Thousands of people amassed in the streets of downtown Santa Cruz on Monday morning for the annual People’s March for the Dream, an event held to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The crowd included representatives from religious organizations and nonprofits, several elected leaders and individuals holding handmade signs and other artistic expressions of King’s message.
“He wanted everyone to get along and to be free,” said Jack Langley, 10, of Aptos, who attended with his parents and his 6-year-old sister.
Jack held a poster with King’s photo and a handwritten message reading, “We still have a dream.”
Ashten Gomez, 11, said she attended in support of Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization she has volunteered with in the past and which she said fits the spirit of the day.
“Second Harvest is about feeding the homeless,” Ashten said. “It helps us feed homeless people and people who are in need of help.”
Olivia Millard, founder and group lead of Indivisible Pajaro Valley, said her organization’s presence at the event was meant to underscore the current political climate.
“As we are seeing increasingly clearly, this administration has no compunction and does not hold back when it comes to trying to intimidate and oppress people who are not straight white men,” Millard said. “So all of us who are on the receiving end of their cruelty need to work together to overcome, because the power lies with the people, and the more all of us who recognize the inhumanity and cruelty of this administration, the more all of us can come together and demonstrate our solidarity.”
Elaine Johnson, president of the Santa Cruz branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said celebrating King and the issues for which he fought remains essential.
“In this political climate, now more than ever, we have to come together and make sure that we don’t go backwards,” Johnson said. “The current administration is trying to strip us of our dignity, our basic human rights, and we cannot allow that to happen.”
Mary Reynolds is part of Santa Cruz Welcoming Network, a grassroots group formed to help immigrants — particularly asylum seekers — with basics such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, schooling and immigration services.
The group is currently helping about 30 families.
“People of color are on the United States government’s agenda, and I don’t go along with that at all,” Reynolds said. “Thank God Santa Cruz is remaining somewhat liberal, and I want to keep that going.”
Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah said King’s message “is more relevant today than ever.”
“When I think about so many vulnerable communities, when I think about his sacrifice and his work, and I think about immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ communities that are under attack by the current administration, I think his message reminds us that we need to continue to stand up for the rights of those who are most vulnerable,” Sabbah said.
The event in Santa Cruz was shadowed by the cancellation in Marina of that city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march after police on Sunday shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop.
The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene in the Marina Heights area near Bluff Drive.
Police found a firearm during the incident, Marina officials said in a news release.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is conducting the investigation.
The involved officers were not injured and were placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice, according to the release.
“From a human standpoint, our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragic incident,” the release said. “We recognize the seriousness of the incident and remain committed to transparency while also protecting the integrity of the investigation.”
Marina officials did not release additional details and referred questions to the district attorney’s office.
