Ask Evergreen is a weekly advice column by the students of The Lumberjack
Dear Evergreen,
What do I do for my significant other on Valentine’s Day when I’m broke?
Dear Lootless Lover,
Valentine’s Day is this Friday and with that comes the societal expectation to shower your lover in materialistic gifts. But for those with limited funds, making an extravagant gesture isn’t always possible. There are many creative ways to express your love this Valentine’s Day that don’t involve spending loads of cash.
If you’re a wizard of words you can charm your valentine with a thoughtful card of appreciation. Words are free, so come up with a clever poem for your partner to make them feel special. Bust out your artistic talents and create some art from the heart. You can even doodle some cute cartoons inside a card for a more personal touch to a standard Valentine’s Day card.
With spring inching closer and closer, flowers have already started blossoming. Take a walk and gather some wildflowers and foliage to make a bouquet. Be careful not to pick any poisonous plants. You wouldn’t want to infect your valentine with anything other than love.
Baking a sweet treat for your sweetheart is sure to satisfy. Check your cupboards for basic baking ingredients and whip up something good. If you aren’t the best baker you can easily make chocolate-covered strawberries to set the mood.
Chances are you already have some type of streaming service, so put on some Netflix and chill with your valentine. Pop some popcorn and cozy up with your favorite movie or show. Light candles or incense for an extra touch. Soon enough you’ll be having consensual fun while Netflix asks if you’re still watching.
You can also try going out and sightseeing with your partner instead of a movie night. Go on a scenic walk or take a stroll with your lover somewhere beautiful. If you can swing it, try planning a picnic on the beach or in the redwoods to share some quality, heart-to-heart time together. There’s nothing more pure—and free—than talking with someone you care about.
Think outside the box this year. Whether you can afford it or not, there are plenty of thoughtful and creative ways to express your love.
xoxo
Sincerely,
Evergreen
If you have any questions you’d like to send in, email us at contactthejack@gmail.com. We won’t publish any names and you don’t need to use one.
We asked HSU students for their home remedies to get over colds and flus
It’s about that time of year when empty seats and sniffles become a daily thing in class. Hopefully everybody is taking care of themselves during the winter, because the common cold or even the flu can creep up on you. I asked students and staff what home remedies and tips they use when they feel a cold coming.
A fire at an Arcata apartment complex on Sunday, Feb. 2, left one resident hospitalized and another dead.
Eyewitness Jalen Zerkel-Loomis was woken up by the fire and recounted what he saw.
“You could see, like, directly into the inside of the building,” Zerkel-Loomis said. “It was like in The Sims where you can just remove one of the walls and perfectly see everything going on inside. The second story didn’t so much collapse into the first—it was like the floor inside the frame fell out under it.”
“It was a pretty crazy sight.”
Jalen Zerkel-Loomis
The Arcata Fire District responded to calls reporting a heavy structure fire and at least one resident that had jumped from a second-story window around 5:30 a.m. Four units of the Meadowbrook Apartment Complex and a nearby car were engulfed in the flames.
Zerkel-Loomis also noted several nearby gas tanks, which did not catch fire. He also said he heard several loud bangs.
“It was a pretty crazy sight,” Zerkel-Loomis said.
AFD said police provided aid to the injured resident until paramedics arrived. Firefighters contained the fire and searched the apartments for trapped residents. After the fire was extinguished, the remains of one resident were found on the first floor. The identity of the victim has not been released.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn has not yet named any suspicions.
A press release from the HSU Formerly Incarcerated Students Club
Full press release:
Humboldt State University’s Formerly Incarcerated Student’s Club and Student Legal Lounge in conjunction with Clubs and Activities, Black Liberation Month and Associated Students will host a week long event titled Reentry Forum: Let’s Talk About Mass Incarceration. The event will be from Feb. 3-7 at Humboldt State University with nearly two events a day. Our goal is to provide support for students and community members who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. This event will provide education around transforming the system, inform our university and community on the pervasiveness of the criminal punishment system in our everyday lives, and build support in reversing the school to prison pipeline. Attendees will receive resources pertaining to record expungement, child custody, licensing, and other tools that help folks with the re-entry process.
Schedule: Feb.3-7
Day 1: February 3, 2020 [Monday]
❏ Nube Brown, Liberate the Caged Voices; 12-2 p.m. @Goodwin Forum (NHE 102) ❏ Judge Abby Abinanti, Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribe; 5-7 p.m. @KBR
Day 2: February 4, 2020 [Tuesday]
❏ Root and Rebound (Training/Clinic); 11-1 a.m./p.m., 2-4 p.m. @KBR
Day 3: February 5, 2020 [Wednesday]
❏ Tory Eagles, Pelican Bay Scholars Program Director/ William Feather, Ukiah Inmate
Scholars Program Director talk about scholars programs in locked facilities; 12-2 p.m.
@Goodwin Forum (NHE 102)
❏ Jimmy Santiago Baca, Chicano-American Poet & Writer from New Mexico; 5-7 p.m.
@KBR
Day 4: February 6, 2020 [Thursday]
PANEL DISCUSSION: @Green and Gold Room (FH 166)
❏ Andrew Winn (Project Rebound Sacramento), Joseph Osario (Anti-Recidivism Coalition), Mike Bishop (Children and Family Services Counselor), Mark Taylor (Anti-Recidivism Coalition), Jason Bell ( Project Rebound Director San Francisco), Mike Bishop (Children and Family Services Counselor) Working in Re-Entry Panel Discussion; 5-7 p.m.
❏ Joshua Meisel, (Moderator) Working in Re-Entry Panel Discussion; 5-7 p.m.
Day 5: February 6, 2020 [Friday]
❏ Movie: 13th; 11 a.m. @ Siemens Hall 108
❏ Collaboration; AACAE Presents: Cornel West @ KBR
For more information or concerns contact fisc@humboldt.edu
How planting trees can serve as one branch of a climate action plan
In the face of climate change, all scales of society, from government to corporations to individuals, are looking for ways to emit less and sink more carbon. The internet latched onto the tree-planting solution, but it’s important the right trees are planted in the right place at the right time.
The climate crisis is the dominant issue of this decade. According to Robert H. Socolow and Stephen W. Pacala, who wrote the article “A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check” in 2006, the world must avoid emitting about 200 billion tons of carbon over the next 50 years.
