Twitter This Commentary In The News: Thanks this morning to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying the news and commentary audio file. The Greek general strike spread to the whole country today with no one going to work, and no violence so far. More. In Bangkok Thailand, the crowds have been dispersed and the fires extinguished. Forty five people are believed to have been killed after the "Red Shirt" leaders surrendered to the police, but the crowds didn't. The protesters were using potato cannons for armament and burned a number of buildings. The Senate Finance Regulatory Bill failed to get cloture yesterday with both sides of the isle seeing reasons not to move it to a full vote. There will be another try today. Arizona's response to Los Angeles' threat of a boycott due to Arizona's new immigration 'law'... Turn off LA' lights. Over one quarter of the electricity used in L.A. comes from Arizona and Arizona is threatening to 'pull the plug' over L.A.'s economic boycott threat. But it wouldn't possibly be that simple because L.A. owns interest in the generating plants. Further, would one assume Arizona could do without the HUGE amount of revenue that electricity generation for California brings into the state coffers? They're bluffing, IF they even have any control AT ALL regarding the destination of the power generated by contract companies like Kerr-McGee (for general example) that operate these facilities. If you thought the Hoover Institute was one of the stranger organizations at Stanford University. A Stanford research group has determined fish have emotions... But do Trout have a different personality than Tuna? Meanwhile, in Santa Cruz California, AKA "Siicon Beach", the Santa Cruz drum circle finds a compromise location near downtown after weeks of being chased from site to site... ...but the pressure is on another organization that works to free public space and put it to good use. guerilladrivein.org Press Release Free Movies in the Park Face Political Backlash World Renowned Guerilla Drive-In Project Targeted in SCPD Efforts to Stamp Out DIY Community Events Santa Cruz, CA, May 20th, 2010: After 8 years, 13 locations and over 150 free films to the community, Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In is being targeted by the Santa Cruz Police. In the wake of the May Day riots, city administrators are directing the city manager to stomp out all unpermitted community gatherings. As the sun set Friday evening, the normally dark and dingy area under the Soquel Ave bridge was buzzing with excitement. It was a special event for the community as Guerilla Drive-In was showing the work of a local film maker, Cheri Lovedog. "The Jesus Factor" was shot in Santa Cruz and was created with a cast and crew mostly made up of locals, some of whom were sitting in lawn chairs waiting to see the film. Earlier, Guerilla Drive-In had arrived to find the area under the bridge littered with plastic bags, dirty and unwanted clothing, and containers of partially eaten food. As the organizers and audience members gathered up this trash, they mused over the thought that they would leave this river-side space looking much better than they'd found it. Another audience member brought a large bag of popcorn and was passing it around to share with the entire group. It was a community effort, not only to create the film but now, to share it with others and transform this space under the bridge into something magical. However, within the first 15 minutes of the film, the evening came to an abrupt halt as an officer from the Santa Cruz police department descended on the group and demanded to speak to "the person in charge." Organizers pointed out that 40 to 50 people worked to put the event on. The officer insisted that without a permit, the gathering must be halted immediately. Earlier in the week, Santa Cruz Mayor Mike Rotkin and Vice-Mayor Ryan Coonerty told a closed Downtown Association meeting that they were now targeting individuals in an attempt to stop all unpermitted gatherings. Coonerty said, "As far as I am concerned, shame on the organizers for costing police time and funds that could be spent on preventing gang violence." Coonerty did not acknowledge however, that the crackdown on family-friendly community events is costing the city more money that it doesn't have. The city council already added 8 police officers that it had no way to pay for in emergency meetings after black-clad vandals broke windows during a May Day street party. Liz Burchfield of the Guerilla Drive-In collective said, "Imagine a world where parks were not threatening places where drug deals went down, but rather alive with activity: families having night-time picnics, lovers holding hands, friends star-gazing. Isn't that world much better than the one that keeps us divided and afraid?" Guerilla Drive-In has been working for years to re-envision the Santa Cruz community, bringing together neighbors in a commercial free venue, providing a safe and free event for the community, and reclaiming and cleaning up public space. GDI films have been shown in parks, downtown streets, industrial areas, and community gardens. Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In has been covered by the New York and Los Angeles Times and has inspired a movement that has been copied worldwide. More: Officers Pay Visit to Santa Cruz Anarchist Infoshop SubRosa Wednesday May 19th, 2010 4:38 PM The DA takes the harassment and intimidation up a notch. Four armed deputies visited SubRosa today. They allegedly wanted to talk to SubRosa staff about "worker's comp issues." One of them was an inspector in the Santa Cruz District Attorney's Office. Apparently, this makes good on the DA's promise to investigate SubRosa for any connection with the May Day property destruction. As neighbors, I feel like we have each others backs. Especially through Shitstorm 2010, we've been impressed with the level of mutual support. I know we want to represent each other well, especially in any kind of investigation, but anything you say to the police or the DA will be used against you and us. The part where you say we are awesome, community-minded, swell people will not be part of their report, guaranteed. However, they will sift through what you say for anything they can use against someone, even taking it out of context. They are looking for leverage. They have no suspects, no clues, and so they are going to go after the most convenient target, hoping they can dredge up something, anything. So... If you are questioned by any type of law enforcement, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO ENGAGE THEM. Instead, DO THE FOLLOWING: 1. Ask them if they have a dated and signed search warrant 2. If not, ask them to step out on the sidewalk 3. On the sidewalk, get their business card 4. Give them the number of your/our lawyer They are likely trying to use this as an excuse to talk to people, to further an investigation/prosecution. That said, there are powerful people who after May Day would like to shut down SubRosa. P.S. From the State Administrative Manual at ca.gov: http://sam.dgs.ca.gov/TOC/2500/2580.3.htm 2580.3 VOLUNTEERS. By law, workers' compensation benefits for volunteers are not required. A volunteer who does not receive compensation for his or her work is not entitled to workers' compensation benefits, unless the agency for which the volunteer works chooses to provide these benefits (See Labor Code Section 3363.5). [Source] More on the subject of dealing with "The Man"... Below the fold, in the "Notes:" [After the commentary, Little Stevie Vai (What a NICE little boy!) wants to play you a song he just learned. Courtesy of the respective artists. If you've never seen Steve Vai live... He grew up... to be an incredible showman and guitarist. SCHOOL'S OUT!] -30-
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