Alex Darocy Photography

A demonstration was held in downtown Santa Cruz on July 28 to protest Israel's continued assault on Gaza and the people of Palestine. After rallying at the Town Clock, where many of the names and ages of Palestinians killed were displayed on placards, community members marched to the Cooper House on Pacific Avenue where a die-in was staged. Individuals laid down on the sidewalk and their bodies were outlined in chalk as organizers read the names and ages of Palestinian children killed since the war began on July 8. A press release announcing the demonstration stated: "The Santa Cruz community is calling for an end to the 7-year siege and Genocidal assault on Gaza by Israel's military, fully funded and supported by the U.S. president, congress and senate. Santa Cruz demands an end to ongoing U.S. covert operations in Iraq and Syria. More than 50% of the populations in these regions are children. War is being waged on children with our tax dollars." "Violence...

At a vigil calling for peace in the Middle East held in Santa Cruz on July 21, activists displayed a partial list of the names of Palestinian children killed by Israelis in Gaza since July 7. The names, printed on plain white pages, were displayed along several lines suspended in front of the Town Clock. The demonstration was the latest in a series of actions organized in Santa Cruz to call for peace in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq, Syria, and Palestine. The cards displayed at the Town Clock were inscribed with the names of Palestinian children of all ages who have been killed since the war started in early July. Some of the children were killed when they were only months old. Dates of their death were included, and some were killed as recently as the day of the protest. One event announcement for the vigil read: "U.S. weapons in the Middle East ARE killing innocent civilians and destroying families and communities. These lives matter to us." Another asked fo...

Following reports that Israel had begun moving ground troops into Gaza, community members in Santa Cruz held protests on July 18 and 19. Another demonstration is planned for today, July 21 at 5pm at the Town Clock to protest the military escalation and the ongoing killing of Palestinians. [Photos from July 19] The protest on July 19 was held at the corner of Ocean and Water Streets, and community members held signs and tabled. Among the literature offered was a brochure encouraging individuals to boycott Hewlett Packard. The company profits off the production of biometric ID cards used for Israel’s population registry, which includes the occupied Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. Several of the signs displayed by demonstrators along Ocean Street featured pictures of children who have been killed by Israel since the atrocities began on July 7. Those participating in the demonstration included individuals with the Palestine-Israel Action Committee, Santa Cruz WILPF, Jewish Vo...

On July 14, community members joined together in Santa Cruz to protest Israel's recent bombing of Gaza, as well as the collective punishment carried out against the Palestinian people living there and in the West Bank. Demonstrators say most of the weapons that are being used against the Palestinian civilian population have been paid for with U.S. tax dollars, and they have called the bombings, "acts of genocide" and a "moral outrage." Some of the signs at the protest were embellished with photographs of Palestinian children injured in the bombings, and some had statistics tallying the death toll during the attacks: 172 people killed in Gaza and zero in Israel. One demonstrator held a sign that stated 1,384 Palestinian children had been killed by the Israeli military since the year 2000. Other signs included statements such as "Boycott Genocide, Boycott Israel," "Let Gaza Live! Another Jewish Voice Opposed to Atrocities in Gaza!" ...