To make the problem manageable, Socolow and Pacala turned the required reduction into one-billion-ton “wedges.” The paper contained strategies that could be scaled up by 2050 to reduce carbon emissions by one million tons per year. For example, a wedge would be achieved if the number of miles traveled by the world’s cars was cut in half or if global deforestation was halted within 50 years.
Tree planting has become one of the most popular solutions in popular culture. Ecosia and Team Trees are two internet campaigns working to plant millions of trees.
A consistent goal in climate science is net zero emissions. In other words, the volume of greenhouse gasses going into the atmosphere needs to equal the volume coming out. With a record 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted in 2018, that’s a daunting task. To achieve this goal, society needs to emit less carbon and increase nature’s carbon sinking, or the natural process of turning carbon dioxide gas into solid matter.
Top minds of the world are putting their heads together to come up with solutions, ranging from modernized public transportation to alternative energy technology to lifestyle changes toward less consumption. Beyond that, policy makers and scientists are working closely with everyday people to educate, inspire and solve the crisis.
Locally, Humboldt State University, the City of Arcata and Humboldt County have prepared climate action plans. In the spring of 2019, five public workshops were hosted by the county to get ideas from community members on an action plan. The primary goal of these plans is to reduce emissions to pre-1990 levels by 2030.
2030 is the nearest milestone in climate policy. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming, global emissions will need to fall 45% from 2010 levels by then to be on track for the net zero emissions goal for 2050. This ideal timeline would limit global warming to the best-case 1.5 degree Celsius increase in average temperature, a goal which still brings with it real climate change.
Trees in Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad, CA on March 16, 2017. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Tree planting has become one of the most popular solutions in popular culture. Ecosia and Team Trees are two internet campaigns working to plant millions of trees. A number of science-based YouTubers have published videos explaining the project, including SmarterEveryDay, Mr.Beast and Aspect Science.
Trees are a valuable ally in the battle against climate change because they sequester carbon. A tree’s bark is made out of carbon. During photosynthesis, plants turn sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into glucose. The glucose molecule, along with other essential nutrients, turns into plant matter like leaves, branches and roots, effectively storing carbon in a solid state.
For this ordeal to be successful, it’s essential the people planting trees understand the silvics of those trees. Silvics is the study of the life history and characteristics of forest trees, and without understanding it, the newly-planted trees are more likely to die.
With the Earth at a critical time in its life history, the top minds of the world are opting for some deep breaths, planning and deliberate, well-informed environmental action.
Affordable art supplies with environmental consciousness in mind
Doohickeys, thingamabobs and whatchamacallits galore. One local craft store has it all and does so with purpose to provide a community with creative inspiration and affordable art supplies while reducing, reusing, recycling and repurposing.
SCRAP Humboldt is a craft supply store with hundreds of items available for creative reuse. The store started as a temporary holiday season shop in 2012 at the Jacoby Storehouse and later became an established organization aimed at repurposing items that society would typically deem as waste.
Malia Matsumoto first began volunteering her time with SCRAP Humboldt and later became the director of the organization in 2017.
“As an artist, I taught classes at Scrap and volunteered my time to come take care of the store,” Matsumoto said.
The storefront counter of Scrap Humboldt in October 2018. | Photo by Chelsea Wood
Shelves stocked with various sorted trinkets and supplies in the storefront of Scrap Humboldt in October 2018. | Photo by Chelsea Wood
Shelves stocked with various sorted trinkets and supplies in the storefront of Scrap Humboldt in October 2018. | Photo by Chelsea Wood
Shelves stocked with various sorted trinkets and supplies in the storefront of Scrap Humboldt in October 2018. | Photo by Chelsea Wood
As director, she coordinates events, reaches out to similar organizations for cross pollination and manages staff and volunteers at the center. SCRAP Humboldt also works with other local organizations for mentoring programs like the Humboldt Area Foundation.
SCRAP Humboldt relies heavily on donations and receives items for reuse from community members, businesses and even Humboldt State University. Steady donations also come from partnerships with local businesses that aim to reduce their product waste. Local donors include Los Bagels, Kokatat and the Humboldt Bay Coffee Company.
Donations are sorted into respective categories and then placed on the store’s floor. SCRAP Humboldt has supply sections for sewing, painting, scrapbooking, holidays, jewelry-making and crafting.
“Because everything is donation-based, it’s a really low price point,” Matsumoto said. “As an artist or a maker you’re able to get more materials than you would if you went to a traditional brick and mortar store like Michael’s or JoAnn’s.”
The variety of conventional and unconventional up-cycled items SCRAP Humboldt has to offer gives locals access to affordable art supplies. The organization also hosts weekly tutorial classes to teach the community how to complete projects with repurposed materials.
Matsumoto and the crew at SCRAP Humboldt have a passion for diverting reusable waste from landfills by finding creative ways to repurpose items that typically wouldn’t be thought of as art supplies.
Matsumoto said that once people start making things on their own, they begin to see the hard work it takes to create something. Matsumoto said people also learn to give more value to scraps while seeing the potential for an old thing to become new.
The SCRAP Humboldt team spreads this message and their passion for waste reduction and art creation with the community by offering summer camps for kids, creative reuse classes and a space for an artist-in-residence program.
New study links smoking cannabis with testicular cancer
Those attending Humboldt State University who smoke marijuana regularly may want to rethink their habit.
Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the United States, and a large part of its popularity as a recreational narcotic comes from the perception that it has very few, if any, long-term health effects. There are, in fact, several positives that are associated with the drug, such as help with depression or anxiety, easing of muscle soreness and a reducing of the number of seizures experienced by people with epilepsy.
“When you combust any plant, you’re creating significantly more carcinogens.”
Dr. Jeffrey Chen
However, despite its positive effects, a recent study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association has identified a link between marijuana use in people with male reproductive organs and an increased risk of testicular cancer. The study explained that burning marijuana (which is necessary to smoke it), like burning any plant, triggers the release of carcinogens, which, in this case, may lead to testicular germ cell tumor.
The study also analyzed potential connections between recreational marijuana use and lung cancer, oral cancer and head and neck cancer. However, JAMA did not find any connections to any of those cancers.
The meta-analysis in the data collected by JAMA is specific to white men, leaving out a large part of the global population. Many of their findings also date back as far as 1973.
There also isn’t a direct causality from marijuana to cancer over a wide range of the population. The American Association for Cancer Research has identified many of the victims of cancer as having used marijuana heavily. However, there is still no evidence of other variables, who else might be at risk or other drugs that might increase or minimize said risk.
