Local residents are planning the First Annual People’s March for Economic Justice to be held on May 12, 2001, in downtown Santa Barbara. The March will publicize the growing economic inequalities and injustices that exist in the Santa Barbara area. These include the lack of adequate wages and housing for the thousands who do the work that keeps the community beautiful and economically sound. Studies from the University of California have demonstrated that working families in Santa Barbara County have lost significant ground relative to the State and Nation as a whole. Since discussion of these serious problems is limited, these residents decided that a march would bring these issues to the attention of the community in a visible and concrete fashion.

The March will begin at noon on Saturday, May 12, at Ortega Park, proceed to State Street on Cota Street, then continue on to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. It will begin with a rally featuring live music, and speakers, including Steve Rohde, President of the Southern California ACLU, community residents injured by continual erosion of their incomes, and local scholars who study the problems associated with economic injustice. Bring your drums for a drum circle!

A spokesperson for the planning group and a member of the People’s March organizing committee, Shana Singh, stated, “We aim to bring to light the growing loss of well-paying employment in Santa Barbara County. Coupled with the steep rent increases of the last few years, families are under a great deal of pressure.”

Further, “We were compelled to ask the ACLU for help in obtaining the permits from the City of Santa Barbara. We filed suit in order to obtain the City’s partial compliance with our request to exercise our First Amendment Rights. We wonder if the barriers we have encountered thus far in our attempts to raise our voices about these terrible and growing problems in Santa Barbara represent an attempt to eliminate discussion of controversial issues, and especially serious local issues that people prefer to avoid.”

Shana added: “Endorsements and support for this march are actively sought, as well as participation by families and individuals in the community. Many local groups have joined the coalition and endorsed the march, including Latinos for Better Government, the Green Party of Santa Barbara, the Isla Vista Tenants Union, the Carpinteria Tenants Union, The Committee for Social Justice, The Coalition of University Employees (CUE), the Campus Labor Action Coalition, The Social Concerns Committee of the Unitarian Church, Campus Greens at UCSB, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, The Grey Panthers, IWW Santa Barbara, PAZ, and Increase the Peace.”



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Driving?

Directions from the 101 Freeway from North: -Take Garden Street exit

-Continue straight through the stop light

-Take a right on Haley

-Take a left on Salsipuedes

-Ortega Park is on your right

from South:

-Take Garden Street / Laguna Street exit

-Stay in your left lane and take the Garden Street

exit -Continue straight

-Take a right on Haley

-Take a left on Salsipuedes

-Ortega Park is on your right

PARKING

There is plenty of residential parking around Ortega Park.

Please be cautious of one or two hour parking signs.



Deborah Lagutaris (805) 897-6640 schoolnut@earthlink.net

Shana Singh (805) 571-6057 marley10@aol.com

Ted Coe (805) 963-3149 cityofquartz@hotmail.com

People's March voicemail pager (805) 897-6640