On Thursday, October 20, the Filipino Student Association (FSA) at UC Santa Cruz held a vigil to honor Filipino Veteranos from World War II by fighting for the benefits that they deserve.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos served under the United States in World War II, many of them receiving prestigious medals. While promised benefits by U.S. President Roosevelt, the U.S. Government refuses to acknowledge their contributions. Many of these Veteranos have since died, but an estimated 7,000 live in the U.S. and over 30,000 in the Philippines.

Thursday's vigil was part of a national day of awareness sponsored by Student Action for Veterans Equity (SAVE). The day was "part of an ongoing campaign to 'paint the nation brown', stressing the awareness of the Brown Ribbon Campaign; an education and action campaign dedicated to the fight for Full Equity only and nothing less, through the passages of H.R. 302 and S. 146"

See Also: S.A.V.E. Nationwide Vigil Announcement

"On Wednesday, October 29th, independent and unembedded journalist Dahr Jamail provided fresh outlooks on the War in Iraq that are either ignored or hidden by most mainstream American media outlets. As a special correspondant for Flashpoints, the BBC, and Democracy Now!, Jamail has gained the attention of those willing to listen about true accounts experienced during the current War in Iraq."

"...After his report, a portion of a film was shown of the present state of the city of Fallujah; a city the size of Cincinati that was ransacked during the military's occupation of Iraq. "Caught in the Crossfire: The Untold Story of Fallujah" exhibited the deplorable condition in this once beautiful city. Images of a distraught cityscape and of tormented people flooded the screen during the roughly 15 minutes it was shown. After seeing the film clip, an exhilarated World War II vet exclaimed that everyone everywhere should watch that film to get true essence of the current Iraqi conflict."

See Also: Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches

On September 8th United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 23 signed a state-mediated agreement with the Santa Cruz Transit District’s negotiating team to ensure there was no disruption in service to the Metro’s 23,000 customers. The drivers, knowing that a strike would mean working-class members of the community as well as students would be without transportation, decided to work under the Metro Board’s rules until June 30, 2006, allowing plenty of time to work out negotiations over a new contract. The deal was no strike, no lockout.

On September 23rd UTU members were shocked to hear that the Metro Board had voted to renege on their side of the agreement and that all worker protections had been removed. The state-mediator said that in all of his years overseeing contact negotiations, he had never seen a public sector employer turn down a state-mediated agreement. Under these conditions, the drivers were forced to call an indefinite strike on September 26.

This is an unfair labor practices strike and is not about wages. It’s about dignity and respect. The drivers are not asking for a raise, they simply want to keep what they have. They want to keep their benefits, which were immediately revoked when the Metro Board threw out the no-strike agreement. One main issue on the table is a system of general leave, where senior drivers would be permitted to take a month-long unpaid vacation once a year that would actually save the district money. The Board refuses to budge.

previous coverage: Students, Workers and Community Unite to Support Bus Drivers || Students and Workers Teach Republicans a Lesson in Solidarity || Santa Cruz Bus Drivers on Strike

Your city tax dollars at work...

Skidmark Bob reads from the Santa Cruz Public Works Quarterly Newsletter, "One Persons Trash" Scavenging: It's against the law!, Criminalizing anyone who "Steals" from city recycling containers creating "Gateway Criminals" in a neighboorhood near you. WATCH YOUR CANS!! BE AFRAID BE VERY AFRAID!!!

Audio: Download mp3 audio 17:25

DUMPSTERDIVE FOR LIFE!!

People should call the public works dept and express their outrage

see also: DIY Dumpstering 101 and DIY Dumpstering 102
Use the online video guide for help downloading and watching the videos

On October 18th, hundreds of students marched and rallied at UC Santa Cruz to protest the presence of military recruiters at the campus career fair.

A Queer Kiss-in was staged in front of recruiters' tables during the march and rally. From inside the fair, kissers were able to effectively block access to military recruiters without shutting down the entire career fair.

The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" hiring practices are in violation of the UC system's non-discrimination policy. Protesters demanded that the UC adhere to its own policies by protecting all students from discrimination and securing UCSC as a hate-free zone.

Currently, the Solomon Amendment states that any university which denies military recruiters "equal access" to students will lose federal funding. The Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR) is challenging the constitutionality of the Solomon amendment in a Supreme Court case, FAIR v Rumsfeld, which will be heard in December. Protesters on Tuesday urged the University of California to become the thirty-ninth school in the country to join FAIR.

SAW Press Release: Students Greet Military with Rally and Queer Kiss-In

Audio: FRSC: Military Off UCSC - March & Rally Radio Coverage || FSRN: UC Students Against War

Photos: UCSC shuts down recruiters || Recruiters Shut Down at UCSC, Rally Photos || Military Recruiting Protested During UCSC's Career Fair || Photos of the Queer Kiss-In Against Military Recruitment at UCSC || Discrimination Is Unacceptable to Students Against War || Oct. 18 Counter-Recruitment Events - Photos by Bob Fitch || Photos from Oct. 18 SAW Rally

blog coverage: Evan Branigan’s Blog

protest announcement: Military Off UCSC - March & Rally Tuesday!

