On November 30, 2005, Santa Cruz was declared as a “World City Against the Death Penalty” by Santa Cruz Mayor, Mike Rotkin. Santa Cruz is one of more than 300 cities worldwide calling for an end to the death penalty.
About thirty people came to Santa Cruz City Hall to protest the planned execution of Stanley “Tookie” Williams and speak out against the death penalty. David Sweet introduced local activists including Ray Glock-Gruenich, Darrell Darling, Betsy Fairbanks, Emily Malony, Wanda Conaway-Knight, Sandino Gomez and Kenny Swain.
Sandino Gomez of the Watsonville Brown Berets, the Resource Center for Nonviolence’s Youth Empowerment Coordinator and ‘The Global Local’ host on Freak Radio Santa Cruz did not have any prepared statements and speaks his heart when it comes to matters like this. Sandino was born and raised in Santa Cruz. He discusses some of his experiences of racism growing up and going to school in Santa Cruz as well as the racial and class prejudice within the entire judicial system, dysfunctional democracy in the US and failed imperialist attempts to “bring democracy” to Iraq and other parts of the world.
See Also:
Save Tookie Williams – Nov. 30th
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Crossposted at Santa Cruz Indymedia.
