Dance Party Ends in Window-Breaking and Police Clearing Pacific Avenue 20 Minutes Later

by Robert Norse

Sun, May 2, 2010 1:55AM

I emerged from a late night movie at the Cinema 9 to find all the windows of Urban Outfitters at the corner of Pacific and Locust smashed, with rocks on the sidewalk. About 20 minutes later, a line of police in riot gear moved up the street with billy clubs forcing everyone away. They ignored actual areas open to vandalism and theft like a Del Williams window that was completely knocked out, leaving the store open to casual looting.

I saw no cars were vandalized, nor individuals injured. One man did report getting shoved by the police. Another reported the incident began when an Officer Winston drove his squad car through the crowd of dancers.

Other observers noted that a small group of masked "Black Block" protesters broke the windows (as well as overturning several planters near Zoccoli's but that the overwhelming majority of celebrants were non-violent and danced in honor of International Workers Day--May 1st.

I'll be playing interviews I did on the street as well as my own observations later today on Free Radio Santa Cruz, around 10:30 AM. Tune at 101.1 FM or http://www.freakradio.org. Call in at 427-3772 if you were a witness or have an opinion. The show will be archived at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb100502.mp3

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