Pacific Avenue Street Artists Ticketed and Jailed
If Joff Jones sounds a little worked up as he speaks to Local Santa Cruz by phone, it’s for good reason: on the day of our conversation, has just been released from jail.
Joff Jones Arrested
Jones, who has been selling what he calls “free-form surrealist” art on Pacific Avenue for the past couple of years, has gotten to know the local law enforcement all too well lately. He and his fellow Santa Cruz artist Alex Skelton have received four tickets for displaying their wares in areas not designated for Pacific Avenue street artists. Their non-compliance with the City’s citation program has led them to be arrested on three occasions, two of which ended in six to seven hours of jail time each.
Jones and Skelton were first taken to jail on August 20, 2015 after displaying their art outside the Forever 21 shop at 1200 Pacific Avenue. Three days later, they returned to that site dressed as George Washington and Ben Franklin and displaying scrolls emblazoned with the First Amendment rights.
Joff Jones and Alex Skelton dressed as founding fathers.
Jones recalls that he and Skelton were not ticketed or arrested that day. “When we wear costumes, we’re taken seriously, but when those costumes come off… we go to jail?” he says incredulously.
More recently, Jones placed his GoPro camera in the lens of a handmade papier-mâché camera. Dressed as reporters, he and Skelton unsuccessfully attempted to talk to police.
Alex Skelton
Jones and Skelton are firm in their stance that the First Amendment protects their right to show their art on the street. In Jones’ view, the fact that they’re selling this art is immaterial. “The Supreme Court has ruled again and again and again that it is, in fact, an artist’s right to make a profit from their expression,” he insists. “Just because an artist makes money from their expression doesn’t preclude their right to be expressive in a public space.”
Chip, the single-monikered director of the Santa Cruz Downtown Association, supports the right of local artists to display their work in the downtown area, but he stresses that such artists need to stay within designated areas and adhere to the existing time limit of one hour per site. “It’s about making sure that the Hillary table can set up, and the Bernie table can set up, and neither one of them dominate the conversation,” he explains.
He adds that the City is making an effort to keep the public space available for expression as opposed to commercial activity. “A lot of people are frustrated with seeing people selling stuff,” he contends. “It’s not about free expression—it’s about people selling stuff on the sidewalk, taking up parking spaces [and doing] a lot of cigarette smoking and other smoking.”
While some of the frustration that Chip mentions is coming from merchants in the downtown area, more of the complaints come from the general public. “The conversation is about the kind of unregulated and out-of-control environment relating to a lot of the commercial vendors downtown that are actually exploiting the laws that protect free expression,” Chip contends. “We have a lot of people who are not from here setting up, making a mess of the place and selling all sorts of things, legal and otherwise. It’s an ongoing management issue that we need to continue to try and negotiate.”
The director notes, “I would love to see [Jones and Skelton] find a space and time that’s appropriate and create an art show where they can set up and be there all day. I hope they figure out how to sell their art, because they’re both good artists who deserve an audience.”
As one of several artists struggling to survive in Santa Cruz, Jones plans to continue fighting the City Council’s efforts to limit vending on Pacific Avenue. “They’ve created so much confusion that my brothers and sisters have to quit on what they’re passionate about,” he says. “Now that they’ve obstructed my way of living, I can’t make money, which means I can’t eat; which means I can’t pay for my home; which means I can’t sleep. So we’re going to stop that.”
Some of Joff Jones’ Artwork
Come to Portland! The lifestyle is cheaper and the cops are cool as f*ck!! Santa Cruz used to be cool..
Dude, just sell/display it in all the other parts of downtown where you can, there’s lots of spots that are totally fine to set up shop. Don’t be a kook just to be a kook.
Honestly, the police are right to send them to jail! I don’t think they properly appreciate the focus that goes into plotting out where street vendors can sell. There are rules people have to follow, and if they break the rules they should go to jail.
You obviously don’t have a clue about just how restrictive selling art is becoming. You talk about the work that goes into “plotting out” where street vendors can set up and sell? They’re getting paid for their time, so move on with that argument, it’s not working. Artisans put their time, money in supplies and their passion in their pieces….. Making anything by hand is a dying art thanks to modernization. That makes what this town is doing even more sad than it already it. Go spread your ignorance somewhere else.
Well I think that removing the musicians and artists from that area robs it of it’s attraction, short sighted merchants and city that takes what is the best of Santa Cruz and screws it to where business will go away… Asses.
On another note to get cited four times and not walk away and challenge it, then whine about being jailed after you stood there flipping off the system makes these guys a bit of dumb shits. I agree it is wrong but fight it with petitions and thru the media, not by being belligerent and ignoring the rules, robs you of your credibility with the city. It’s the law whether you hate it or not, so change it the smart way, organize, boycott the businesses, pickets, pass out flyers… Beat the Idiots the right way. ✊?
This is the best response on this whole page. I wholeheartedly agree with you.