Police moved on a peaceful graphic artist and a guitarist at the planter in front of Pacific Trading Company
and Costa Brava around 2:30 p.m. yesterday (Sunday 11-3). Baker photographed the artist's hand-made drawing as he arrayed them on part of the planter and demanded they be removed citing either "display of merchandise" or "non-commercial display on public property". The second individual was told that his guitar case and backpack were "taking up too much room". When I told Baker that since the property was neither unattended nor blocking the sidewalk, he had no right to order the musician on, he ignored me and continued to linger by his illegally-parked police vehicle. Audio of these encounters can be heard on Free Radio next Thursday 6 PM on Bathrobespierre's Broadsides (96.3 FM).

They were driven away under threat of $162 citation by Sgt. Baker, CSO Gray, and Officer Rodreguez around 2:30 p.m. today. I understand they also drove off a masseur
who has been regularly offering services for donation near the Bookshop Santa Cruz.

For those interested, the Downtown Commission/City Council Sub-Committee on Downtown Problems meets today (Monday) Nov. 4 at 1 PM--originally scheduled for the
City Manager's Conference Room. Oral Communications at the Parks and REcreation Commission (City Council Chambers) is at 4 PM, where activist Sherry Conable may be
bringing up the issue of the "disappearing benches" downtown again. Merry Mondays will be showing video of the Marini's tabling incident around 4:45 p.m.

Activist Steve Argue returns to court 9:30 AM Dept. 5 tomorrow (November 5th) when Judge Atack will hold another hearing on whether to retry Argue on the "assault on
an officer" charge, which was thrown out by a higher court because Atack failed to turn over discovery to the defense. Argue has already served 7 months for the charge, and the matter will probably be continued and then eventually dropped. The officer involved, David Lafaver, has left the police force after an Independent Investigation upheld charges of excessive force against Lafaver for his pain compliance hold on a mother and her child at the 1999 Bombing of Yugoslavia protest.

Argue also goes back to court to defend himself against his 3rd or 4th jaywalking ("walking while Argue") ticket at 10 AM, Friday November 8th in Dept. 2.

In another of Sgt. Baker's raids (ticket by Officer Hilliard in August) Richard Parsons, a disabled man with 9 ruptured discs in his back, goes to trial on November 8th as well at (8:30 or 10 AM, it's not clear which) for "lying down on the sidewalk. This was one of Baker's busts of the highly surveilled "Merry Monday", from which Baker's officers have stolen signs, given out multiple citations for chalking with erasable chalk, and spent literally hundreds of taxpayer dollars "observing"...no doubt for terrorist activity.

Activist Becky Johnson is still looking for a lawyer or a legal researcher to fight the "criminal chalking" charge (two charges actually) that she faces on November 21st when she returns to court. Please leave a message at 423-4833 if you want to help.

Police have not dropped charges against the two men arrested at the "Die-In" at Cooper and Pacific on Sunday. Vinnie Lombardo was released but faces misdemeanor "obstructing an officer" charges. Police would not say whether the other victim was in custody or released.

Please join us at the next Merry Monday, which is also the site of anti-war tabling. This next week may be crucial in mounting opposition to Bush's war drive.