King City Comes Together to Confront Abusive Police Practices
Nestled off the 101 Highway between Santa Cruz and Paso Robles, St. John Catholic Church hosted a listening session to begin to "organize for justice and healing." Fr. Claudio reminded parishioners and community leaders that "righteousness and peace will embrace," before urging them to share their stories of abuse at the hands of the police. Resident after resident disclosed how thousands of dollars had been spent to recuperate cars that were unfairly impounded and sold by local police. The parish hall was packed; though the effort is young, people expressed hope in the possibility of addressing police practices as a community.
King City Residents Air Grievances, KION News - Channel 46
COPA's Acosta Plaza Youth Accost Mayor...to Clean Up Park
When confronted by Everett High School youth leaders about whether he would pitch in to help clean up Acosta Plaza, Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter didn't skip a beat. "Yes," he said to a group of presumptuous, yet polite, youth that had already successfully shaken down $500 from a neighborhood association for a basketball court. The campaign to clean up Acosta Plaza is led by East Salinan youth and recent college graduates eager to improve their neighborhood's image.
The Californian.com notes that Plaza cleanup is "going to do a lot of good."
Read moreCOPA Explodes Barriers to Healthcare Access in Monterey
Since last year's victory in busting through political blockage to resurrect the Low Income Health Plan, Viacare, over 3,000 Monterey County residents have enrolled, doubling last year's projections. In addition to this, and in partnership with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, COPA institutions reached over 2500 people through civic academies about the Affordable Care Act.
County Extends Health Insurance Bridge Program, Obamacare Enrollment Kicks In, Monterey County Weekly
COPA Addresses Immigrant Fears in Meeting with Sheriff
At least 70 leaders from Communities Organized for Relational Power (COPA) organized a meeting with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff to address immigrants' fears about reporting crime and the preponderance of racial profiling.
Participants included people like Johnny Delmar, a UCSC student who shared his story about being profiled recently by rifle-armed police looking for robbery suspects.
Read more