More on Arcata's Homeless population

October 21, 2009 - Arcata City Council Exploratory Vote

The City Council voted to explore the legal options for creating a Panhandling Ordinance. Alex Stillman was absent. Shane Brinton opposed. Mark Wheetley, Susan Ornelas and Michael Winkler voted in favor. - view related link

June 13, 2009 - Arcata Cops Gone Wild

Humboldt county district attorney Paul Gallegos and the office of the HumCo DA have been added to the complaint filed by the People Project participants demanding accountability for the violation of human rights occuring in the raid on a homeless encampment in Arcata, CA. by police. - view related link

- Local blog and pictures

This is a local blog written by Michael Moore that documents the issue up close and personal. We especially love the White Whale. - view related link

Rebranding Arcata's Homeless - Creating the Best Damn Stop on the West Coast Hippie Trail
by Nicholas Pablo

October 23, 2009

In recent days there has been the small kindlings of another residents vs. spangers / travelers fight going down in the Arcata City Council halls. A vote was passed to push down the newly perceived militant Arcata Homeless and Traveling population. It seems every couple years or so they come up with some new ordinance to alter the face of Arcata. Take away the dogs. Ban spanging on the plaza. New police cops on the plaza. Rennovating the hippie kid corner of 9th and H streets. Adding a plaza camera. It's actually really funny to watch.

There is a lesson to be learned and a rebranding to be initiated in the minds of Humboldt County residents. It was easy to accept the culture of fear of the early 2000s and the Bush regime. But now it is the time to turn to our better selves and begin looking at the possibilities and opportunities for greatness that are all around us. Taking on the homeless and traveling begger issue in a positive direction is the perfect chance to do such a thing.

What is needed is the desire to stop pushing against things. When you can come to understand that those things which you give your attention no matter if it is in a positive or negative light (i.e. look at those damn hippies begging for money) you create more of that in your reality. So, in essense, you simply cannot push against anything and think that will ever solve the problem. This is a law of nature and it is exactly why all of the proposals of the past as well as this most recent action will fail to stem the tide and will instead continue to grow the problem. It is only when we can look at those same people and say "oh what a blessing to our community" that the problem with vanish from our experience.

To solve this perceived dilemma we need to change our approach. We need to rebrand our experience with these street dwellers. We need to see the better angels in everyone around us. And these folks are no different. Instead of spending our time creating the rules of what the homeless beggars and traveling hippies / beatniks can't do in Arcata, we need to spend all of our attention on what they can do for Arcata. What we need to do is focus on positive self-empowering solutions to the problem. And what would these types of solutions look like?? We're glad you asked.

We want to find relief of our problem. The true issue is that we want to see these folks in a better light and not feel bad for ignoring their plights. The reason for our discontent is that we are not viewing the situation in a positive light. One of the first things we can do to change our perception is to create outlets for free food. If we know that these friends can get free food whenever they want then we won't feel bad not giving them our money. But how can food be found for free? That is much easier than it sounds. We can develop a community problem that safely collects all of the restaurants overages. We can also turn many public spaces into public vegetable gardens like Hugh Fearnley Whittenstall's Landshare program in England. Teaming up with the Food for People we can initiate programs where aspiring cooks practice their trade by using these overages along with donated food items and locally grown community produce to create lovely gourmet meals for the travelers and homeless (and other folks). This will help solve the hunger problem and provide useful training for local cooks at the same time. Government grant writing programs to fund the programs can be initiated on a massive scale and fund the effort as an educational test project.

Now, we have easily fed everyone. We need to turn our attention to giving them a place to stay at night. This is where it might be helpful to separate the groups into the true needy Arcata homeless and the great West Coast Hippie Trail travelers who may very well be happy with public camping accomodations or cheap in-town hostels. There are endless ways to solve the problem of where to sleep at night. All you need are plots of land with the proper zoning that is preferably away from the city center. Most of the travelers would be quite happy camping out knowing they aren't going to be bothered and harassed at night. There they can also have bathroom facilities that are closely watched or maintained. Possibily using a $.25 coin mechanism on toilets and showers. For the same cost as 2 more police officers on the plaza looking for trouble a 50 bed facility for the truly homeless population could easily be funded to keep these people off the streets at night.

Addressing where to sleep at night is also important for the Great West Coast Hippie Trail travelers. They often have buses they park on the side of the road or camp out under an overpass or in the community forests. They only do this to avoid the law enforcement not because they prefer it or have bad intentions. Why not offer low cost hostel services like the Green Tortoise or community funded campgrounds to give them better, safer, maintained accomodations than just a back alley or doorway. Let's treat them with respect for their choice of gypsy lifestyles. They could probably use the benefit of the doubt. I've never met anyone who wants to beg to survive. And we are better folks than to just treat them in a lowly fashion by kicking them down the road. They are travelers by nature anyway and will be moving on again soon. Why not have Arcata be the place that helps empower them to improve their condition. Why not use them to give Arcata a great name so when travelers come they respect the great services we offer. Imagine them coming into town smiling and happy and full of great handmade goods to sell.

With these folks fed and given accomodations we can feel a lot better seeing them on the sides of the streets knowing they are there because they want to be. Maybe they are just social animals who want that contact. And that should be okay. Instead of pushing them away let's sanction and organize their efforts. Why not help them sell some sort of goods they produce or sell the local newspapers or some local flowers from established selling pitches (like they have in the UK). These would be similar to the place in front of Muddy's that is off the street and behind a counter for a safer feeling interaction. By designating areas for this activity those who want to avoid the interaction can figure out new routes. Those who don't mind seeing what these travelers have to offer will enjoy the quaint street sales instead of freaking out. Now we will have a traveling and homeless population that is offering a service to the community and that have outlets for their needs.

But maybe these street people don't want to work at a pitch. They don't want to work at all. They are just there because there is no where better to go. Now at least we know who these folks are. And we can begin to work with their abilities. Would they be happy to work for 2 or 4 hours in some sort of community artistic facility where they produce cheap handmade goods and are paid daily for their efforts. Would they be happy doing half a day's work in the community gardens in exchange for free food and camping bucks.  In this way they would be able to control when they wanted to work but have a resource to tap if needed.  The products they create could then be used in the free community kitchen or be sold via a non-for-profit mechanism in the local stores or online. That way they could be making money without begging for it and they would be producing valuable locals goods for the area stores. Any profits made could fed back into the housing and food programs.

With all of these options readily available. With free food. With free housing. With free work options. With free sales pitches. Would you really still have a problem? Well, those who remained would probably truely need our attention to empower them. They may have mental conditions and would benefit from the loving hand of community outreach. Perhaps they are beyond a return to normal city life and would be quite happy living out their days on a backwoods ranch of 200 acres 20 miles east of Kneeland. There they could be at one with nature and find their mental connection with source again. Either way they would be out of our way (which for some reason is the goal) and in a new comfortable setting.

These are the types of visions we must look for to address this issue. It may be easy to just draw on the full tank of fear we all have filled up in recent years. But we are better people. What feels good is to help our neighbors and see that we as a community do good things for people. We want to see everybody around us in the loveliest light we can. And that's the best way to go about it since you simply cannot push away a problem. It always only gets bigger. When we turn our attention to the positive solutions and not the problems we will come into our own personal enlightenment. And isn't that what everybody is really seeking anyway? Whether it be by an 8 to 5 family lifer or  the Jack Kerouac gyspy traveling folks living life on the edge of their pants. I say come all ye homeless all ye travelers and see how enlightening and beautiful the little town of Arcata really can be. See what a town in alignment with goodness looks like.