Hundreds of people came out on June 19, Juneteenth, to celebrate, specifically the day that Union army general Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas, on June 19, 1865, and generally, the end of slavery in the US. The march began at London Nelson Center, misnamed the Louden Nelson Center, and ended at Santa Cruz City Hall.
Photos by Ringler
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"Specific Proposals to Reform the SCPD"
By SARAH RINGLER
Robert Norse, of Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom, HUFF, has worked persistently on police abuse and homeless issues in Santa Cruz for a very long time. On June 17, he released a transcript between himself and Police Chief Andy Mills titled, "Specific Proposals to Reform the SCPD." Already published on the HUFF website, Norse agreed to let me run it here.
Several years ago, Norse had written a flyer that was critical of SCPD’s policies and practices. In the transcript, he questions Mills about the current state of the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Norse: Three and a half years ago, we corresponded regarding a flyer I had written and was distributing critical of the SCPD’s policies and practices.
I intend to update that flyer in anticipation of upcoming protests regarding largely the same issues, plus some new ones arising from police behavior during the COVID-19 ″shelter-in-place” situation and your recent proposals increasing public restrictions in parks and elsewhere generally.
To be fair and accurate, I’m writing you to determine if there’s been any improvement you can make me aware of regarding the following issues:
Is the SCPD willing to “open the books” on “non-lethal force” use, specifically opening for public view police reports detailing the use of these devices with specifics to time, date, location, victim, officer, subsequent injury (if any),rationale, and any subsequent investigation?
Chief Mills: We comply with all state law on this and the courts are the final judge as to the appropriateness of the use of this force. So the books are open. Some of what you ask for is a violation of law and policy in terms of the person has a right to privacy.
Norse: The “right to privacy” has been improperly cited by arresting officers at a scene where many cops are confronting one person even when that person repeatedly asks what they’re being arrested or detained for. If the victim of the “non-lethal force [or arrest, citation, or detention]” agrees, why have you continued to allow officers to refuse to say why people are being arrested?
Will you release documentation previously withheld regarding the specific circumstances around the use of force including time, place, identity of person and officer, extent of injuries, amount of hospitalization, etc.?
Will you agree to immediately make such records available and require your officers to respond accurately and promptly to community questions in real time where there is no issue of “officer safety” present?
Do you acknowledge this is not being done currently and is a cause for mistrust and distrust of the SCPD?
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Film Festivals
Reel Work 2020 on Community TV
By SARAH RINGLER
After 18 years, the Reel Work Labor Film Festival in Santa Cruz will not let its tradition be defeated by COVID-19. On Friday evening, June 26 from 6-8 you can watch Classic Labor Films on Comcast Channel 27 or Charter Channel 73 or
l
ive-stream programming
.
Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy
(Sasha Khokha, Ulla Nilsen, Jon Fromer, & Francisco Herrera, 2001, 28 min, International)
Corporations' devastation of third world countries forces workers to emigrate.
This Land Is Your Land
(National Day Laborers Organizing Network, 2018 6 min, USA)
Los Jornaleros del Norte performance of Woody Guthrie's classic gives it new meaning.
5 Factories
(Dario Azzellini & Oliver Ressler, 2006, 81 min, Venezuela)
Workers control production in Venezuela.
Watsonville Film Festival
Virtual WFF programming continues this week with two short films originally scheduled to screen at the annual festival in March. Both directors received their film degrees at CSUMB's Cinematic Arts & Technology program.
BURGER BUDDIES
/ Director Avery Christmas
When two best friends are torn apart because of one’s prejudice of the other’s burger preference, can their friendship be saved? A funny film with serious undertones. [10 min. All Ages].
LAST ONLINE
/ Director Hector Ricky Villareal and Producer Victor Manzo
An introverted boy in middle school believes that he his destined to be a loner; that is, until he makes an unlikely friendship. [9 min. All Ages]
Watch the films for free, and join the Zoom Q&A with the Directors on Thursday, July 9 at 6PM. We'll provide the Zoom link in our next email.
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Sarah's County Covid-19 Report
The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Since last Thursday, there has been an 23% increase in reported cases. The data for age and gender has remained fairly consistent over the months. By jurisdiction, Watsonville, with 49% of the cases last week has increased to 51% this week.
As of June 25, there have been 337 cases who have tested positive.
Tested positive by gender:
46% male
54% female
0% other
Tested positive by age:
18 to 64 year olds, 76% tested positive.
65 or older, 14% tested positive
17 and younger, 11% tested positive
Tested positive by jurisdiction:
3% Scotts Valley
4% Capitola
20% Santa Cruz
21% unincorporated
51% Watsonville
Tested positive by ethnicity, rounded off:
5% multiracial or other - 9% of the county's total population
40% white - 56% of the county's total population
56% Hispanic/Latino - 34% of the county's total population
To get tested without a doctor’s request, call 1-888-634-1123 or go online at
https://lhi.care/covidtesting
.
The testing clinic is at at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. To visit the website for the Santa Cruz County Health Department:
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Boardwalk Reopens
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, partially reopened the weekend of June 13-14 starting with Neptune’s Kingdom, Boardwalk Bowl, retail shops, mini-golf course, some food stands, and games. Alejandra Ponce, of Change.org, has launched a petition that calls for the Santa Cruz Seaside Company to stop daily operations of the Boardwalk, the Boardwalk Bowl and the Arcades. She highlights the danger of exposure to Covid-19 by members of the public who underestimate its power.
The Boardwalk has many low wage workers. If they are exposed to the virus, will the Seaside Company pay for their medical care and provide them with up to 14 days’ quarantine pay, like Safeway, a unionized business? If businesses don’t provide this protection, workers feel they have to come to work just to survive thereby endangering themselves and others.
The Beach Boardwalk is not an essential business and in the interests of families who might be tempted to come, and workers, many of whom are already from high risk groups, shouldn’t open at the time. If you are interested in signing the petition, go to
http://chng.it/ZrFY5ptB5m
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<Photo by RINGLER
“Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
― Frederick Douglass
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Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feel left out. Housing affordability and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on and how you can support them and the county. This is not a profit-making enterprise and all work is volunteer.
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