Thread: Riot Breaks Out in Downtown Santa Cruz; Windows Broken; Fire

May 2, 10:00 PM EDT

Calif. immigrants' rights march ends in vandalism

By JOHN S. MARSHALL
Associated Press Writer

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) -- Close to 20 businesses were damaged after what started as a peaceful immigrants' rights march in downtown Santa Cruz turned violent, requiring police to call other agencies for help, authorities said.

Police spokesman Zach Friend said an estimated 250 people started marching through the city around 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

It was a harmonious but "unpermitted and unsanctioned event," he said, until some in the crowd started breaking windows and spraying paint on retail shops that line the downtown corridor.

Friend said he wasn't sure if the damage was caused by people marching in support of immigrants' rights, or if the group was "infiltrated by anarchists."

Anarchy signs were spray-painted on some of the buildings.

"They're a group of people who seem to fancy themselves as revolutionaries, but what they really are are a group of morons," Friend said.

A fire was started in a coffee shop entryway but was extinguished once police cleared the way for firefighters, Friend said.

Eighteen businesses were damaged, with the cost of repairs estimated at between $50,000 and $100,000. No injuries were reported.

Once officers arrived from other agencies, police were able to restore order in about 20 minutes, Friend said.

One person was arrested on suspicion of committing vandalism, though police expect to make additional arrests once investigators have a chance to gather video of the event.

"I assure you, more people will be held accountable for this as we review videos," Friend said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... TE=DEFAULT

JohnDoe2,

This one fits a lot of what I'm seeing,


an·ar·chist
   –noun
1. a person who advocates or believes in anarchy or anarchism.

2. a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order in the place of that destroyed.

3. a person who promotes disorder or excites revolt against any established rule, law, or custom.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anarchist

It seems these types are infiltrating any & every movement, including the Minutemen & the Tea Party. They offer nothing but disorder, violence & all also seem to support socialist/communist doctrines.
The Tea Party people must & will disassociate themselves from such groups. They want no part of them. But the pro-immigrant groups tend to have many members from such groups among their own & that clouds the issues.
If anarchy be their goal, they are not qualified to become Americans. We want the rule of law, not anarchy. I also note many pro-immigrant groups have tee shirts w/ Che photo's on them. The guy was a murderer. The guy wanted nothing less than totalitarian socialism.
If these folks came to America to be free, then why would they bring along their despicable socialist doctrines from the failing &/or failed gwat nations they are trying to escape from?
Anyway, please note the violence when there is any, is "from" the left, NOT the right. We who believe in America & her rule of law, abide by that law & want it changed according to the legal means to do so. Then, we want our laws enforced, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity or other divisive qualifier.

So, Will William print a retraction of his accusations in his press release?

According to all of the articles I have read so far, the damage and violence was caused by protestors from the pro-illegal marchers. I cant find an article that says it was college students or anyone else. Can someone point me in the right direction?

At least 18 Santa Cruz businesses suffered damage during May Day riot

By Shanna McCord
smccord@santacruzsentinel.com

Posted: 05/02/2010 09:14:03 PM PDT
Updated: 05/02/2010 09:19:11 PM PDT


(photo) A pedestrian looks at the graffiti sprayed on a building on Pacific Ave.... ( KAREN T. BORCHERS )

SANTA CRUZ — Downtown business owners spent Sunday repairing shattered windows and doors after a May Day rally Saturday night turned into a riot with approximately 250 people marching along Pacific Avenue, some carrying makeshift torches, throwing large rocks and paint bombs, and spray-painting walls with graffiti.

At least 18 businesses suffered damage during the rally in honor of international workers that began at 9 p.m. and escalated into mayhem around 10:30 p.m., police said. Investigators estimated damage at $100,000, though some business owners said it could be more. No injuries were reported.

On Sunday, sea green-colored glass littered sidewalks where windows and glass doors had been smashed. Maintenance workers, many getting called in the middle of the night, boarded up windows with plywood until new sheets of glass could be installed.

The vandalized businesses included Urban Outfitters, Peet's Coffee, Noah's Bagels, Jamba Juice, Velvet Underground and Dell Williams Jewelers. The unoccupied Rittenhouse building also was damaged. A police car was vandalized with rocks and paint, department spokesman Zach Friend said.