These studies so far are limited in the information they provide, and should not be taken as the final word on any and all links between cannabis and cancer. However, it does contribute to the ongoing discussion of the health effects of the drug, and those who do use it may want to sit up a little straighter and take some notice.
Living in a community full of love, fear and a growing void of justice
Thirty-three months after a black HSU student was murdered in the city of Arcata, a circle of family, friends, students and community members huddled together, clasped hands and shouted his name.
“Justice for David Josiah Lawson,” the group said loud and clear over and over from the steps of the Arcata City Hall. The sun had set hours ago, and a winter wind was biting at those gathered in attendance, but weather wouldn’t stop the crowd.
“The vibe itself is very upbeat considering the weather,” said attendee Andre Ramos, who wore a heavy winter coat and a beanie pulled over his ears.
Every month since the murder of David Josiah Lawson, a crowd has gathered around Charmaine Lawson, the mother of Josiah Lawson, and together they demand justice for Josiah. Lawson remains steadfast in her belief that justice will happen. She makes the journey all the way up to Humboldt from her home in Southern California to remind those in power that she will make it happen.
“It will happen,” Lawson said. “I serve a mighty god. As long as I have breath in my body I will continue to be here.”
“There are beautiful, amazing, wonderful, compassionate people here. There is love within this community, but there is evil and darkness here.”
Charmaine Lawson
To Lawson, this was an open and shut case. The original suspect, former Mckinleyville resident Kyle Christopher Zoellner, was apprehended the night of the murder. Lawson said the murder weapon was also found. She said DNA evidence should presumably solve this case.
“Why we’re still here? Dumbfounded,” Lawson said.
As the months go by, more and more students move to Humboldt to attend Humboldt State University. Yet Lawson is concerned these students don’t know the situation they’re moving into.
HSU has a much higher population of people of color than the surrounding community. Most HSU students come from Los Angeles or the Bay Area and the small-town culture of Humboldt is different from what they’re used to. Lawson wants to ensure that all students who start the next step of their lives in Humboldt make it out again, but she feels that students of color simply aren’t welcome.
“If you’re a student of color, be careful,” Lawson said. “There are beautiful, amazing, wonderful, compassionate people here. There is love within this community, but there is evil and darkness here.”
Kwame Achebe, a San Diego native, agreed. Achebe has attended every vigil since the murder, but his voice still shook when talking about what happened. He chose his words carefully but spoke with a grim humor when recounting one of his first experiences in Humboldt.
“What’s funny is in San Diego I’m pretty light skinned,” Achebe said with a laugh. “In San Diego I’d have to be convincing people I was black. I didn’t need to convince anybody here. My first day at Arcata High I was greeted as ‘the nigger,’ OK? I was greeted as ‘the nigger.’”
Achebe said his experiences in Humboldt have told him that this isn’t an aberration.
“For us not to have justice 33 months after the murder of a young black man? It’s not out of the norm at all,” Achebe said.
Achebe said the elected leaders of Arcata don’t care about what happened to Josiah Lawson, so it’s up to the people.
“I’ve been out here from the very beginning. I see the look on their faces when they’re addressing us. They have no souls in their eyes,” Achebe said. “They don’t care.”
Part of the goal of the Justice for Josiah movement is justice in the form of political change, not just for Josiah Lawson, but for the whole system. Lawson vowed to keep working to elect people who she thinks will be able to uphold justice.
“I will continue to call people in power out that are elected officials who are not doing their jobs and make sure we get people with integrity and love and compassion in seats,” Lawson said.
Over the course of the almost three-year history of this case, it has faced numerous setbacks. The case against Zoellner was dismissed in 2017. In 2019, a criminal grand jury decided not to indict anyone for the murder of Josiah Lawson, and the California Attorney General declined to take the case.
“Justice for me is having Kyle Christopher Zoellner arrested for the murder of my son David Josiah Lawson and held accountable for his actions,” Lawson said.
The history of the case shows that a system that could bring about the justice that Lawson wants is not the one Humboldt has, but Lawson is convinced it will one day. Until then, Lawson is concerned for the students of color in the here and now.
“Don’t go anywhere alone in this town,” Lawson said. “Stick together so someone can tell your story if you’re not able to.”
Why HSU should bring back baseball in the post-football era
It has been over a year since the Humboldt State University football team played their final game ever, leaving local sports fans wondering how we are going to fill the void the HSU football team left in its wake.
Now that I’ve had some time to get used to a fall semester without the green and gold jerseys at the Redwood Bowl, it’s begun to feel more normal for HSU to be a school without a football team.
I know that bringing back the football team, at least in the near future, is an idea that seems like a pipe dream. Once you cut a program that was as much of a financial strain as the football team was, it is really hard to justify bringing such a program back. I think we need to explore alternatives of bringing back other, less expensive sports to HSU, and I know exactly what sport it should be.
Humboldt State needs to revive its baseball program, and I know that HSU baseball would be very well supported by the community.
For one, sports fans in Arcata and the rest of Humboldt County love baseball. There is no bigger example of this than the support that Arcata’s summer collegiate baseball team, the Humboldt Crabs, receives every summer from June until early August.
“From a baseball perspective, an HSU baseball team would be a huge benefit to both the athletes that would play here and the Humboldt Crabs organization.”
Liam Warner
Experiencing a Crabs game is one of the purest forms of Arcata that you will ever experience. From the world-famous Crab Grass Band to the unique heckling coming from the fans, thousands of people pack the Arcata Ballpark every summer to watch the Crabs play. Unfortunately, this is when most of the student population is home for the summer.
Another reason why an HSU baseball team would be easy to start is because finding a facility to play at won’t be a problem. The Arcata Ballpark, which is located right next to Arcata City Hall, is considered to be one of the best ballparks on the summer baseball circuit. For a Division II baseball school, I’m sure we would have one of the best baseball facilities on the West Coast.
Having an HSU baseball team that plays at the Arcata Ballpark would also give fans a lot more opportunities to watch baseball in downtown Arcata. Typically, college baseball season runs from February into late April. The Humboldt Crabs season starts in late May or early June, meaning that we would have six months of baseball with a gap in May between the seasons.
I’m sure extending the season of high-level baseball in Arcata would provide a boost to the economy downtown, as it would allow the opportunity for more people to watch quality baseball at the ballpark.
