Wed. 3/26 - Santa Cruz City Schools - proposal to stop giving student names to military recruiters without student's consent. Support this student-initiated proposal by packing the School Board meeting. 6:00pm, 2901 Mission St. Extension, 1 block west of Hwy 1 at Western Drive, far westside Santa Cruz.

Fri. 3/28 - Youth Action Coalition (high school & college students) Peace Rally & March, 4:00 - 6:00pm at the Santa Cruz town clock.

Sat. 3/29 - Family Outing with a Cause. Santa Cruz town clock at 1:00pm, march to rally at Raymond Street Park in Beach Flats at 2:00pm, 3:00pm march to Lighthouse.

Sun. 3/30 - Cesar Chavez Day in Salinas. Join United Farm Workers in celebrating the life of Cesar, demonstrate for world peace, justice for farmworkers, drivers licenses for undocumented workers. Great opportunity to build solidarity across the region and across issues. Carpools and busses leave from Santa Cruz County Bldg (Ocean & Water) at 10:30 am. Bus tickets at RCNV 423-1626

Labor for Peace: Upcoming Actions

Sunday, March 23, is the 4th day of action in response to War on Iraq. The Iraq Action Network will host a NonViolence Training for Direct Action at 5:00pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence (515 Broadway at Ocean). There will be an Iraq Action Network (IAN) Spokes Council meeting at 7:00pm, also at the RCNV.

[ Article by Iraq Action Network I Iraq Action Network - Calendar ]

An experimental live video webcast will begin Saturday, March 22, at 4:30pm and last about an hour. To watch the protest live, you will need RealOne Player v9

Article

Peace demonstrations have been taking place in Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Scotts Valley. People rallied and marched through the streets of Santa Cruz on Thursday starting at the town clock, then marching through downtown, lower ocean area, and then up Ocean St. It was a peaceful, yet militant reclamation of the entire street.

There were no known arrests and the Santa Cruz Police Department actually allowed protesters to take the streets while blocking oncoming traffic. The march continued back through the downtown area before arriving at the County Building for a rally with speakers, moment of silence, and trainings in non-violent direct action. Candlelight vigilers remained at town clock through the night.

On Friday demonstrators blocked the entrances to the Military Recruitment Center in Capitola. A Free Radio Santa Cruz (96.3fm) phone interview with one of the demonstrators was cut off by the police and the demonstrator was arrested, one of 12 arrests at the demonstration.

Audio: Days of Protest

Text Articles: Thursday in Santa Cruz -- Radical Reflection on Thursday -- "What We Did and Didn't Do" -- Students Rally and March

Emergency actions are taking place at numerous locations on California's Central Coast. Actions and Rallys have been planned at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Military Recruitment Center in Capitola, Clock Tower and County Buildings in Santa Cruz, several Candle Vigils in Monterey, and a HUGE action in San Francisco's Financial District.

The Vandenberg Action Coalition has called for an EMERGENCY CIVIL RESISTANCE MOBILIZATION starting March 21, 22, and 23 consisting of a backcountry action preparation/training, campfire spokescouncil/convergence, scouting, camp set up, and a backcountry security zone occupation at Vandenberg Air Force Base to disrupt the targeting, guidance, and command systems for the assault of Iraq.

These upcoming actions at Vandenberg have been reported in other media outlets, such as a March 9 article in the Santa Barbara News Press, a March 10 article, Armed Forces Day protest set, in the Santa Maria Times, and on March 15 an Associated Press article, Vandenberg Air Force Base authorizes `deadly force' against trespassing protesters, ran across the nation.

Some very interesting and informative audio recordings from an action at Vandenberg AFB on May 19, 2001 can be heard here: Action Report and Sound Collage.

If the United States invades Iraq, the Iraq Action Network of Santa Cruz recommends the following non-violent actions:

* 5:00pm, the day war begins, meet at the Santa Cruz Clock Tower (Pacific & Water Streets). * Bring noisemakers - pots and pans to bang, musical instruments to play and your voice to be heard!

