Good Turnout in
Santa Cruz

We had a good turnout for Santa Cruz - about 25 people. Present were quite a few young people from the 'No on 21' campaign, people from Death Penalty Focus and the ACLU, folks from Families to Amend California's Three Strikes, and people just curious about the issue and who we are.

One television station showed up to interview people for a local feature they're doing tomorrow night about Proposition 21 and other prison issues. We were reported on by one campus newspaper. stirred up a lot of interest. I think it went very well.

Since I work at University of California, Santa Cruz, I have been able this term to audit Angela Davis' class on prisons. At the beginning of the class, time is always made for announcements about activist events, and so I had been announcing the vigil regularly.

Yesterday, after I announced it again, she spoke for a while about the drug war and what it means, mentioning the fact that there would be vigils all around the country (she gave out the San Francisco address). She also gave out web addresses for the November Coalition, the Justice Police Institute and some others. She, of course, is a great speaker and explained it very well. There are 160 students in this enrollment, plus a few auditors.

There was one question people asked for which I didn't know the answer: why 'November'? What does the 'November' in November Coalition refer to? (CLICK HERE for the answer - Ed.)

Thanks for all the great posters, newspapers, and flyers - that was so helpful. It really made the whole event so much more effective.

Keep up the good fight, folks.

Zoe Sodja, FACTS