To End Gun Violence, We Have to Rethink Our Society
Content warning: Contains references to gun violence and murder. The United States is a country built on violence. Fueled by settler colonialism and white supremacy, gun and military violence is fostered at home, then exported around the world. Real solutions will require systemic changes that...
Developing the East Meadow Ignores Lawsuits, Letters, and Thousands of Students
What are letters from California senator John Laird and the Sierra Club, 88,000 signatures on a petition, and years of litigation to the UC Santa Cruz administration? Gobbledygook, it seems, given the university’s refusal to budge on the layout of its ambitious housing development, Student...
Beware the Surveillance Dragnet
A broken window. That is all the evidence the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) needed to gain access to 375 privately owned cameras, pointed at anyone crossing Union Square for seven days last summer. The blanket use of mass surveillance like third-party camera footage has...
The Temporary Outdoor Living Ordinance Offers No Solutions
Accessible and affordable housing has been a major problem in Santa Cruz for almost a decade. Yet, City Council has failed to create any policy that provides real solutions for the houseless community. The city has repeatedly torn down and swept housing encampments, which has...
Letter from the Editors: Statement in Solidarity with Asian Communities and Invitation for Submissions
Content Warning: Violence against Asian and Asian American communities, murder This past week we witnessed one of the worst attacks against diasporic Asians in the U.S. in recent memory. Eight people were shot and killed in Atlanta on Mar. 16 — six of whom were...
Financial COVID Relief From UCSC Has Been Few and Far Between for Students
In the next couple of months, UC Santa Cruz might be sending students a check to help with the burdens that come with the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the second time in a year that UCSC will have the chance to provide direct relief...
Students Need More Mental Health Support
Content warning: This piece contains reference to suicide and mental health issues. “Get some exercise and stay optimistic.” This is the advice UC president Michael Drake gave for staying mentally healthy during the pandemic in a recent interview with the National Center for Free Speech...
Nationwide Blood Donation Shortages Expose Long-Held Homophobic Guidelines
With a nationwide blood donation shortage caused by COVID-19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted restrictions on men who have sex with men (MSM) to bolster the supply. Once COVID-19 shortages are over, these homophobic restrictions will be reinstated, unless the FDA creates a...
Despite a Lack of News Coverage, Anti-Chinese Racism is Getting Worse
少出门, 小心, 多注意. Stay home. Be careful. Be more mindful. This simple message began floating around Chinese social media sites and in family group chats as people across China reached out to their loved ones at home and abroad while COVID-19 cases skyrocketed. Soon after,...
Lawsuit Against Santa Cruz Volunteer-Run Needle Exchange is Misguided at Best, Malicious at Worst
Shuttering the Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC) of Santa Cruz County’s syringe exchange program would increase the incidence of needle litter in the county and tie up invaluable public health resources needed to fight the spread of COVID-19 — and, what’s more, it would cost lives. ...