* 7:00-7:05pm Moment of Silence and Lights Out for the victims of the U.S. oil war.

* 7:15pm Large Peace Rally at the Santa Cruz County Building (Ocean at Water St.)

For more information, please visit the Resource Center for Non-Violence's emergency 24hour "Convergence Center" located at 515 Broadway (at Ocean).

[ A Call for Action | Action at Vandenberg - Meeting Thursday | Armed Forces Day Rally at Vandenberg AFB (5/17/03) ]

Come to an evening of education and creative resistance Tuesday, 7:00pm, at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. The Beehive Collective will be presenting a huge collaborative illustrated mural and a six foot tall fabric picture book with an engaging narritive on Plan Colombia. Ethan is a radical singer/songwriter from Maine.

[ Details | Beehive Collective | Ethan Miller ]

Tune in to KSCO at around 12:15 to hear a discussion on the coming war in Iraq. You will hear an update from Boulder Creek resident, Wade Hudson, who arrived in Baghdad, Iraq this week as a member of the Iraq Peace Team. Joining the V-Man (from Free Radio Santa Cruz) on the phone will be Charlie Richardson of Military Families Speak Out. Also on the line will be Erik Gustafson, a Gulf War veteran and executive director of Education for Peace in Iraq Center. With the U.S. poised on the brink of another war with Iraq, it is critical that we hear from people like Wade, Charlie, and Erik.

Tune in to KSCO, this Monday, March 17 between 12:15 and 1:00pm. Call in with questions at 479-1080 or 477-1340. And please encourage the management at KSCO to EXPAND this type of programming!!!

[ Article | Audio - FRSC's Old Lady Scararms on KSCO | Audio - FRSC's V-Man Interviews Erik Gustafson ]

People in Santa Cruz County will be holding candlelight vigils on Sunday as part of an international action to oppose war. Santa Cruz vigils are to begin at 7:00pm at the Santa Cruz Clock Tower, the Santa Cruz Lighthouse on Westcliff, the Capitola Esplanade, and the corner of Mill St. and Highway 9 in Ben Lomond. Bring a candle.

[ Article | Over 200 Gather at the Lighthouse ]

Protests are intensifying over the arrival of heavily armed soldiers at Kmarts, Walmarts, and Rite Aids around the country. The soldiers are not guarding the retail giants from attack. They are toy soldiers armed with assault rifles and machine guns, and they have replaced the traditional front-and-center chocolate bunny in children's Easter baskets. Whether the Christian holiday or the pre-Christian Ostara is your style, Easter is a holiday about life, birth, rebirth, joy, and above all peace.

Join Santa Cruz County Friends of Chocolate Bunnies Sunday at 3:00pm, outside the Kmart on 41st avenue in Capitola, just east of Highway 1. Bring your bunny ears, non-violent spirits, and creative signs!

[ Announcement for Capitola Demo | Report on Informational Picket | Photos from Demo ]

The 24-hour ongoing vigil against two wars has been moved twice by Santa Cruz police within the last twelve hours. It is currently at Jamba Juice (1550 Pacific Ave) near the downtown post office. This is the first time that the new "Move Along Law" has been used in Santa Cruz against political tablers.

In another attack on our peaceful vigil, the owner of Lulu Carpenter's downtown assaulted several vigilers who had gone there for breakfast. The man, who we believe was named Manfree, threw plastic cups at one of our vigilers and then continued to tell them that they had to leave and could not have breakfast there because he did not welcome "their kind" in his coffee shop.

After the vigilers left, he came out to the vigil where they had constructed a sign describing their experience at the coffee shop and threw a cup of hot coffee at another vigiler. Because of this horrifying attack on our movement, we are also asking people to boycott Lulu Carpenter's coffee shop and call (see article for suggested phone calls) to express your concern about this incident.

[ Article | Selective Enforcement -- Updates ]