'It’s undignified': Pajaro residents march to voice frustration, call for more help

Quick Take

Close to 200 people marched through Pajaro on Thursday to the bridge separating the Monterey County agricultural town from Watsonville, on the Santa Cruz County side of the Pajaro River. They voiced frustrations at what they say is a slow response and lack of help after the March 11 failure of the river’s levee flooded Pajaro and left many homes damaged or uninhabitable. Here’s what Lookout’s Kevin Painchaud saw and heard.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

Around 200 people marched Thursday afternoon through Pajaro to voice frustrations at what they say is a slow response and lack of help after the March 11 failure of the Pajaro River levee flooded the small agricultural town, forcing thousands to evacuate and leaving many homes damaged or uninhabitable.

The flood left many families in limbo, uncertain of where they might sleep any given night, when and where children might go to school, when they might work again with farm fields left in ruins.

“We’re here to support, to show solidarity, to provide a space for Pajaro residents to find support amongst each other and to voice their frustrations, because a lot of people are very frustrated,” community organizer Ramiro Medrano told Lookout’s Kevin Painchaud. “They’re frustrated because they’re out of their house, they’re frustrated because there isn’t really a lot of financial support, especially if you’re undocumented — there’s nothing, there’s nothing out there.”

Watch the video above for what Painchaud saw and heard as the group marched through Pajaro to the bridge separating the Monterey County agricultural town from Watsonville, on the Santa Cruz County side of the Pajaro River, and see more in his photo gallery.