The public spaces in Garberville have become a battleground, and every year at about this time, the war really heats up. However, the last two Friday evenings in a row I attended peaceful protest demonstrations at the corner of Redwood Drive and Church St in Garberville. These were well organized and disciplined actions, and the protester’s right to use the sidewalk was reaffirmed by law enforcement, and challenged by none. Protesters occupied that stretch of sidewalk from about 6-9pm both nights. Will this become a regular thing, like Paul Encimer’s Friday afternoon Peace Protests under the clock, or will the situation improve, making further protest unnecessary?
It’s funny how people seem to understand that when you stand on the corner with a political sign in your hand, you are exercising your 1st Amendment Right to Free Speech, but if you stand there with a sign that says “Hungry” or “Anything Helps” you are considered a nuisance. We should be thankful that we don’t have street preachers here in Garberville.
That’s another, fully protected, 1st Amendment activity. Think about that the next time you see a kid with a guitar and an open case, because he has every right to be there, and things could be worse.
And that’s exactly what these protest demonstrations were all about, the right to use the public sidewalk. Okra Dingle, a spokesperson for the protesters put it this way: “We want to change the tone of civility on our sidewalks.” Apparently the previous weekend, people were sprayed with a water hose, chased, and pushed into the street, by an irate building owner, just for playing music in front of his downtown storefront, after business hours. This according to several of the protesters who witnessed the event, one of whom gave a detailed account to a Sheriff’s Deputy, for the purpose of filing charges.
I think they proved, pretty conclusively, that if you show up in numbers, act with discipline, and have someone with a video camera recording everything, you can exercise your right to free speech in Garberville and change the tone of civility. At least they were able to do so on two consecutive Friday evenings in August.
Personally, I’d rather listen to someone play the guitar, or steel drum, or fiddle, than hear protesters chant slogans. I’d rather look over a collection of handmade jewelry, or albums or cookies as read one more protest sign, and I’d rather give someone five dollars so they can get something to eat, than get any more junk email from non-profit organizations begging for my money. People have the right to use the public commons, and they have the right to engage you. There are worse things in life.
I realize that a lot of you feel that anyone who engages you is “violating your space” but space is a place we share. It’s kind of like social media, but it’s more immediate, and you can’t “block” people. As people spend more time in “virtual” environments, the demands of the real world seem onerous, but engaging with people in your own town, on the sidewalk is a good way to stay in practice.
Let me try to put it in terms you might understand. The sidewalk is not tailored to your search history or media bias, nor does it monitor your behavior or collect personal information about you. The sidewalk does not require a high-speed connection or impose data limits. Whether you are shopping, searching for information, or looking for someone, the sidewalk remains a critical, irreplaceable tool, both for business and the private sector, precisely because of it’s inherent neutrality, and open access to everyone. That’s why it’s so important to protect the sidewalk, and to respect everyone’s right to use it.
There’s practically no public wifi, anywhere in Southern Humboldt, but we all use the sidewalk. We really shouldn’t be surprised to see lots of people talking, making connections, looking for connections, sharing stories, music, art, goods and services on the sidewalks of Garberville. It’s the only social network a lot of people have, and it’s the only truly neutral network in Humboldt County, but only if we can respect people’s right to use it.
Protecting sidewalk neutrality in Southern Humboldt demands that we respect everyone’s 1st Amendment Right to Free Speech, whether they preach the gospel, play the guitar or beg for spare change. It might make you uncomfortable, if you’re unfamiliar with the interface, but the Garberville sidewalk remains the most active, and essential social network in Southern Humboldt. Let’s keep it open to everyone.
However, the last two Friday evenings in a row I attended peaceful protest demonstrations at the corner of Redwood Drive and Church St in Garberville. These were well organized and disciplined actions, and the protester’s right to use the sidewalk was reaffirmed by law enforcement, and challenged by none. -JH
Response:
1) john affirms cops don’t do shit to enforce laws
2) john is incorrect to presume his actions were peaceful just because no one ( heresay) challenged some protest………
3) In fact, without any video showing the protest, it is hard to evaluate if, in fact, obstructionists existed……as long as a protester is moving along, even back and forth, and not obstructing others from using sidewalks for it’s intended legal uses, then no worries…….hint – sitting is not allowed…..well organized bathrooms onsite???
