Alex Darocy Photography

Sculptor E.A. Chase, creator of the Collateral Damage sculpture at the Santa Cruz Town Clock, passed away on February 29 at the age of 87. Here Chase speaks with Mathilde Rand at the Town Clock on August 2, 2015 at a rally to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Collateral Damage statue is dedicated to all victims of war. It was installed at the Town Clock in August of 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Mathilde Rand produced a video documenting the dedication of the statue in 1995. The event was attended by 12,000 people at the Town Clock and at a rally in San Lorenzo Park. To read more about the rally at which this photo of E.A. Chase was taken, see: 70th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings Commemorated in Santa Cruz

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...

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 ...