Media Archive

On May 4th, over a hundred people gathered at the Santa Cruz Courthouse for a press conference, march, and rally organized by the Watsonville Brown Berets to demand District Attorney Bob Lee drop the charges against the Santa Cruz Eleven.
Participants held signs bearing slogans like “Journalism is not a crime”
District Attorney Bob Lee said Indybay photojournalists Bradley Allen and Alex Darocy, two of those charged and not acquitted, "effectively served as the media arm of the organization; the group's propagandists."
“Prosecutions such as this one can serve to chill speech even if they do not result in a conviction…” wrote Michael Risher, ACLU attorney.
Community members gathered at the Santa Cruz Courthouse for a press conference and rally to demand District Attorney Bob Lee drop the charges against the Santa Cruz Eleven.
Allen and Darocy were engaged in conduct that is protected under the First Amendment and article I, § 2 of the California Constitution. The prosecution’s theory that these reporters are vicariously guilty of the crimes that they photographed endangers the First Amendment.
The accused journalists work for alternative news sources such as Indybay and Free Radio Santa Cruz and argue that they were covering the occupation as a newsworthy event.
The Santa Cruz Branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) condemns the action of local law enforcement in attempting to prosecute eleven local activists who are alleged to have occupied the long-deserted bank building at Water and River Streets last fall.
At least some of the defendants are journalists who were present to report on the protest. We condemn any attempt to criminalize their exercise of the crucial First Amendment right to gather and disseminate information about this newsworthy event. All charges based on this constitutionally protected activity should be dropped immediately.