Picketers in front of Albertsons received a rather loud show of support from a group of protesters Sunday night.

A group of 17-20 protestors handed out flyers and made noise by banging on pots, pans, water coolers and shopping carts at the entrance to the Albertsons on Hollister Avenue. The “Ya Basta” picket was organized by local activist group ARISE for Social Justice to show support for members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has been striking for over four months.

The phrase “ya basta” means “enough already” in Spanish and is a reference to the Zapatistas, a group of rural workers fighting for healthcare, land rights and democracy in Chiapas, Mexico. Ya Basta picketer Brian Helmley said the demonstration was a way to maintain public interest in the strike.

“I’m sick and tired of watching people cross the picket line as if it’s nothing, because it’s ridiculous to deny workers health care,” Helmley said. “Ya Basta is an expression used by Zapatistas in Mexico. They’re doing take aways here like they’re taking away land in Mexico.”

Jessica, a member of ARISE for Social Justice and a sociology graduate student who would not give her last name, said the struggle of the strikers affects everybody.

“If these corporations are allowed to take away affordable healthcare, then everybody’s healthcare is threatened. It’s a downhill slope,” Jessica said. “We’re trying to disrupt things. We’re trying to show that this is important and to be bold and to make some noise so that it’s not just business as usual.”

The over-the-top protest was intended to make an impact on all parties involved in the strike, Jessica said.

“More people will drive by and not bother to stop because they just don’t want to deal with [the picketers],” Jessica said. “It’s good for the people who are on the lines all the time to know that there are people that care and it also shows the corporations that the strikers have a lot of support.”

Ya Basta picketers used a variety of methods to advocate the strikers’ cause. Sarah and David Baghdadi played a noisy game of shopping cart bumper cars, while Robert Caputi handed out flyers to people entering and leaving the store.

“The more I find out about [the strike], the more I hope it’ll get settled soon. [The noise] can’t hurt,” Caputi said. “Every little bit helps. We’re also passing out information, and it’s pretty convincing if you read it.”

Jay Stemmle, a learning skills counselor at UCSB, said she participated in the demonstration because she is disappointed the strike has not received more attention from the community.

“I support the strike and the workers. I think that a lot of the people that are shopping here should know better and that a lot of the students that are working here should know better,” Stemmle said. “The noise makes people pause.”

Brian Murphy, a 10-year employee of Albertsons, said it felt good to receive some attention.

“It makes people notice us, and it’s good to have support from the community,” Murphy said. “People usually just ignore us.”

Replacement worker Edward Williams said he does not think the protest was very effective.

“It’s really noisy, but I don’t mind it. It makes a difference in the attitudes of people coming in, but it doesn’t stop them from coming,” Williams said. “It irritates people, but it doesn’t deter them.”

Albertsons shopper and senior sociology major David Andrade said the noisy protest was ineffective and irritating.

“The loudness is annoying. I feel bad for the workers; the environment is not friendly. If I had kids, I wouldn’t bring them here,” Andrade said. “I think [the noise] is childish. A lot of the protesters are students, and as students they should use their minds and be creative. There are other ways of getting your point across than being annoying and banging a damn pot.”

Junior global studies major and Albertsons shopper Grant Toeppen said the Ya Basta picket was excessive and should have focused on informing people rather than making noise.

“Honestly, it’s a little over the edge. They could inform people without being so blatant,” Toeppen said. “I think they should be handing out information more than just being loud. If it’s a really good cause, then people would realize it just by reading information about it.”

The Ya Basta picketers plan to hold protests with different themes every Sunday at 5 p.m. until the union’s demands are met.