Community members in Santa Cruz commemorated Juneteenth this year with a large march from Louden Nelson Center to Santa Cruz City Hall, where speakers were heard. Reverend Deborah L. Johnson of Inner Light Ministries started off the speeches with a history of the Juneteenth holiday. Other speakers included Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
After being stopped by officers with the Santa Cruz Police Department in Downtown Santa Cruz over the summer, photographer Craig Burton explained in a video interview that he was taking a picture of a child in public and that his subsequent detainment by the SCPD was a case of racial profiling. Burton was clear in stating that his stop by the local police was unwarranted and that they should have known that he was not a predator. Though the authorities did not apologize to him or treat him politely, he didn't blame them, they were just doing their job he said. Burton instead focused on liberals in California, in general, as the source of the problem, stating that, "people act like they are really liberal, but they are not really liberal." He later added, "As you can see, this is Santa Barbara now." When officers Winston and Warren arrived in their patrol vehicle and first caught up to him that day on Locust Street, Burton said he was told by them to sit...
On November 13, Starbucks workers from multiple stores in the Santa Cruz area held a rally and picket at the Mission Street location to begin a nationwide unfair labor practice strike launched by over one thousand baristas who are union members with Starbucks Workers United (SBWU). Workers are protesting what they call Starbucks’ "historic union busting," as well as the company's failure to finalize a fair union contract. They are demanding better staffing, higher pay, and the resolution of, "hundreds of unfair labor practice charges," according to a press release issued by SBWU. There is no end-date to the strike, and union members are asking the public not to patronize any Starbucks store, or buy any Starbucks products, until they receive a fair contract. Workers at the rally said there were service disruptions at multiple Starbucks stores in Santa Cruz County due to union members' participation in the strike. A paper flyer taped to the front door of the ...
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