What is the true cost of Santa Cruz’s favorite monthly art event? Our readers write in about homeless issues, bike distributions and First Friday.
Friday Not Free
I wanted to convey my sadness and disappointment in your offensive and irresponsible article “Sneaky Friday” in this week’s issue (Sept. 5).html.
First Friday is a huge commitment for a small business to take part in. The monthly curating of each artist, participation fee, extra staffing and catering cost my business in excess of $1000 per month. We take the event seriously and pride ourselves in showcasing and promoting local artists. We are excited to be able to host a feel-good art event in our stores and bring together the community in the context of creativity.
To dumb the event down by earmarking the best spots to freeload the catering is downright irresponsible. Not only do I find it personally insulting, I feel that you have debased the optimistic intention of the event as a whole. Granted, we do unfortunately encounter patrons who seek us out on First Friday purely for a drink and a taste of Serendipity’s wonderful jam. However, we are talking about the lowest common denominator—who, once again, you have proved is your readership base.
Suna Lock
Santa Cruz
Not a Solution
I have been unable to shed this terrible feeling of dread since reading the letter from “name withheld” who had the ultimate “solution.html” for the homeless “problem.” I think more than the cold-bloodedness of the letter was the fact that you chose to print it. Had the writer had the balls to claim his writing rather than hide, it might have been easier to swallow. However, when the next person writes you a letter with this content, please ask yourselves whether you aren’t adding to the pain of the people who are trying to survive with nothing to look forward to but more desolation and fear. And, please check your facts: The homeless want nothing more than a safe, warm place to sleep, a door to walk through and close behind, a place to call their own. It’s called “home.”
Gloria Sams
Santa Cruz
Cycle Issues
[RE: “Bike Distribution Program Under New Management,” Sep 05] Getting bicycles into the hands of young people in our city is a good thing. So is keeping useable bikes and parts out of the waste-stream. The Bike Church has been doing these things, without ceremony, every day it’s been open for more than a decade. We are glad that the Bike Dojo has decided to take up such charity.
The Bike Church has provided our City’s cyclists with literally thousands of hours of volunteer service, and has done a fine job for the past six years of distributing the city’s abandoned bikes to the non-profits that need them—many of which have unfortunately been left out of this new deal with the Bike Dojo. But instead of speculating on what interests brought this change about, we want to see more transparency with the decisions being made and to ensure that the abandoned bikes in this City are getting into ALL hands that need them. The courtesy of a dialogue would’ve been nice, too.
A Volunteer Bike Mechanic, Bike Church
Correction
In the photo caption of last week’s Currents story, Mary Graydon-Fontana was incorrectly identified as part of the opposition to Proposition 37. As the article clearly states, she is a proponent of Prop 37. Santa Cruz Weekly regrets the error.
