“Crimes against property are driven by poverty and desperation.” It’s a fairly standard anarchist mantra, but what happens when the crimes against property are crimes against anarchist property? Police found out on Wednesday, when the burglar alarm went off at the SubRosa Café in Santa Cruz.
Ladonia Miller had apparently stolen a laptop, video camera and cash from the site, but when police notified the members of the collective, they told both the DA’s office and the SCPD that they do not want to press charges. “We see this as another symptom of capitalism—some people have nothing and feel desperate enough to break in to spaces that also, it turns out this time, have nothing.” They did say that they hope to get their property back, though.
The police are not happy about this. They claim it simply marks the café as the perfect target for wannabe criminals. Even if they get caught, they are not likely to be prosecuted. SCPD Spokesman Zach Friend added that crime is a growing problem in downtown Santa Cruz, and by failing to take action against criminals, they are not helping the police. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel.
