J4J protests

Protestors gather to demand Justice for Josiah

By: Freddy Brewster and T.William Wallin

Nearly fifteen people gathered outside of the Humboldt County Courthouse Wednesday night to protest the grand jury’s decision to not bring charges in the murder of Josiah Lawson.

Lawson was stabbed during a house party in Arcata on April 15, 2017. Among the protesters is Jill Larrabee, a Justice for Josiah (J4J) organizer and friend of Charmaine Lawson.

“I am infuriated with the decision, I don’t have words for it,” Larrabee said. “We have been out here for almost two years and it feels like we are getting robbed of justice. It’s the same story that has been happening for forever.”

Larrabee said she has been involved in the J4J movement in since the beginning but became more intimately involved in January of 2018.

“It is my duty to get involved,” Larrabee said. “I wanted to pick up when the students had to focus on school.”

Eric Martin of McKinleyville also showed up to protest the grand jury’s decision. Martin grew up in Burlingame, Calif. and move to Humboldt to attend school at HSU. Martin graduated in 2007 with an art degree and became involved in the J4J movement last summer.

“I am upset and I feel really angry that they aren’t going to do anything,” Martin said. “I thought there had been enough of an investigation to bring the murderer in.”

Meg Stofsky is a member of the local NAACP chapter and showed up to demand for something to be done in this case as well. Stofsky is relatively new to Humboldt county having moved here from Upstate New York in 2017.

“I’m shocked about how far behind the times the racial issues are here,” Stofsky said. “I love Charmaine Lawson and she needs justice, but it wasn’t served yet again.”