In the middle of a nation-wide crackdown on the occupy movement, and facing serious threats to the local movement from police harassment and the cold weather, a group of activists in Santa Cruz including both Occupy Santa Cruz community members and UC Santa Cruz students organized the occupation of a former bank located at 75 river street, successfully defending it for 4 days from Wednesday November 30th to Saturday December 3rd.
The bank, formerly 'Coast Commercial Bank' has been empty and unused since it was consolidated into Wells Fargo's empire and closed in March of 2008; one of the many unused, vacant offices and commercial buildings in Santa Cruz which stand as monuments to the depth of the economic crisis and the contradictions of a system which maintains massive homeless and unemployment amidst foreclosed homes and vacant offices. The occupation of the building, its reappropriation for use by the community, represented the first time in over three years that the building had seen any use and the first time ever that it functioned as a productive rather than parasitic force in the community.
The seizure of the bank was promoted and built in advance in an open and democratic way. Although the tactical restrictions of a building occupation make it necessary to conceal the target, the event was promoted as a picketing of banks and an attempt to reclaim a foreclosed property. By presenting the action in this way it was possible to build momentum around the action in advance and to do broad outreach, including announcing the march to student occupiers at the Hahn Student Services building at UCSC on Monday. Although the crowd gathered for the initial rally at the Occupy Santa Cruz encampment was comparatively small, about 100 people, most knew what to expect from the action and were prepared to actively defend the space.
The group assembled at 2:30 and then marched with chants and a mobile sound system to picket outside a local branch of Chase Bank before moving to the target, located next to a branch of Wells Fargo. As protesters stormed the bank, flyers were passed out announcing the action and declaring that "Spaces like this one, reclaimed from the wealthiest 1%, are places where we can seek redress to our grievances. In the years to come, this space will be used to organize humanitarian efforts, house a library, and provide a forum for discussions." Occupiers opened the doors to the public, no trespassing signs were torn down and furniture, bedding, food and other supplies were brought in to begin transforming the bank into a home. Almost immediately about 8 police officers attempted a first sortie to shut down the occupation, however as the crowd outside linked arms and rallied in defense the cops retreated temporarily.
The assault came rapidly and unexpectedly at 6:24, protesters and occupiers were caught off guard as about 30 riot cops attempted to seize control of the entrance to the building and push back the protesters. Although the police succeeded in preventing the doors from being closed, rapid and effective construction of barricades in front of the door prevented the police from being able to gain entrance. Although initially taken off guard the crowd, which had by now swelled to about 150 outside with more than a dozen inside the bank, reformed itself and surrounded the cops to the inspirational music of The Coup and NWA's 'Fuck the Police", with the front lines of the crowd linking arms and advancing on the police. After a 20 minute standoff, the riot police, outnumbered and outflanked, began to retreat and were forced to ask the crowd for permission to leave.
The mood among the crowd was a surge of exhilarating confidence and joy, protesters from newcomers to old veterans recognize the tremendous significance of the victory. Facing a co-ordinated police assault, the riot cops who seemed almost invincible throughout weeks of repression around the country, have been turned back and forced to ask permission to leave because of the militant solidarity and resistance of those within and without the occupied bank. It was clear for those of us participating that whatever happened later in the night, the victory in terms of the consciousness of those of us who participated in the action and succeeded in routing a police assault was one which would last the rest of our lives and could not be reclaimed by any further assault on us or the reclaimed building.
In the aftermath of the victorious confrontation with the police, protesters worked on expanding the defenses of the occupied space. Rocks were spread out to create rough terrain that would make a police advance in formation more difficult, and traffic cones seized from the police added to the primitive defenses. Attempts to improve the geography and reinforce the defenses within the building itself did not detract from peoples perspactive that is was recognized the number of people mobilized within and without to defend the building which would be the decisive factor.
Around 8:00pm a General Assembly was convoked of around 75 people. At this meeting the historic character of action was emphasized, with several speakers eloquently expressing the power of the example this action could set to the rest of the Occupy movement, with one speaker saying "I want to be a part of history" and exhorting others to join in the process of moving the Occupation movement inside, into a bank which presents the perfect target.
Around 50 people slept in the occupied bank overnight, expecting a second police assault to come at any moment. However the demonstration of militancy and commitment by protesters outside earlier, and the political climate created by the widespread popularity of the movement around the country, turned out to be sufficient to prevent another attempt by police to break up the occupation. After a mostly sleepless night the occupiers awoke to help further publicize the occupation in order to gather more people to its defense.
While activists mobilized and did outreach to the campus and community, the local elite mobilized their own campaign through the local media. Although Media coverage at the beginning of the occupation was comparatively objective, as the occupation continued the local media, in particular the Santa Cruz Sentinel, transformed itself into a transmission belt for the sentiment of the local 1% and for the intimidating threats of the Santa Cruz Police Department.
The threats and statements of the Santa Cruz Police Department were the most revealing. In response to concerns from other property owners who have vacant property, Police Chief Vogel declared Friday morning that “You can always count on police to kick people out”, clearly demonstrating that the Police stand with the 1%.
Early Saturday Morning in an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel posted at 1:30am the threats became more vicious, underscoring the threat which the occupation posed to the local ruling class. Police Chief Kevin Vogel threatened protesters with the possibility of felony vandalism and even burglary charges. Deputy Chief Steve Clark declared that among those inside "Mothers are going to jail. Babies are going to Child Protective Services."
The media campaign was not limited to threats of physical violence and imprisonment, a property manager, Darius Mohsenin, threatened a tenant supposedly involved in the occupation, declaring that "If he's not going to respect the rights of this property owner, then I'm going to evict him.”
The Occupation held strong over 4 days, functioning as a community center and a rallying point for the movement. However as protesters faced a combination of physical exhaustion, escalating police threats and difficulty mobilizing sufficient supporters to defend the building forced a tactical withdrawal.
In response to the exhaustion felt by many occupiers living in a constant state of siege for 3 nights, and due to the inability to mobilize community support in the numbers that would have been necessary to maintain the space over a longer period of time, occupiers Saturday night decided to clean and vacate the building. The statement released by the occupiers stands as a fitting epithet to the action.
[quote]“In response to heavy, increasing, and underhanded threats from city officials and police on our community, we agreed by consensus to withdraw from 75 River Street, and did so earlier this evening. Though our establishment in this physical space was unfortunately brief, our goals were in part successful: to show that through courage, determination, and action, we the disenfranchised can seize our dreams. The case for community self-empowerment stands stronger than ever. For every occupation repressed, a dozen will rise in its wake. This is just a beginning.”[/quote]
The occupation of 75 River Street for the 4 days in which it was managed under popular control stands as a powerful example of what can be done with the resources left hollow and lifeless by an economic system in which human needs only exist insofar as they can be made to serve private profit. It has also set a powerful example for the Occupy movement around the country.
As camps and tents are increasingly battered by the winter cold and police repression, the occupation presents an example of a line of advance for the movement which directly confronts the property of the financial aristocracy, which provides real shelter and a more effective organizing space to activists, and which most importantly begins to reveal the stark contrast between what it is possible to build with the vast wealth our society possesses, and the threats of violent repression which the state of the 1% must resort to in order to prevent that wealth being put to work in the interests of humanity.