From a baseball perspective, an HSU baseball team would be a huge benefit to both the athletes that would play here and the Humboldt Crabs organization. The Crabs draw quite a few of their homegrown players from the College of the Redwoods baseball team, so an HSU baseball team would naturally become a feeder of players to play on the Crabs during the summer.
HSU Jacks players would have the opportunity to continue their season on a well-established summer baseball club, and the Crabs would have a local pool of baseball players they could pick from.
Ultimately, it’s up to HSU athletics to make the decision to bring back a sport. But I think all of the factors are there to make an HSU baseball team a successful part of the community.
HSU notifications lack conviction or specific plans of action
If you’ve checked your email at all within the past couple of months, you’ve most likely read one of the several notices Humboldt State University sent to the campus in regards to incidents of vandalism, racist messages or off-campus crimes.
Just this semester, HSU notified students via email of numerous instances including racist graffiti on Dec. 7, racist vandalism in a residence hall restroom on Nov. 13, anti-Semitic flyers put up around the campus on Oct. 25 as well as on Sept. 17 with an email notification of a stabbing that happened off campus.
An HSU notification sent out Dec. 7 regarding racist graffiti found on campus.
The emails for the first three incidents listed came a day or less after the occurrence and after the police department had found and cleaned up the perpetrators’ messes. However, the notice about the off-campus crime was sent out a month after the crime itself, which was the stabbing of a student on Aug. 26. HSU seemingly weighed in to clarify because, “recent media accounts and headlines about the incident were filled with many different narratives.”
Each message HSU sends follows a general formula.
One paragraph is what the University allots for all of these incidents of crime on or near campus. They follow it up with multiple paragraphs about how the University has no place for racism or violence, and provide the usual list of resources students can take advantage of if they need support.
But aside from erasing the evidence of the crimes and repeating where students can go ad nauseam, they have never taken any direct action to combat the trend that is clearly going on.
The messages claim that the University Police Department is investigating these issues, but they have not given any further information as to what they actually plan to do to prevent any further instances of hate speech or vandalism in the future.
Students have a right to get their education at a school that strives for active protection, not just passive written defense.
Benjamin Zawilski
El Leñador reported that “the NAACP penned a letter in April of 2018 condemning HSU’s administration for failing to take an active role in addressing racism and safety concerns in the City of Arcata and Humboldt County, thus endangering the lives to whom it extends acceptance letters.”
HSU students ought to be able to trust the administration of their school to communicate with them in these situations. But the administration’s lack of vigilance and initiative extends even to direct threats to the safety of students. Last April, they took almost a full 24 hours to send a message that a student had committed assault on campus.
The administration will not show any sign of actually protecting the safety of the students like they claim to until they take real steps to improve their transparency.
Students have a right to get their education at a school that strives for active protection, not just passive written defense. The first step might be for administration to disclose crimes that have happened before they have absolutely no choice but to do so.
Many organizations around Humboldt County provide warm clothing for little or no cost
With winter right around the corner, it’s important that less fortunate and displaced individuals have access to food, shelter and basic necessities.
Humboldt County has among the highest rates of homelessness in the state. With the steep temperature decline of the winter, coats, socks and warm clothes become an extreme necessity.
Robert Lohn, the founder of Coats for the Cold, one of the largest coat drives in the county, spoke on the need for warm clothes during the upcoming months.
“There’s a flock of families, individuals and couples who go to food banks and can’t afford food,” Lohn said. “Let alone warm clothing.”
Lohn started the movement 12 years ago with just 20 coats. Since then, the movement has gained major recognition from across the county to help collect, clean and store clothes that are redistributed to underprivileged children in schools. The amount of jackets received has greatly increased over the years, but Lohn still prioritizes spreading the word.
“The big picture is to show other parts of the community what we do, how we did it and how the other areas could do it as well,” Lohn said.
Coatsforthecold.org provides a lengthy list of drop-off locations ranging from McKinleyville to Garberville. Drop-off boxes are distributed at the beginning of December through to January.
“If anybody is in desperate need of a pair of pants or some shoes, and we have it, we will get it to them.”
Steven Thompson St. Vincent de Paul Employee
A drop-off box for warm clothes was placed on the first floor of the Behavioral Social Sciences building on Monday, Dec. 2 and will remain there through January. Warm clothes to donate include: jackets, sweaters, pants, hats, blankets, socks and gloves. Backpacks are welcomed as well.
Another place to donate is the at the Third Annual David Josiah Lawson Coat Drive, which takes place on Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. on the Arcata Plaza.
The St. Vincent de Paul non-profit organization in Old Town Eureka is also a great resource for people who would like to donate, or are in need of daily necessities. They provide bag lunches and free clothing. They are open seven days a week, besides the first two weekends of the month.
Steven Thompson, a worker at St. Vincent’s, says there is no specific criteria needed in order to receive the items that are offered.
“If anybody is in desperate need of a pair of pants or some shoes, and we have it, we will get it to them,” Thompson said.
Not only do shelter and coat drives work for donating, but Angel’s of Hope Thrift Store is another place where people can donate their warm clothes.
According to employee Jasmine Oakshotte Angels of Hope is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Oakshotte says that they have plenty of warm clothing, but it is the process of getting it out to the public that makes it difficult.
“It’s just about man power for us because we are a small group,” Oakshotte said. “There’s only four of us that price the stuff. So getting through it all, like we have bunches of it, it’s just that we have to get it out.”
Volunteers are more than welcome and will receive store credit by volunteering for the thrift store. They also have deals throughout the week for enrolled HSU students, including receiving half-off clothing Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
If you’re in need of warm clothes this winter, consider using the above organizations and stores around Humboldt County that provide them at either no cost or for very cheap.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For some, anyway.
Despite the enthusiastic spirit and excitement, the holiday season can be challenging for people to get through. For many folks during the holidays, the time and costs of traveling, balancing end of year responsibilities and potential conflicts with relatives all trigger a degree of stress, drama and anxiety.
The advertised illusion of the holidays as a joyful and easygoing time of the year discredit the holiday blues. Holiday stress ignites emotions completely opposite to for many people. The emotions are real and ought not to be ignored or made to seem unimportant.
The joy and ease of the holiday season may not match up with your personal feelings, and that can easily be seen as a betrayal of the holiday spirit.