Roxie Jones, a resident at Palomar Apartments, spent Sunday morning cleaning yellow paint blobs off of her white Pontiac Grand Prix, which was parked on Pacific Avenue during the riot.

Velvet Underground owner Diane Towns said she was sickened by the smashing of a large window at her north Pacific Avenue clothing store, which has been downtown since 1994. Vandals also dragged a mannequin out of the store and tore off the dress and jewelry, she said.

"We've been up all night. I'm just devastated," Towns said Sunday morning. "We've had a hard enough time staying open with the economy, now this. It's going to cost me at least $1,000 to replace the window."

Kevin Melrose, manager of the Rittenhouse building, estimated it would cost more than $30,000 to replace the three windows and two doors that were smashed in the riot. There was also damage to some artwork being stored inside the vacant building at Pacific Avenue and Church Street, he said.

"This is just stupidity," Melrose said. "This is a violent protest to me, and it diminishes their cause."

The only person arrested in connection to the downtown destruction was Jimi Haynes, a 24-year-old transient from Fresno County. Police said Haynes was seen breaking two large display windows at Dell Williams Jewelers, a longtime family-owned local business. He was booked into County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism and a parole hold.

Police said Haynes told them he learned about the May Day rally from a flier posted at the Santa Cruz anarchist cafe, Sub Rosa, which is at Spruce Street and Pacific Avenue. Several fliers had circulated around town and on the Internet advertising a May Day street party in Santa Cruz.

The fliers didn't contain names or groups responsible for the event.

"Take back this day. Kick it with us for a truly sick night of mayhem," a flier said.

Another flier billed the event as a chance to "celebrate, eat, drink, dance and take over," while another predicted a "massive" street party.

Police said they knew the May Day event was being planned, but felt there was no need to monitor it closely because there was no indication it would turn destructive.

The city event coordinator Kathy Agnone had reached out to the group to encourage them to obtain a permit, but they refused, Friend said.

"There were fliers, but there wasn't any indication it would be this kind of event," Friend said. "The fliers we had didn't give any indication like that."

Scenes from the downtown riot were caught on video and posted online to YouTube. The short clips show a mass of people marching down Pacific Avenue. Three or four individuals dressed all in black, their faces covered, darted out of the crowd to storefronts, swinging what appeared to be tire irons at windows and in some cases throwing rocks the size of bowling balls.

In some cases, the rocks remained Sunday morning on the sidewalks where they fell.

No police were seen in the video while the destruction was under way. Later, the video showed the street mostly empty as police cars and officers on foot moved through the area.

Friend said there were eight officers on duty in the city, including two downtown, when the 911 call came about 10:30 p.m.

Instead of facing an unruly crowd in which police were outnumbered 20 to 1, Friend said, the officers requested mutual aid from every law enforcement agency in the county, including Watsonville, Capitola, UC Santa Cruz, California Highway Patrol, harbor police and sheriff's deputies.

"Every available resource responded. Obviously it takes time to get all of the county's resources assembled," Friend said. "Once we were there, it was contained in less than 20 minutes and the crowd dispersed and the vandalism stopped."

Police said they expect to make more arrests. They hope surveillance video taken at various businesses will help them identify those involved.

Councilman Ryan Coonerty, whose family owns a downtown bookstore that was not damaged in the riot, described the vandalism as "childish, asinine, pseudo-revolutionary acts" that take police away from other critical public safety needs such as those connected to gangs.

"The fact is between the gang violence and the acts of violence downtown, we need more police," Coonerty said Sunday. "We've authorized a lot of overtime to deal with the gang problems and that costs a lot of money. We're going into the red for overtime because we think it's important to have extra police on duty right now. But going into the red is not sustainable."

Coonerty said he planned to talk to police today about how city officials can better support the department's efforts to curtail crime.

Chip, the head of the Downtown Association who goes by only one name, said the business owners he talked to on Sunday were frustrated by Saturday's "senseless" violence.

"The victims in this are our community, the businesses and families trying to make a go of it," Chip said. "These are selfish idiots. It doesn't make sense."

