by the hands of kkkops. It is meant to honor the lives of the Indigenous peoples of Santa Cruz who were forcefully taken to the Missions. It is meant to honor the lives of the Indigenous immigrant community who are continuously harassed and terrorized by the SCPD and ICE.

This is a space created by us— FOR us.

The ofrenda has been violated many times, by the Santa Cruz city parks and rec department, the SCPD, and by white supremacists who live in the Santa Cruz area. Every single time it was taken down or vandalized, community members have restored it’s beauty. We are hoping to keep this space beautiful, as a pocket of resistance that honors our ancestors and creates a visual representation of our existence and our struggle for Black liberation & Indigenous sovereignty.

We are asking you to join us in contributing to this sacred space. On September 29, 2020 from 3-7pm we will dedicate this time to tend to our ofrenda as as a community. At 6pm we will hold a vigil for Tamario Smith.

Feel free to bring flowers, candles, artwork, poetry, or other offerings to the altar. Please wear a mask and respect physical distancing when you are in the space. Contact @a_place4us_ or @bipocliberationcollective with any questions or concerns.