Visiting places and people you rarely see, or attending parties and partaking in festivities can be overwhelming. The holiday season may be an extended break from school or even work, but it adds the responsibilities you generally don’t have the rest of the year. Many people are expected to be present and into holiday festivities with family, but sometimes it’s necessary to set up boundaries.
Remember what makes you happy. One example may be curling up in some blankets with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Whatever kind of downtime works for for you, take advantage of any time off to give yourself that much needed break.
Ben Zawilski
Telling yourself that holiday stress is uncommon or invalid isn’t helpful. Even though it is a season of generosity and giving, make sure to be generous and give yourself the time and care that you need. And set boundaries with loved ones if necessary.
The holiday season should be enjoyable for all, including you. Even even if the celebrations and responsibilities consume your time and energy, they shouldn’t interrupt your happiness and peace of mind.
Find the root to the chaos and what you can do to avoid or overcome it. If a family member is giving you grief, or a gathering takes up too much energy, ask yourself if you should be there. Pleasing everyone is not always the best move, especially if it is overwhelming or too much to handle.
Remember what makes you happy. One example may be curling up in some blankets with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Whatever kind of downtime works for for you, take advantage of any time off to give yourself that much needed break.
And remember, a visit to see friends and family doesn’t have to push your physical and mental health to the back burner. The holidays aren’t designed to bring anyone misery. We have the potential to make it both a time to celebrate with others and a time to take care of ourselves.
Although areas of Humboldt County have the “all clear” for power restoration, another PSPS may be scheduled for Tuesday morning
Parts of Humboldt have been given the “all clear” to begin line inspections and restorations for the current Public Safety Power Shutoff.
“PG&E notified Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services (OES) that portions of Humboldt County have been given the “All clear” for the weather event and will begin the restoration process as soon as conditions allow,” the latest update from the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services said.
However, PG&E has also notified the county that another PSPS event may affect Humboldt as early as Tuesday morning.
“PG&E also notified OES that another weather event is scheduled for Tuesday 10-29-19 at 6 a.m. which will also result in a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS),” the update said.
OES says it expects “a small window of time” between the two shutoffs, and urges residents to use the time to once again prepare to have no power.
“As always, this information from PG&E is subject to change,” the update said. “Updates will be provided as soon as they become available.”
“These delays in the power shut off are in part because PG&E is trying to limit the time that customers are impacted,” the update said.
PG&E increased the number of accounts within the scope of its latest Public Safety Power Shutoff today from 850,000 to 940,000. Since many accounts provide power to multiple customers, PG&E estimates that over two million people are within the PSPS scope.
PG&E expects to give the “all clear” for the windy weather event by 4 p.m. Sunday for Humboldt. However, the update clarifies that that is not when power will be restored.
“The weather “All clear” time is the time when PG&E personnel can begin inspecting the lines,” the update said. “It can take up to 48 daylight hours from the weather “All clear” time until power is restored because any damage found during the inspection will need to be repaired prior to power restoration.”
In a PG&E press conference at their headquarters in San Francisco, PSPS Incident Commander Mark Quinlan emphasized that the restoration will take different amounts of time for different areas as PG&E works to patrol 31,000 miles of lines.
“The restoration time is a sequence as well,” Quinlan said. “It doesn’t mean that every customer is going to be out for 48 hours. It means that we’re going to begin restoration activities at the times that I mentioned, and we believe we will incrementally restore everyone all the way up and not have anyone out past 48 hours.”
Earn money. Many recycling plants in California offer trade-in programs where you can redeem money from the cash refund value (CRV) of plastic, glass and aluminum cans. The CRV amount for aluminum cans under 24 ounces and for glass and plastic bottles is $0.05. Containers larger than 24 ounces are redeemable for $0.10. Here in Humboldt you can take your bottles and cans to Humboldt Sanitation & Recycling in McKinleyville or the Eureka Recycling Center.
Make something new. There are so much things that can be reused and transformed into something new. Milk cartons can become bird feeders and trash can become artwork. Locally, Scrap Humboldt offers hundreds upon thousands of recycled, slightly used and new items for sale to let your creativity soar. They host creation tutorials to show people how to turn something discarded into something useful again. You can also donate your clean recyclables to their Arcata location to add to their collection of items for repurposing.
Clean them. Clean your recyclables before you toss them. Be mindful of the journey your recycling has yet to take in this consumerist chain. Besides knowing what is appropriate to recycle, it’s also important to properly prepare items before you recycle them. Cans should be rinsed clean, plastic caps should be discarded and wrappers should be torn off of containers.
Compost. Compost what you can. Paper materials like cardboard and newsprint are great materials for creating new flower and produce beds. These items don’t have to end up in the trash or even the recycling bin. Paper is great for reducing decomposition stench from compost bins and the carbon in paper can help facilitate the breakdown of waste. Just be sure the paper you use in your compost doesn’t have glossy inks like magazine paper.
Throw away the rest. You might be recycling things that aren’t recyclable. Plastics numbered with 3, 4 or 7 are sometimes not accepted by curbside recycling programs. Check your local recycling plant’s policies on what materials they accept and what they reject. Things like pizza boxes, aerosol cans, batteries and styrofoam are not recyclable. Throw items like these away or find a proper disposal. Here on campus there are several recycling hubs which offer bins for proper disposal of batteries, computer products and cellphones.
For these three athletes, weightlifting is more than just exercise, it’s a lifestyle
While many people are still sleeping or barely getting ready at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, powerlifter Lecsi Prince opens the doors of Arcata Health Sport and walks towards the weightlifting cage.
Prince warms up in the open-air weightlifting area and slides four 45 pound plates, two 25 pound plates and two 10 pound plates onto a bar. She pauses in front of the bar now loaded with 295 pounds. Prince clears her mind, sucks in a deep breath, bounces on her toes, quickly leans in and heaves the weight up onto her shoulders. Keeping her legs stable and her toes pointed out, Prince dips down slowly and up again. After three reps, Prince sets the bar down and exhales.
Kinseology major Lecsi Prince prepares for her morning workout at HealthSport at 8 a.m. Prince is a powerlifter and has osteoarthritis with a dream of changing the lives of people through exercise. | Photo by Jose Herrera
Twenty-three-year-old Humboldt State University student and kinesiology major Prince has four years of powerlifting experience. At 14, doctors diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the joints. It didn’t stop her from playing tennis in high school, and it doesn’t stop her now.
“I’ll have arthritis flares that will make it hard for me to even hold the bars,” Prince said. “So I’ve hit points where I go to the gym into a bench day and I can’t even wrap my fingers around the bar.”