The owners of Zocolli's Italian deli on Pacific Avenue received phone calls at home at 1:30 a.m. Sunday alerting them to the uprising. The fact that their business escaped damage didn't diminish their anger over the vandalism downtown.

"It's disgusting," Caitlin Zocolli said. "They're just making themselves look terrible. It just makes them look like animals. For all they know, we're all on their side."

Katy Hope of Newport Beach was shocked to see the destruction while shopping downtown with her daughter Rosie on Sunday.

"This isn't a protest. This is violence," Hope said. "This is really wrong."

Georgeta Cole, a Sacramento resident visiting Santa Cruz for the day with her fiance, said the vandalism was inexcusable.

"It's irritating that people destroy property to get their point across," Cole said. "It's horrible."

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15005022

If you hav not seen this IMM. SOLUTION, you better hurry up. It's the coolest idea I have evr seen and this guy deserve the Metal of Honor in service to America, in my opin.

Immigration: No Amnesty, No Round-Up$
http://xelanbonn.com/2186/immigration-n ... -round-up/

Please pass around and let's discuss and debate cause this is such a simple and quick idea. Makes sense in so many ways I can't count them. All I know is if we could get passed, we win and I can go on to something else.

The violence appears to be organized and the perpetrators seem tho be the same sorts of bottom feeders one finds in any big town or city. The folks who did the vanda ism have no dog in the hunt beyond an opportunity to just cause trouble. Maybe they get get paid for their efforts, who knows, but I find it interesting that these sorry excuses for human beings seem to come out of the woodwork when riots and mayhem occur. It is almost as if the left had some sort of central casting dept. and just made a call for a few hundred "malcontents, useful idiots and fellow travelers" who could be at the appointed place at the appointed time. Some of the folks arrested were anglos who were wanted on other charges and who were career criminals with long records of mischief. Why were they at a so called rally for support of illegal aliens and their rights? When did they get a social conscience? What do they care?

I think they are most likely paid goons sent in to cause trouble and to agitate... Right out of the Saul Alinsky playbook. When Conservatives meet... it is peaceful. When the Radical left meets... Violence. Why should we expect different?

"It's irritating that people destroy property to get their point across," Cole said. "It's horrible."

It has gotten to where illegals are telling our government what to do. Its like the riots in France and other countries where illegals protest for rights. They make demands and then resort to vandalism and destruction to make a point.

Santa Cruz police ask FBI to help investigate what they believe was 'coordinated' attack on the city
By Alia Wilson
Posted: 05/03/2010 01:38:11 PM PDT

SANTA CRUZ - Santa Cruz police on Monday asked the FBI to help investigate what they believe was a "methodical and coordinated" attack on the city Saturday night.

Police also announced that they arrested a second man in connection with the downtown riot that caused more than $100,000 in damage to 18 businesses.
Police spokesman Zach Friend said investigators believe the attack was premeditated because officers received two phone calls for shots fired and a man down prior to the violent outburst. Friend said the calls appear to have been make to "divert police and fire resources away from the riot."
Officers found no problems at the scenes of the diversionary calls, Friend said.

Investigators said the rally of about 250 began as an advertised May Day event for worker's rights was "unsanctioned" and used as "political and physical cover for the organized anarchist group."

The night of the riot, a Santa Cruz police officer responding to the downtown gathering was surrounded by demonstrators who jumped on his squad car hood, poured paint on it and pelted the sides with rocks.
Investigators will be working with the FBI to identify any individuals on videos pulled from downtown businesses and available online.

A second man arrested at the downtown riot was identified Monday by UC Santa Cruz police as Santa Cruz transient Thomas Williams.
Williams, 41, was covered in the paint used in the downtown vandalisms, according to Friend.

When officers contacted Williams on Saturday, he became agitated and resisted police. Friend said Williams also was highly intoxicated. Investigators are looking into whether Williams was directly involved with the vandalisms.

Jimi Haynes, 24, a Modesto transient also was arrested Saturday after witnesses saw him breaking windows at Dell Williams on Saturday, police said. Haynes told police he learned of the event through fliers at the SubRosa Cafe.
Investigators ask that anyone who recognizes individuals in the videos or has information about Saturday's riot to call 420-5820 or the anonymous tipline at 420-5995.

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