Nearly a decade ago, dozens were willing to stand up for the right of all (particularly artists, poor folks, and those outside) to use public spaces in spite of increasing crackdowns by police, the City Council, and the City Manager. The struggle was particularly sharp and public at the Wednesday Farmer’s Market. The darkness enveloping Santa Cruz regarding class war against those outside has driven away the drum circle and made mere “lingering” on the levee, where fragments of the Drum Circlers continues to play, a crime. Homelessness or more bluntly cashlessness itself is becoming a defined form of deviant behavior, while much of the community is too busy, too exhausted, or too indifferent to respond.
Today’s show features numerous interviews and can be heard in tandem with Santa Cruz Indymedia photos, video, and narrative around the issue. See follow-up stories “Victory at Parking Lot #4 — The beat goes on!” at https://www.indybay.org/
The Thursday, September 11, 2008 flashback features Dave Derick, Officer Forbus, Mama Val, Sgt. Harms, Wes Modes, and others as well as Alaska attorney and psychiatric rights defender Jim Fottstein on the fight against forced drugging, electroshock, involuntary outpatent commitment, and other dangers looming ever closer on the horizon.
The show streams on freakradio.org and archives at http://radiolibre.org/brb/
Apologies for the lack of input on Freedom SleepOut #101. Your fearless reporter has been struggling with medical demons. For info go to the Food Not Bombs and Freedom Sleeper facebook pages. Or directly to City Hall, the Main Postoffice, or whereever the struggle is raging.
Volunteer to help at 575-330-3377.