There is an historical amnesia that happens in roughly four-year cycles, where the history and the experiences of the past are lost. This is a result of the transience associated with college towns in general and Santa Cruz in particular. But some remember what things were once like and these hidden histories that individuals carry are part of what inspires us to act against the trends that we currently see.
There is a long and illustrious history of resistance to the UCSC administration. Only a fraction of that history has been documented and committed to paper or film. Whether the issue was development or road-building in the forests and meadows, exploitation of campus workers, the increasing "rationalization" of education or the lack of affordable housing (to name but a few), residents of Santa Cruz—both on- and off-campus—engaged in acts of resistance, large and small, to thwart the designs of the university. The stories of this resistance beg to be told, retold and revived, new life breathed into them through persistent and on-going action against this and every UCSC administration.
Located on sacred Ohlone basket-weaving grounds, and now under the concrete of Colleges 9 and 10, Elf Land was intimately linked to UCSC life during a time that some have referred to as the “golden era” at UCSC.
Elf Land consisted of a series of trails and “dens” that were started by a handful of self-identified Pagans who wanted to create a gateway into nature on campus. Along these trails were bridges, statues, and other additions of creativity to the already incredible landscape. The “dens” were social hubs scattered throughout the area, and were basically collections of sticks stacked into a tipi-like shape in the center of a “fairy-ring” (a circle of trees that often results from redwood shoots growing after the mother plant has been logged). And each den had its own theme. Among the many dens was a smokers den, where you could always get a smoke and chat. There were also dens with journals where people wrote poetry and notes about their experiences.
Student life at the time was very connected with this autonomous zone and a large portion of the student populace, along with travelers and other assorted folks, spent a great deal of time there. It was here that the estrangement and alienation of modern society could be left behind to appreciate the face-to-face interactions of kind and interesting people.
However, in the early 1990’s, as the administration worked out plans for the expansion of the university, they set their sights on Elf Land surely in part because of the “immoral” behaviors that it harbored. It was a space that was not as controlled as the bureaucrats and authorities would have liked. As well, it was a domain not limited by the stifling and isolating architecture of the campus. (Note: This is in many ways similar to UCSC’s current plans to demolish the student trailer park on campus. It seems that besides complaints about the aesthetics of the trailer park and it not being as profitable as college dorms, the authorities want to get rid of drug-use that they suspect is occurring at the trailer park).
Upon learning of the plans to develop Elf Land, people quickly mobilized. Earth First!, a local “radical” environmental group helped set up several tree-sits (tree occupations) and others utilized what were, unfortunately, generally ineffective and mediated tactics such as petitions, letter writing, legal battles, etc. To try and quiet this resistance, the Chancellor paid for a banner that was hung near Elf Land that stated roughly: “Elf Land will not be destroyed by the development of colleges 9 and 10 —The Chancellor.”
The day prior to the court decision that might have stopped the logging, local police along with the police of several surrounding UC’s launched a siege on the defenders of Elf Land. Students who locked arms and sat in the way of the loggers were arrested and many were beaten (some severely), resulting in the dismissal of at least one UCSC police officer for using excessive violence. Tree-sits were removed and after a day of civil disobedience, the trees were cut and Elf Land largely eradicated. And it doesn’t matter that the logging was not approved and illegal. The laws are developed by the social order to preserve the social order and the elite at the top of the hierarchy will break these laws (most often with impunity) as it fits their needs.
Have your own stories of resistance to share? Email them to us, or, better yet, give them new life by taking action NOW to undo UCSC.