In The News: Thanks this morning to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying the news and commentary audio file.
Due to time constraints there will be no text news synopsis this morning...
Let it be noted that, before the commentary, there's a word from Auntie's sponsor advising how to deal with the unruly spawn-of-your-loins this summer. After the commentary, a sad but accurate dedication to what the city of Santa Cruz has become in the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake... The Kinks, from Preservation Act 1.
More on that below, after this MayDay! recollection from a couple of years ago:
It was a moment without historical precedent, American workers striking against a war that their government is waging. On Mayday this year, the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) shut down every port on the west coast of the United Stated--all 26 of them--in opposition to the US war against the people of Iraq.
On MayDay, actually MayNight at 9pm, there was a Flash Mob block party at the Santa Cruz town clock. A portable DJ showed up along with about 200 people. A banner as hung from the clock "Let's Get DOWN Like The Economy!" and the party proceeded for about a half hour before moving down Pacific Avenue and the business neighborhoods nearby.
It was one of the best community building experiences Razer has seen around these parts in many years.
HOWEVER, after the party broke up at about 11pm...
Note that there are many MAJOR factual errors in both of the Sentinel's reports, corrected by various commenters. They don't call it the "Senile" for nuthin'... Those articles stand uncorrected.
Here's my communique issued in response to one of the IndyMedia postings:
Word to the wise... The only people who truly gained from the property destruction were the insurance companies who'll raise the rates now, and the glass companies (Do you REALLY want to put $$$ in the pocket of Libby-Owens-Ford?).
The Block party itself was the most AWESOME community building activity I've seen in years around here... The other community building activity that has been ongoing in Santa Cruz is the now under-siege Santa Cruz Farmers Market drum circle, recently forced to move across the street where a police delivered a 'compromise' solution last week... "Go Away".
Wednesday... 3ish
What followed the party, IMO, on a true-cost socio-economics scale, was a *net negative*.
Discipline yourselves... You MUST learn... Violence and property destruction has it's time and place.
That's all I have to say about this particular occurrence
But I WILL SAY SOMETHING ON THE OVERALL HYPOCRISY OF THE CITY'S BUSINESS COMMUNITY
A few years ago, after the homicidal stabbing of a local bar patron across the street from that business, a business I was working within eyeshot of... ...I spoke with the owner, whom I used to work for quite a few year ago when she owned the Swan restaurant on the MALL (R.I.P. Pacific Garden Mall)
The conversation went like this:
"Sue (her name before it changed), I've been meaning to talk to you about that surly crowd hanging out outside. I see it every night from where I work and you REALLY need to get some security people who know what they're doing... Not just some over-sized 20somethings who can read IDs"
Her response was stunning, and illustrates the HYPOCRISY of painting the Block Party as a riot because of a few individuals using it as a cover for their own activities.
She said: "It didn't happen on MY property!"
Well, the property damage and destruction DID NOT HAPPEN during the block party.
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, the news clippings, audio, and images used in this posting are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.
Hi! I'm Razer Raygun. Welcome to Razed By Wolves, Just another BloggerBlog consisting of news and other media about local, national, and global events, and the people who, by their actions and words, create those events, making the world around us a more dangerous, nastier place to live.
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