Alex Darocy Photography

On March 23, coordinated actions were held statewide in California to oppose the use of solitary confinement in prisons and jails. Protests were planned for Eureka, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. In Santa Cruz, community members gathered on West Cliff Drive for a rally and candlelight vigil. "We have decided to hold this gathering on the coast because so many people locked up in solitary confinement talk about their desire to see and be near the ocean," an event announcement for the Santa Cruz vigil read. Organizers say future actions will continue to be held statewide on the 23rd of each month to symbolize the 23 hours per day prisoners in solitary are held in the "complete isolation" of their cells. As surfers made their way to and from the busy Santa Cruz surf spot, Steamer Lane, the rally was held on the lawn next to the Santa Cruz Lighthouse, which also houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. The rally featured guest speakers ...

On Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz City Council will revisit issues surrounding the council's decision in December to approve the police purchase of a $250,000 Lenco BearCat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck) with Department of Homeland Security grant funds. The BearCat is on the council's March 24 agenda and will be addressed at 7pm. The agenda report for the meeting states that the vehicle's use policy will be discussed, as well as a proposal to clarify the process of submitting grant applications to the city council. Overflow seating for the meeting will be available at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. At City Hall on March 10, Joy Hinz holds an issue of the Scotts Valley Times with SVPD's armored vehicle on its cover, and the headline "Bargain for SWAT team 'Tank'." Since December, community members have rallied to protest the BearCat purchase at City Hall before every city council meeting, and the group SCRAM! (Sa...

Supporters packed a Santa Cruz courtroom today for preliminary hearings concerning the six UCSC students who were arrested for blocking traffic on Highway 17 on March 3 to protest tuition increases. Today's hearing was the first time all six of those arrested have appeared together in court, and they all have legal representation now. None have pleaded guilty to the charges they face, which include misdemeanors for "resisting arrest" and creating a "public nuisance." The six UC Santa Cruz students and their attorneys assemble before the judge for the first time as a group. Judge Denine J. Guy set the next hearing date for the defendants for April 8, and said the issue of restitution could come up as part of the proceedings. During the highway blockade on March 3, the students sat across multiple lanes of the roadway and locked themselves to garbage cans full of cement. It took officers with the California Highway Patrol several hours to release them a...

Individuals with Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN) and other community members returned to Alvarado Street in Monterey on March 13 for a second sit-in. They are protesting a law that went into effect in October that makes sitting or lying on commercial sidewalks a crime from 7am until 9pm. DAMN's first demonstration against the sitting ban was held on February 13, exactly one month prior, and they say they plan to return again next month for a similar action. The idea to schedule the protests monthly was a calculated decision. The phrasing of the new law states that if an individual receives a warning from the police to stop sitting, they must not sit on the sidewalk again for one month, or they can be cited and or arrested. "Join us as we sit and lie in solidarity with the homeless, travelers, and all people targeted by police and their brutality," an announcement for the March 13 event read. DAMN members are not using the word "brutality" lightly....

A video has surfaced of Santa Cruz Police hitting and tasing Oliver Howard in front of the court house on October 13, 2014, in what multiple witnesses called excessive force at the time. The woman who recorded the video can be heard saying, "I hate cops" and "this is so fucked up" as the events unfolded. After the violent takedown by officers, Howard was taken directly to the hospital. He was never booked into jail and apparently was never charged with any crime. Since that time, one of the witnesses filed a formal complaint with the Santa Cruz Police Department, which triggered an external review. Those on the scene that day say Santa Cruz Police hit Oliver Howard with a baton, tased his bare body, piled on top of him, wrenched and twisted his limbs, and grinded his face and body into the ground. "I did not feel the man he was pursuing was dangerous or a threat to the officer or me," witness Debra Ellis stated in October. "The man being pursued...

Students at UC Santa Cruz concluded four days of protests against tuition and fee increases with a campus-wide strike and shut down. Dubbed "96 Hours of Action," the series of demonstrations were also organized to address issues of mass incarceration and the expanding police state. At 4:30am on March 5, picket lines were established at the West Entrance and at the corner of Hagar and Coolidge, and a majority of the cars attempting to enter the school were turned away. At around 7am, the UCSC administration announced that faculty, staff, and students should not attempt to enter campus. The strike triggered the shut down of both main libraries on campus, as well as the book store, the express store, and most of the dining halls. Students reported their classes had been canceled by professors, and the school appeared as it does on the weekend, with only a few cafes open. Students link arms as they block the West Entrance of UC Santa Cruz. The very first students to arriv...