Alex Darocy Photography

Demonstrators staged sit-ins in the men's and women's restrooms at Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz on September 3, effectively keeping the facilities open to the public for an extended period of time. Once open to all, the Louden Nelson restrooms have been closed to the public since 2018, which staff claims is due to complaints of vandalism and drug use. To enter the restrooms, a person must either be a patron or customer of the center, and punch in an electronic pass-code provided by the attendant at the front counter. Those at the demonstration were particularly concerned about the effects the restroom closures have had on homeless residents in the area, who often congregate in the park adjacent to the Louden Nelson Center where there are no other services. During the demonstration today, Rabbi Philip Posner occupies the men's restroom at Louden Nelson Center in order to keep it open to the public Demonstrators were able to gain entry to the restrooms during ...

In shocking news to the Santa Cruz activist community, Sherry Conable was identified as the woman found dead on Cowell Beach on the morning of February 4. Sherry participated in and organized countless political demonstrations and anti-war events over the course of decades in the Santa Cruz area. She will be dearly missed. Sherry holds her iconic peace wreath at a demonstration at the Santa Cruz City Council in March of 2015 to protest the SCPD purchase of a Bearcat vehicle . According to early media reports, the cause of her death has yet to be determined. Independence Day 2014 , Ocean Street, Santa Cruz. Independence Day 2016 , Ocean Street Santa Cruz Sherry speaking to protest the SCPD purchase of a Bearcat vehicle in front of City Hall in February of 2015.

In response to the planned closure of the River Street homeless campground, community members in Santa Cruz have established a survival camp at the downtown post office. At 11pm on November 15, nearly two dozen individuals had set up spaces to sleep along the sidewalk in front of the large postal building, which is a landmark downtown. "Please join us for a peaceful night's sleep while celebrating the constitution and supporting the human right to sleep. Everyone is welcome, whether you have a home or not," an event announcement for establishment of the survival camp read. Earlier in the day on November 15, the City of Santa Cruz announced the closure of five parks due to fire danger, including Pogonip, Arana Gulch, Moore Creek, DeLaveaga, and Arroyo Seco. These latest park closures in Santa Cruz follow the closures of San Lorenzo and Grant Street Parks in October, which were literally fenced off from the public for "public safety" reasons, according to the...

Due to a recent string of "suspicious" fires, the City of Santa Cruz announced on November 15 the closure of the following parks: Pogonip, Arana Gulch, Moore Creek, DeLaveaga, and Arroyo Seco. "Police and Fire Investigators have aggressively investigated every fire, which has resulted in five arrests in the past four weeks," a press release from the city states. The parks will be closed indefinitely. The Rincon Fire While police have arrested at least two individuals specifically for arson, a press release issued by Cal Fire on November 9 charges that some of the fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains originated from "illegal campsites." The Rincon Fire has been the largest of the recent fires in the area, burning 17 wooded acres and coming very close to homes in the Paradise Park area along Highway 9. The homeless community has received some backlash from individuals on social media. Some of the comments have been preserved by the group "Take Ba...

On March 8, striking community members marched through downtown Santa Cruz in solidarity with Women's Strikes organized around the world on International Women's Day as a follow up to the massive Women's Marches held on January 21, 2017, the day after the Inauguration of Trump. One group participating in the March 8 demonstration was the UCSC March Collective, who invited the public to join in the call for solidarity with, "women, trans and queer people, muslims, immigrants, people of color, sex workers, survivors of violence, currently and formerly incarcerated people, and oppressed people everywhere." The march collective invited people of all genders to join the action, stating in an event announcement that, "We strike because we can't afford not to care." Multiple events were planned for International Women's Day in Santa Cruz. The downtown march began at Louden Nelson Center and made its way to the Santa Cruz Town Clock where speakers ...