SANTA CRUZ - At the request of city police, the FBI on Monday joined an investigation into the weekend riot downtown, which authorities say was a "methodical and coordinated" attack by anarchists. Police asked for the FBI's help because investigators believe the Saturday night May Day street party, an unsanctioned event advertised by fliers placed around town and at UC Santa Cruz, was designed to provide "political and physical" cover for an unnamed anarchist group.
Masked demonstrators grabbed large rocks from Pacific Avenue tree beds and threw them through business windows. They also scrawled anarchist graffiti on buildings and jumped on top of a police car, pelted it with rocks and covered it in paint.
Police also revealed Monday that they received two phony 911 calls about shooting incidents that night, which were later determined to be unfounded. Investigators believe the calls were meant to divert officers away from downtown, where 18 businesses, half of them small locally owned enterprises, eventually suffered damage estimated at $100,000. "It was coordinated to split up our resources," said Police Chief Howard Skerry, adding that his department is already understaffed due to the city budget crisis. "We need more people on the street." Council members will discuss the matter today with City Manager Dick Wilson, who is charged with closing a $3 million to $4 million budget deficit by July. Wilson already has approved overtime expenses
