Santa Cruz Police Clamp Down on Drummers
Police break out batons and threaten tear gas in clash with protesters
Story and photo by Curtis Cartier
Protesters with drumsticks clashed with police officers with nightsticks on Wednesday afternoon when a planned protest at the Cedar and Cathcart Street parking lot turned into a chaotic fray that saw officers in riot gear armed with tear gas launchers facing down an angry crowd of activists after two protesters were arrested.
The scene began as a relatively peaceful assembly involving members of the Rainbow Tribe, Trash Orchestra, Food Not Bombs and others that had come to protest last week’s ban on drumming in the parking lot. But soon, some drummers began removing the plastic mesh fence that had been erected around several trees as a deterrent against the drummers. Shortly after the fence came down, people began beating drums around the trees, but their attention soon shifted to another drummer who had been led away by two officers.
The officers pulled the man to the east end of the parking lot, where he was handcuffed while enraged drummers beat loudly on plastic barrels, trash cans and snare drums inches from the officers. The crowd near the subdued man soon grew larger and police formed a semi-circle around him and drew out their batons, screaming at people to “get back.”
Countless activists began shouting, “We have a right to be here!” and “First amendment!” and those who got too close were shoved back by police, who used batons and their hands to keep the crowd at bay.
Soon, police grabbed another drummer, handcuffed him and sized his large blue plastic barrel and makeshift drumsticks. This caused the growing crowd to become more agitated, and people started shouting angry curses at the officers. By this time, nearly 30 officers from the Santa Cruz Police Department and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office had arrived, at least one of whom was armed with a tear gas launcher. Shortly after, a line of officers arrayed themselves shoulder to shoulder along Cathcart Street and stared down the crowd of 100 or so livid protesters.
As the two men were led out of the parking lot and into police cars, members of the crowd shouted out, “Are you being hurt?” One answered, “Yes, my arms!” and “They’re hurting me!”
Once the men were driven off, all the officers left the scene, leaving angry demonstrators to vent their frustration to their peers but also allowing them free rein to drum in the parking lot – at least for time being.
“Our rights to free assembly are being squashed!” said a protestor, who only offered his name as Isaias R. “How many heroin addicts and crack dealers are there in other places in the city and the police come here to arrest drummers?”
Other protesters, like a man calling himself “Dragon,” said the police were using “brutal intimidation techniques” and pointed to the officers who were armed with tear gas as proof.
The event had been scheduled by several groups as protest to the city’s recent ban on the weekly drum circle that takes place in the parking lot next to the farmers market. Last week, officers launched what they dubbed an “education campaign” to try and convince the drummers to congregate elsewhere. And although the fences were erected last week and police officers said they wouldn’t allow the drumming, no arrests were made and the ban was accepted peacefully.
This week the peace ended and returned almost as quickly. Not long after the two men had their drums confiscated and were taken to jail, not a single officer could be found in the area, and the bang of drums again filled the parking lot.
“They can try and stop us, they can try and take our drums, but we won’t stop. We’ll be back again and again,” said Isaias R. “They can’t silence our freedom!”