4) remember the courthouse sidewalk in Eurtweeka…..ya, supervisors get all wet in the pants with protests on their literal front door, so they mandate cops enforce right of way laws…..out in the hinter land of drugee dopeheads, who cares about a protest until enough violence erupts……like pot and dusty roads, crime, etc….who gives a fuck….not law….
5) HWY 101 would have rendered a better protest viewership like Felix Omey (Omai)…….but still waiting for Erik Kirk over at sohum parlance to complete his promised story about the incident, since Felix passed away and EK the attorney opened his big fat obligatory mouth to explain the facts as he was her/his attorney…….
Wrong on all counts HOJ.
Facts can’t be wrong, but can be despised and denied.
I prefer to despise and deny people.
Example of LEOs who let up on obligatory law enforcement…..:
MEXICAN DUDE CATCHES 9 ILLEGAL FISH……. We won’t discuss legality of dude’s immigration status
WHITE Fish and Game Warden measures every fish to boot…….
Mexican dude is giving every excuse in the book trying to use his bullshit language barrier to make the case that he did not understand the laws…… You see it all the time in the sport of soccer where Mexicans Latinos think that they’re getting away with something against the white referee with the language barrier even though the white referee understands every goddamn word that’s being said in Espanol……
The white game warden was supposed to issue nine separate citations by law but instead issues three citations to cut the guy a break and use the justification of there being only three species of fish even though law the law clearly states citations are based on the number of fish illegally caught…..
The Mexican dude then finishes up his bullshit by saying the cop is a good guy blah blah blah…….
This is why HOJ encourages everybody to break every fucking law there is that’s not associated with violence or abuse…….. Obviously the Mexican guy wasn’t abusing shit in the eyes of the white guy……. So if anything, the reality is that white people do treat Mexicans with a bunch of leniency (not all, but most)….. Ya know…… when it comes to immigration matters and matters of race and law enforcement…… And since most protesters it seems these days in Humboldt County are still white, it becomes a matter of who really gives a fuck if you’re the white person who holds a position of power…… After all it’s mostly lowly whites to begin with that are protesting……. And that’s exactly how politicians view it these days, not saying that it’s the right way to observe/recognize any peotest, but just saying that’s how it is now in the social structure of the public domain……
Too much racism and not enough sense here HOJ Don’t embarrass me or yourself like this again.
Disagree John,
The embarrassment you write of must be a singular feeling.
Sense – somebody’s senses got offended by facts only…..yes,facts only.
Guess the newscast is reporting racism because the citation example was all newscast fact.
Why be embarrassed about facts???
Ok, weird……
I think the embarrassment had to do with irrelevant facts added in as though they were relevant, but I honestly don’t remember.
John i am often necessitated to walk around circles of street people blocking the whole sidewalk and leaving no path for pedestrians when I go to Garberville
Joe, I am often necessitated to breathe exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke when I go to Garberville. Garberville is full of nasty obnoxious people, but we respect their rights, and defend their rights, because unless we defend everyone’s rights, even nastier and more obnoxious people start putting us in concentration camps, and we don’t have any way of working together to stop them. How many extra miles do you have to walk Joe? Why should I care about your pedestrian path, if you won’t defend our path to democracy? It’s hard to ask people on the street to show respect to the townspeople here when the townspeople show no respect for them. Until then, we just have war, and every inch you occupy is territory liberated from the enemy.
HOJ defends “Papa’s” rights to ingress, egress from the sidewalk without being obstructed because Papa wants nothing to do with some protest or other open speech venue/non venue……Papa just wants to get where he wants to go without getting dun run ova.
That’s one more reason we don’t need to pay cops to do it.
Just watched on local access tv…. The 300-pound Freddie Mercury cop was wrong when he said you could stand on the sidewalk… that’s not what the law is and cops should not be hired and put down on the ground walking around in the community misinforming people of laws…..
The lady who came out of the Cecil’s building had a valid concern………
You are SO wrong about that.