Still We Ride and the Santa Cruz Bicycle Film Festival

A special GDI event THIS Friday. We have the honor of co-hosting the Santa Cruz Bicycle Film Festival with People Power. The lack of easy and convenient public transportation this month is sending you a clear message: Get on your bike. Become part of bike culture and join us for this special event.

The Santa Cruz Bicycle Film Festival will show several bicycling films, including animated shorts, documentaries on bike messenger culture, and short films about the simple joy of riding a bike. The featured film, Still We Ride, is a newly-released documentary about Critical Mass, from its formation in San Francisco over 10 years ago to the mass arrests of cyclists in New York in August 2004. Currently the film is on a international tour to bring awareness to the New York Critical Mass cause.

PLUS thrilling and funny short films, an intermission, great company, and a rollicking bike ride after the movie.

Friday October 21st, 8:00pm
Railroad Tracks at Fair Ave, Santa Cruz

see also: Critical Mass is Thirteen: The Culture War is Older (and far from over)

Hundreds gathered in Watsonville, CA on Sunday, Oct. 16 to march for peace and commemorate the victims of violence.

The annual Peace & Unity March began after the brutal murder of Jorge (16) and his little sister Jessica (9) Cortez. Jorge and Jessica were gunned down execution style outside a panaderia in Pajaro one February evening. A few months later, Tony Valdivia (19) was shot to death in a local beach party. Local youth were outraged and decided to do something about it. This march conmemorates all carnales and carnalas who have died of gang, domestic, and international violence in our community.

For 11 consecutive years the Brown Berets have brought the different barrios together in a march which encompasses Watsonville as a whole. We are not only advocating for peace, but also for unity within our barrios.

Audio: FSRN: Watsonville Peace and Unity March || Dangerous Minds and Paying Tribute

Photos: Marching in the Streets || Marching, Pausing, Reaching Out and Performance

Audio and Photos: March Literally Takes Streets Back

Bring 5 friends and show up at 10am, Baytree Plaza

On Tuesday, multiple branches of the u.s. military will be recruiting at UCSC for the first time this year. In April - the last time the military was here - recruiters were kicked off campus by hundreds of students. On Tuesday, students will be holding a large march and rally to re-affirm that UCSC is a campus opposed to discrimination, opposed to war, and opposed to recruiters' lies.

While our Career Center requires that all groups coming to our job fairs affirm that they are Equal Opportunity Employers, the military is the ONLY institution that is granted an exception. Through the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, queers are officially banned from any position. This is in addition to the military's official ban on women serving combat positions.

see also: Military Recruiters Shut Down in San Diego: Protests Planned in Santa Cruz || UC Santa Cruz Students to March Against Discriminatory Military Recruitment

April 5, 2005: UCSC Students Kick Military Recruiters Off Campus

An Incomplete List of Independent Local Projects

Meaningful projects begin with people who are motivated to put into action their desires for the kind of world in which they want to live. The more we create our own projects that are apart from and in some cases pose a direct challenge to the dominant institutions, the more vital and meaningful our world(s) will be for us. Here is a short list of some of these kinds of projects in Santa Cruz.

[ Anarchist Library || The Bike Church || Food Not Bombs || Free Radio Santa Cruz || Free Skool Santa Cruz || Guerilla Drive-In || Santa Cruz Indymedia ]

Of course there is much more going on around town than this short list encompasses. Keep your eyes and ears open; talk to others (word of mouth is the best way to learn about what's going-on) and look for flyers around town (a great DIY way to spread-the-word). Also, if you discover that there is that vital something not happening here, then do-it-yourself and spread-the-word (collaborate with allies with similar passions). Let's joyfully tear down the world around us and create something wonderful in its place.

Students and Workers Take Protest to Sentinel's Door

Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 - Continuing the hard-fought struggle to support local bus drivers on strike, hundreds of students and workers from UC Santa Cruz, as well as many community members, held a brief rally at the base of the UCSC campus before embarking upon a highly visible and chant-filled march to the downtown Metro Center.

Once at the Metro Center, a rally and speak-out was held to discuss the bus drivers' struggle and the great deal of solidarity between various sectors of the community. After many complaints of the Santa Cruz Sentinel's poor coverage of the strike, the community marched over to the Sentinel's offices to greet the origins of their frusteration.

Friday's action, organized by the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ), has been the strongest show of support in the almost two week-old strike.

Photos: Solidarity Rally at Campus || Solidarity March || March from UCSC to the Metro Center || Community Response to UTU March || Solidarity Rally at Metro Center || Rally at the Metro Center to Support Bus Drivers || Students and Workers Take Protest to Sentinel's Door || March from the Metro Center to the Sentinel

Audio: Student Solidarity March

Early last week, students and workers descended on Mike Rotkin's office, leading to his denouncement of the Transit Board's decision that led to the strike. A few days later, a College Republican attempt at an anti-worker rally sank amidst overwhelming UTU solidarity.

Rotkin has called for an emergency Transit Board meeting Tuesday.

see also: Metro Rally Turns Out Well Oct 7, 2005

previous coverage: Students and Workers Teach Republicans a Lesson in Solidarity