When her joints are in too much pain and she’s unsure whether to take painkillers, Prince said she decides to not train for a day. Instead, she finds other activities that benefit her health; sometimes she hikes and other times she goes to the sauna as a means of heat therapy.
“On those days, it’s all a mental game,” Prince said. “My thoughts are that I’m so frustrated and I can’t do anything. It’s this draining helplessness. I’m not able to lift, but I can do something else healthy.”
Like Prince, Olympic weightlifter Luis Ruiz and women’s strength and conditioning coach Sierra Lathe are no strangers to overcoming their bodies’ barriers.
The three weightlifters have conditions and injuries they constantly work through to improve their form and records. Ruiz deals with recurring pinched nerves and Lathe has pre-existing injuries she sustained while playing sports in high school. Their injuries become more prevalent if they are not as cautious.
Sierra Lathe, the stength and conditioning coach for womens and mens crew teams, snatches 95 lbs while in the Student Recreation Center at Humboldt State University. Lathe graduated HSU in spring 2019 and now finds herself as a coach teaching athletes how to perform and train well. | Photo by Jose Herrera
Twenty-two-year-old Lathe works as a staff member for the Student Recreation Center at HSU. She graduated spring 2019 with a major in psychology and minor in child development. Lathe has a combined eight years of powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting experience.
As a former HSU athlete, Lathe now finds herself on the other side as the strength and conditioning coach for the men’s and women’s club crew teams.
“I still lift, but not as much because I don’t have time,” Lathe said. “Coaching is a whole other ball game. It’s definitely more fun teaching people how to do it now because I’ve done it for so long.”
She explains that Olympic lifting is more precise movements that use different parts of powerlifting together while powerlifting is “getting real big and strong” through three main exercises: squatting, deadlifting and benching. This is something Ruiz knows all too well.
Ruiz, 24, competes in national Olympic weightlifting competitions such as the USA Weightlifting Nationals, USA Weightlifting American Open and University Nationals. Ruiz placed second at the 2019 University National & placed fifth at the Under 25 championship in March. He can back squat 615 pounds and can do Olympic weightlifting movements like the snatch with 319 pounds and the clean and jerk with 405 pounds.
He says the pinched nerves are something that his body deals with on its own.
“I won’t be able to do everything that I need to and I definitely can tell in my body,” Ruiz said. “Part of it is that doing this for five years, ten years, or however long you do it, it definitely will take a toll on your body.”
Injury and pain is something Ruiz knew would be part of the bodybuilding process, but if given the opportunity, Ruiz wouldn’t change a thing.
“My mom thinks it’s a dangerous sport and she wishes that I wouldn’t put my body through what I do put it through,” Ruiz said. “But they’ve never told me that I needed something else to do. They understand that this is how I stay active and happens to be something I’m good at and so I compete in it.”
Prince and Lathe said they experience different issues as women athletes.
Sierra Lathe, the stength and conditioning coach for womens and mens crew teams, holds 110 lbs over her head while in the Student Recreation Center at HSU. | Photo by Jose Herrera
Lecsi Prince places knee wraps on themselves in preparation for 300lb squat. | Photo by Jose Herrera
Kinesiology major Lecsi Prince lifts and readies to squat 210lbs out in the cage at HealthSport during her early morning workout. Prince has osteoarthitis but continues to exercise because it’s their lifestyle. | Photo by Jose Herrera
“You have all these expectations as a woman,” Lathe said. “If you’re too strong, it’s too much. And if you’re too nice, it’s not enough. So, being able to be an athlete for so long feels pretty good.”
Lathe said people, generally men, stare when she trains, but that she’s used to it as a woman in sports.
“Especially if you’re someone who knows what you are doing,” Lathe said. “You’re either judged or not taken very seriously even though you know what you’re talking about.”
There are also moments where men approach Lathe about random things, sometimes assuming she needs help or to make comments that aren’t appropriate for a conversation with a stranger.
But looking past those moments, Lathe says there’s a lot of community and support in the gym environment, especially from women. And Ruiz says that although weightlifting is an individual act, there’s a lot of teamwork behind the scenes from the coaching and competitive aspect of training partners.
“I think it’s super important to have people that you train with because it pushes you to have friendly competitions within training,” Ruiz said. “To have someone who’s in your same level and train with you, I feel like you benefit more because of the little competition that you guys have.”
If anything, I’d give up free time outside of school and my job to be able to train than to have a social experience. Because the gym at this point has become where I met a lot of my friends.
Luis Ruiz, Olympic Powerlifter
Lathe and Prince share the same sentiment as Ruiz and agree that the people you train with and spend time working with to achieve similar goals become your greatest allies.
“If anything, I’d give up free time outside of school and my job to be able to train than to have a social experience,” Ruiz said. “Because the gym at this point has become where I met a lot of my friends.”
HSU Athletics strength and conditioning coach and kinesiology lecturer Drew Peterson works with a variety of students with different skill levels who come through the Student Recreation Center.
Peterson said that Prince, Ruiz and Lathe achieve great feats of strength and he believes physical strength is the key to activity and fitness.
“Anybody can get stronger and change your physique and increase your physical capacity,” Peterson said. “It just takes getting in here and doing a good job being consistent and staying on a structured program.”
Weightlifting comes with a set of drawbacks just like any other sport, but it remains a therapeutic process for Prince, Ruiz and Lathe. And the next day the three of them do what any average weightlifter does to get better – train again.
“I have a different perspective than most because my body does limit me,” Prince says. “For me it’s more of a therapy. It’s more of that I can push my body to this and nothing else in the world matters other than me just in the moment doing what I love.”
Vitamin D and zinc can help the immune system battle the common cold and the flu
In addition to getting your annual flu shot, there are other things to do to protect yourself from the flu virus.
The flu spreads most commonly through the air, which is why sneezing and coughing, in a hygienic way, help to prevent the sickness from spreading. A study published in the journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection has concluded that the flu virus can stay on unwashed human hands for up to 30 minutes.
“It was possible to recover infectious influenza A (H3N2) and A (H1N1) 2009 viruses for a period of time extending up to 30 min,” Yves Thomas, the lead researcher, wrote.
The likelihood of contracting the flu virus rises significantly with hand-to-face contact, allowing the virus access to mucous membranes.
As always, eating fruits and vegetables and moderate exercise will give you the best odds to beat sickness, but once you start feeling the symptoms, what can you do?
