By Khalida Sarwari
The riot in downtown Santa Cruz Saturday over the weekend caused an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 in damage to more than a dozen businesses, Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce executive director Bill Tysseling said today.
At about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, members of a large group of people marching in a May Day rally began vandalizing stores on Pacific Avenue, according to police.
Many people in the group were carrying makeshift torches, and some broke storefront windows and wrote anarchist graffiti on buildings, police said.
The vandalism left 13 businesses, including Urban Outfitters and Dell Williams Jewelers, with ruined merchandise, broken windows and paint and graffiti damage, Tysseling said. He said all the affected businesses have since reopened.
Two men were arrested on Saturday night and others are being sought in connection with the riot, which police are calling a coordinated attack against the city.
Police said a May Day event was used as a political and physical cover for an anarchist group and are working with the FBI to identify and arrest additional people involved in the march and subsequent vandalism.
Tysseling said he hopes the investigation will produce some answers to an incident that has mystified many people in Santa Cruz.
“It really is a curious circumstance because even people who were there observing didn’t understand it,” Tysseling said. “The sense is that some people set this up and were bent on doing vandalism.”
Santa Cruz police are encouraging anyone with information about the march, including photos or video footage, to contact police. Anonymous callers can use the Police Department’s tip line at (831) 420-5847.