Anarchists and others respond to our profile of Analicia Cube.
Power of Perception
Re: “Pulling No Punches” (Cover, Sept. 25): Thank you for writing a both passionate and informational article about TBSC’s fearless leader Analicia Cube. I’ve been a member of TBSC’s Facebook group since I moved here, three years ago. I’ve always appreciated the group’s genuine interest in the community here, and their desire to protect the community from violence. In recent months, however, I have struggled with TBSC’s intention, and have thought about leaving the group several times. Because there are so many militant members of this group whose answers to the growing drug and homeless population in Santa Cruz are to put them on a bus and ship them off somewhere far, far away, I feel the integrity of the group has become a grey area. I think that Cube has a responsibility to the group’s intention to filter those negative comments; and quite frankly, to protect the group’s reputation, she needs to be a facilitator of positivity and hope or we become apart of the problem, not the solution. So, with all due respect to you, Ms. Cube, yes, you are the queen! It is your responsibility as the voice of this group to protect the intention and end negative perceptions of what TBSC is trying to create.
Shandara Gill
Santa Cruz
Anarchists on TBSC
Re: “Pulling No Punches”: Your cover story on Analicia Cube reads like a PR fluff piece, marginalizing her critics and printing Cube’s response to controversy without any facts or further comment. We wrote in with some considerations a few weeks ago for your article, keeping our names anonymous because we have seen a pattern of Cube and Take Back Santa Cruz making personal attacks against those they disagree with, in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing. Unfortunately your reporter chose to make a joke about people being “scared of Analicia Cube” as opposed to having legitimate concerns with an organization that routinely uses dishonest and vigilante-style tactics.
One incident which we described was after a small group of folks went around smashing windows on May 1, 2010, some of them spray-painting anarchist symbols, TBSC took it upon themselves to attack some community members simply for being well-known anarchists. They publicized names and addresses that led to death threats and even a teenage son being chased on his bicycle by an aggressive car driver. Although TBSC had not the slightest evidence to back up these attacks—indeed, the police never even investigated the person in question—Cube stood by her vigilante action, bragging to Patch.com about it. Later that year she went on the TV news and made up lies about “threats that were made” for further vandalism during the Last Night DIY New Year’s parade, a family-friendly event that had been going on for years, and as usual was a fun and celebrated event.
Your article also suggests that while some hateful messages go out on TBSC’s Facebook, this is beyond the control of Cube or other leaders. Yet for years they have never had any problems blocking those who are engaging in respectful dialogue, but with whom they disagree. This is not merely a question of anarchists not liking Cube, as your article portrays. Thousands of people in our community have concerns about TBSC, and many have been blocked for simply expressing views unpopular with Cube or other moderators—or even for just being friends with those TBSC doesn’t like.
While surely the goal of safety for our families and our community is a good one, TBSC’s appeal to fear and simplistic calls for being “tough on crime” without addressing the root causes of crime are not helpful. Their support for police harassment of homeless and raids of camps is shameful and counter-productive, increasing animosity and alienation of the homeless who are still here with no place to go.
Names Withheld By Request
Santa Cruz
Georgia Perry responds: Not sure why you would think my assertion that “people are scared of her” was a joke, it clearly was not. Nor does my article state that Facebook messages are beyond the control of the group. I chose to leave it up to readers to decide. Hugs!