Vitamin C, in conjunction with other vitamins and minerals such as zinc and vitamin D, can be used to strengthen the immune system for a small period of time, but over long stretches proved no more effective than placebo.
Harri Hemilä, Ph.D. tested 1-2 grams/day of Vitamin C and found that the likelihood of catching a cold dropped.
“The duration of colds was reduced by 8% (3% to 12%),” Hemilä wrote. “The severity of colds was also reduced by regular vitamin C administration.”
Athletes can especially benefit from regular vitamin C supplementation. The vitamin C acts as an antioxidant for athletes as it works to potentially reverse oxidative damage that occurs with exercising. The article states that vitamin C may be useful for those exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise.
Mariangelea Rondanelli and other researchers investigated the effects three compounds have on colds. Vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D seem to be the holy trinity of risk reduction for cold and flu. Once symptoms occur, these have been shown to lessen the severity and length of sickness.
“Considering zinc, the supplementation may shorten the duration of colds by approximately 33%,” Rondanelli wrote. “Common cold patients may be instructed to try zinc within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. As for vitamin D, the supplementation protected against the common cold overall, considering baseline levels and age.”
Of course, not everyone has the same reaction to dosages, and it’s possible these might not help everyone fight sickness. A change in diet can increase zinc levels easily. Eating an extra serving of nuts or seeds at breakfast is more inviting and customizable compared to buying zinc lozenges, packets or pills.
Vitamin D can be obtained through the sun, but here in Arcata that option leaves just as the worst of the flu season hits. A small supplement of vitamin D may help with more than just immune issues, and many Americans are vitamin D deficient without even realizing it.
Beyond that, one would have to eat a lot of oranges to match the one to two grams of daily vitamin C that was tested in the study, but an increased intake of any amount wouldn’t be wasted. EmergenC, Airborne and other supplements will deliver a dense dose of the vitamin. Hemilä said patients should try out an increase in vitamin C.
“Nevertheless, given the consistent effect of vitamin C on the duration and severity of colds in the regular supplementation studies, and the low cost and safety,” Hemilä wrote. “It may be worthwhile for common cold patients to test on an individual basis whether therapeutic vitamin C is beneficial for them.”
Free tacos, a climbing wall and a zip line took over Arcata
The Arcata Plaza was a site of fun and live entertainment over the weekend. On Sept. 6, the 2nd annual HSU Downtown Block Party shut down the streets surrounding the Arcata Plaza.
Music from Chulita Vinyl Club, Mesizto Beat and HSU’s notoriously loud Marching Lumberjacks provided live entertainment and kept the crowd on their feet. The block party was also home to other activities including a 200-foot zip-line and a rock-climbing wall.
HSU students, including seniors Mark Bernan and Adrian Haro, were recipients of an e-mail attachment containing entry credentials to the block party and vouchers for free food. After conquering the zip-line I spoke with Bernan, who is a music major. His main concern was his appetite and not the adrenaline.
Mesizto Beat getting down on the home stage at the 2nd Annual HSU Downtown Block Party. | Photo by Alberto Muro
“I’m looking forward to the tacos, I’m not going to lie,” Bernan said.
For some, zip-lining is on their bucket list. Bernan was already acquainted with going airborne.
“I tried zip-lining in Costa Rica before, but this was fun too,” Bernan said.
With a massive line that stretched from 9th Street towards the center plaza, Bernan and Haro were happy they arrived early.
HSU students and alumni were not the only ones enjoying themselves at the block party. HSU seniors and Native American Studies majors Gabby Encias and Christian Solorio brought their roommate Corey Jankowski along for the experience.
HSU Marching Lumberjacks keeping the crowd energized at the Arcata Block Party on Sept. 6. | Photo by Alberto Muro
Encias and Solorio have lived in the area since they began their studies and were delighted to see the large crowd in attendance.
“It’s nice to see everyone turn out for the event,” Enicas said.
Mass emails were not the only source of invitation distribution. HSU senior Solorio was informed by other means.
“I heard about this event through social media,” Solorio said.
Jankowski heard about the event through Encias and Solorio, but one main contribution to his attendance was the good weather.
HSU booths were present to distribute information about campus services. HSU students Alejandro Ochoa, Makito Takahashi and Alex Bravo represented the Multicultural Center and wasted no time welcoming people to their table.
From right to left: HSU Multicultural Center representatives Alejandro Ochoa, Makito Takahashi and Alex Bravo. | Photo by Alberto Muro
“There’s nice weather out right now and it’s going to start raining in a month so get out there while you still can,”Jankowski said.
The weather is currently a toss-up between overcast and sunshine, and thankfully the block party experienced pleasant conditions.
The Multicultural Center is notable for establishing services such as Scholars Without Borders, a women’s resource center and a kitchen to cook your food. HSU Senior and Biology major Ochoa talked about a new service for students.
“This year we will be introducing a non-binary closet which is open to anyone,” Ochoa said.
The new service offered by the Multicultural Center shows that the objective of campus resources is to improve student lives.
The 2nd Annual Humboldt State Downtown Block Party has come and gone, but don’t fret because the Arcata Plaza is home to a variety of entertainment.
The last remaining KSHU staff members resign, join a peaceful gathering of a few dozen held during weekly farmers market
Forty-eight hours after the artery of the community was severed, a few dozen KHSU supporters took to the plaza in protest during the weekly farmers market.
Natalya Estrada resigned her position this afternoon as the last remaining paid staff member of KHSU. Estrada’s resignation came after administrators at Humboldt State University decided to fire all volunteers and terminate all but two paid positions at KHSU on April 11. David Reed was the second of the two remaining employees but resigned on Friday, April 12.
Estrada was at the protest to show support and said staying in the position would not only compromise her career in journalism but affect her overall health.
“There comes a time in life when you need to make a decision in life and I made that decision,” Estrada said. “I knew what I was going to do but I needed to know how and when.”
Local artist Lisa Enge holds a sign in support for KHSU during a peaceful protest at the weekly Arcata plaza farmer’s market on Saturday April 13. | Photo by T.William Wallin
After Reed resigned Estrada was the last staff member running the station. Estrada said when the California Report came on she put on Caroline King and cried at her desk.
“It was very lonely being the last person left,” Estrada said. “It felt like 48 hours on the 405 during rush hour traffic.”
