Month: October 2005

Halloween Critical Massers Ride the Streets of Santa Cruz

Critical Mass bike rides are unorganized coincidences taking place in many small and large communities throughout the world, usually on the last Friday of the month. Critical Mass in October is especially fun because it is a Halloween Ride where people dress and act in a freakish fashion.

On October 28, 2005, about 50 cyclists took to the streets of Santa Cruz for this year’s Halloween Critical Mass at around 5:30pm. The Critical Mass has been growing in the last few months and this mass would have been larger if there was not a confusion (see: “unorganized coincidence”) about what time people were meeting at and leaving from the clock tower. Still, numerous riders were able to find the mass in streets and join in the fun!

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George Bush Visits the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California

On October 21, I made my way over to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Well, actually, I did not make it all the way the library because the road was blocked off by the Simi Valley Police Department. It turned out that George W. Bush was at the library attending the official unveiling of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s Air Force One Pavilion. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. every day of the week, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day, but today (October 21, 2005) signs on the road stated, “Library Closed Invited Guests Only.” The closing of the library was a major inconvenience to all the people that wanted to take some time to tribute Ronald Reagan.

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Military Recruiting Protested During UCSC’s Career Fair

On October 18, 2005, military recruiters returned to UC Santa Cruz for the first time since they were rallied off campus by Students Against War on April 5, 2005. Students Against War organized a protest and hundreds of people rallied and marched to the College 9/10 Dining Hall. The Military and UC held the career fair on the second story of the building and had numerous police officers and administrators guarding the stairs and entrance to the career fair.

Students wanting to enter and document the career fair were greeted by the bodies of three police officers who blocked the path of student journalists and other members of the press.

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Marching in the Streets of Watsonville for Peace and Unity

On October 16, 2005, the 12th Annual Peace and Unity March was held in Watsonville. About 250 people participated in the march which went through numerous communities in downtown Watsonville.

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 commemorates all carnales and carnalas who have died of gang, domestic, and international violence in our community.

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