Three arrested for allegedly vandalizing Santa Cruz City Hall during protest

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Three people have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing Santa Cruz City Hall during a protest.

At around 2 p.m., police said the Santa Cruz Homeless Union called for a protest and memorial to, “honor Deseire Quintero and to protest the city manager’s decree against the unhoused and Food Not Bombs.”

About a half hour later, about 30 protesters reportedly gathered in the City Hall Courtyard. Police say they attempted to disrupt the Zoom meeting by using a megaphone, sirens and banging pots and pans.

In addition to attempts to disrupt the meeting, police said several people vandalized the building with Sharpies and one person broke a window with a skateboard. City employees reportedly saw it happened and it was caught on surveillance video. In total, the damage will cost more than $1,000 to repair.

Police arrested Hannah Hefel, Arrista Bauer and Jeremiah Maxey as they were leaving the area.

According to Keith McHenry with Food Not Bombs, the city was threatening to shut down their operations during the pandemic and Deseire Quintero was an officer of the Santa Cruz Homeless Union who was killed while helping a family the city evicted.

The city said it offered Food Not Bombs a permit for distribution in a lot, but said the conditions were unsafe, so it asked the group to move. When they did not comply, the city said it had to force them out.