Tom Cairns was one of the volunteers to be let go during the dismantling of KHSU, but he isn’t just any volunteer. Cairns has been with KHSU for 47 years, making him the longest running volunteer at the station.
Community member, Carrie Slack, and former host of Jazz with a Groove, Rob Enge, hold signs in support for KHSU during a peaceful protest at the weekly Arcata plaza farmer’s market on Saturday April 13. | Photo by T.William Wallin
Cairns was at the protest because he felt the way everyone was fired was wicked and shameful. Cairns felt the audit report done on KHSU was just an excuse for firing everybody and HSU administrators were planning this even before then.
“The way they handled it was bold face lies,” Cairns said. “They had checks written out already even before the meeting. They had it all planned.”
In the 47 years as a volunteer Cairns has seen KHSU have its ups and downs but “it’s always continued and was never shut off the air.” Cairns said the unfortunate thing about the station now is it has become a typical NPR station with all news and very little music.
“Basically it’s just another McDonald’s public radio station,” Cairns said.
Public citizens, Mark Mueller and Lisa Hockaday, hold signs in support for KHSU during a peaceful protest at the weekly Arcata plaza farmer’s market on Saturday April 13. | Photo by T.William Wallin
When asked what he felt the biggest loss was Cairns said the community of the station. Cairns said those that work with KHSU are very active in the larger northwest community and engaged in the arts, food, and news.
“The music, public affairs, and local programming is what made KHSU unique and a viable source for the community,” Cairns said.
A few dozen protesters gathered with signs during the Saturday farmer’s market at Arcata Plaza to show support for KHSU on April 13. | Photo by T.William Wallin
Rob Enge, former host of Jazz with a Groove, was a member and sustainer with KHSU for 25 years and agreed with Cairns. Enge said this has been a loss of a community forum where connection was made.
“This was a good place for people to put their energy,” Enge said.
Enge moved to Humboldt in 1992 and the first thing he did was get connected with the local radio station. Enge was an avid listener of KPFK in southern California and said public radio stations are an important way in getting connected with community.
“This has been an erosion of community,” Enge said. “This isn’t social media from out of the community, this is real people talking locally and when we lose that its a shame.”
Community members show support for KHSU during a peaceful protest at the weekly Arcata plaza farmer’s market on Saturday April 13. | Photo by T.William Wallin
Local artist Lisa Enge has also been a supporter of KHSU since 1992 and felt the loss of KHSU was like losing a friend. She said KHSU was a treasure in the community and it was a cruel way that it was cut.
“Cutting volunteer and staff is unconscionable, shameful really,” Lisa Enge said.
Jax Stuber (left) has been listening to KHSU everyday for the last six years and said she will miss all the music and diverse programming. | Photo by T.William Wallin
Lisa Enge said once general manager Peter Fretwell fired KHSU program director, Katie Whiteside, the love for KHSU waned. She said as an artist the radio kept her company while she worked and she didn’t feel so lonely.
“The people, DJs, and programmers became friends,” Lisa Enge said. “It’s like losing a friend, or a family member really.”
Justice For Josiah committee urge the city to send Josiah case to the Department of Justice
Over a dozen of Justice For Josiah Committee members filled the chambers at city hall during Arcata City Council’s Wednesday meeting. The open to public meeting was met with dissatisfaction from J4J supporters and a call to send Josiah’s case to the Department of Justice or DOJ J4J member Karpani Burns was the first to speak and told Arcata City Council to connect with their humanity.
“I am here to express my disappointment in the J4J decision not to prosecute,” Burns said. “My feelings of the disconnect in this town, county, and country is truly becoming an epidemic. It is beginning to implode on its self.”
Karpani Burns urges Arcata City Council to seek help from the DOJ for David Josiah Lawson’s case. | Photo by T.William Wallin
It has been nearly two years since the murder of David Josiah Lawson without a conviction. On March 13, Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced there would not be any charges filed in Josiah’s case, sparking protests in Eureka and gatherings at HSU.
J4J organizer Jill Larrabee urged Arcata City Council to send letters to the DOJ asking for assistance in the case.
“We ask you to do all you can,” Larrabee said. “All of you have connections and all have the power to write letters.”
Larrabee went on to say although she was angry and frustrated, she wasn’t surprised with DA Fleming’s decision. She told the city council that Fleming isn’t here for black people or justice.
“This is a recognition of racial inequality,” Larrabee said. “ We need this case out of Humboldt County. We are not going anywhere. Charmaine is not going anywhere.”
J4J member Kelsey Reedy was also not surprised with Fleming’s decision. Reedy said the system in place is not here to help people of color but people of power and that no entity in Humboldt County can handle Josiah’s case.
“We have been told multiple times this is an open and shut case, obviously it’s not,” Reedy said. “We demand you call the DOJ, however that works, either individually or as a council. We cannot let Charmaine wait any longer.”
External affairs representative for HSU’s Associated Students and J4J member Oliver Winfield-Perez agrees with Reedy and told Arcata City Council the lack of support for Josiah’s case shows the lack of capability to solve it without the DOJ.
Winfield-Perez said the friends of Josiah’s who were with him when he was murdered have to live with that trauma everyday and weren’t given the support they needed.
“I wonder about those students a lot,” Winfield-Perez said. “They were disrespected by APD and the community at large. They had to create their own network and space for healing without city council.”
Mayor Bret Watson told J4J committee members Arcata City Council has some letters already drafted to the DOJ as well as local elected officials.
“We will make sure we’ll get some refresh calls for help,” Watson said.
Letters to be sent to the DOJ wasn’t the only thing J4J committee members were asking for. Retired Attorney and J4J member Richard Kossow, urged Arcata City Council to release the Police Foundation report on APD’s case.
“Its time we have some kind of understanding of this investigation,” Kossow said. “Is there an action step to close this?”
Over a dozen Justice For Josiah committee members attended the Arcata City Council meeting on Wednesday March 20 2019 to urge them to seek the help of the DOJ in Lawson’s case. | Photo by T.William Wallin
The Police Foundation is a national organization built to hold police forces accountable. They were called in by Arcata City Council in 2018 once APD’s investigation was wrapped.
City Manager Karen Diemer said the report would be out by May. Arcata Chief of Police Brian Ahearn said he supports the decision of asking the DOJ for assistance if that is what city council decides.
“If that determines to be the best course of action for the city than I support it,” Ahearn said. “As long as we are on the case we will look for outside help.”
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