Letter from Arcata Food Not Bombs to the "Co-op"

This letter was recieved by email. I decided to just leave all the funny type-o doo-dads in there. I think that the meaning is clear.


FOOD NOT BOMBS

December 6, 2006

Dear Arcata Co-Op,

The North Coast Co-Op, Arcata Store, is one of several sources from which Food Not Bombs (FNB) gleans food. FNB is an effort to feed anyone who is hungry in an open, respectful way. Many FNB volunteers are committed to non-violent social change through the celebration and nurturing of life by preparing and giving out free vegetarian or vegan food –some volunteers help out on occasion, as a way of being part of a compassionate community, meeting a concrete need, and “giving back.”

Locally and elsewhere, Food Not Bombs has a long tradition of conscious and sanitary food preparation and service. Volunteers are well-known for prioritizing dignity in their food sharing and diligent standards of cleanliness. Arcata FNB has been continuously serving at least once a week for over four years with out any complaints of food poisoning. FNB volunteers spend many hours preparing, cleaning, transporting, serving and eating each free community meal.

Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives all over the world, most concentrated in North America. FNB ideology maintains that myriad corporate and government priorities allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance. While there is enough food in the world to feed everyone (likewise in Arcata), so much food goes to waste intentionally and/or needlessly as a direct result of capitalism and militarism. FNB tries to call attention to poverty and homelessness, the results of these oppressive, violent systems, by sharing food in public places and facilitating the gathering of poor, homeless, and other disenfranchised people. Most of the food served by FNB is healthy surplus food that would otherwise go to waste as well generous donations from individuals in the community. FNB invites people who eat FNB meals to be involved in providing the food themselves. Food Not Bombs does not make people jump through bureaucratic hoops or punish anyone for being poor, but rather fosters empowerment and self-determination.

Food Not Bombs in Arcata has an her/history that includes subjection to police repression, arrests for serving free food on the Plaza, and success in overcoming prohibitive city action, through persistent dedication to feeding hungry people. Vincent of the Arcata Co-Op requested a letter from Food Not Bombs and has articulated 3 conditions upon which FNB volunteers can again receive Co-Op ‘throw-away’ food and, in turn, feed many people.

The 3 conditions are purported to be in response to the Co-Op’s claims that it received a complaint-- that produce was found on the Plaza. Apparently, the presumption is that 1) the produce was donated by the Co-Op to FNB, and 2) FNB is somehow responsible.

The 3 conditions that Vincent has ‘mandated’ (apparently on behalf of the Co-Op) in order for FNB to receive donations again are:

1) that three people, regular FNB pick-up volunteers, present their ID’s and confirm that they will be the sole designated receivers of Co-Op donations;

2) that any food be picked up on the Plaza after FNB meals, and;

3) that the donated food be cooked in a ‘certified-to-code’ kitchen.

As community members and as volunteers committed to service and sharing, we hope that the Co-Op will defend against the systematic violence of poverty and acknowledge the presence in our local communities of poor individuals and families, and respect their needs.

Here are our responses to the 3 requests:

1) Because we understand and respect your need to be familiar with people who are picking up food donations, we will designate 3 consistent FNB volunteers to do pick-ups, and we will make sure that you are introduced to any ‘new’ people who may, in the future, replace one of the “three” taking on the task of pick-ups.

2) Rest assured that we will see to it that food and garbage resulting from our FNB community meals will be picked up from the Plaza and at any other serving sites to the best of our ability before leaving the site of our FNB event.

3) Regarding the request that we prepare our community meals in a ‘certified’ kitchen, we find this request unreasonable. The method of food preparation for our events is our concern. Our food preparation is adequate and appropriate and always has been. Moreover, our food preparation is neither legally nor otherwise relevant to the Co-Op or to its expressed concern(s).

We are hopeful that donations of food from the Co-Op will immediately resume, as homeless folks are at this time especially in need of healthy, cooked meals. For some, such meals are critical to their very survival.

If you believe that further negotiations are required with Food Not Bombs, we request that you not withhold food donations during that process. The Endeavor has cut back services during the most severe weather time of year, now more than ever FNB is needed for the survival and dignity of hungry people in Arcata.

Sincerely,

the Local Food Not Bombs Community

[Then there was a written note that said something like (but more eloquent): “If someone requests food for Food Not Bombs who has not been previously designated to do pick-ups, please ask her/him to call 822-4014 so that we can coordinate.”-- This was added to assuage that horrendous worry that different people may request food to make free meals.]

UPDATE!!!: Los Angeles Skid Row Rally

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/191954.php

At the first of what organizers say will now be weekly Saturday rallies in front of the LAPD’s Central Division headquarters, a Skid Row rally on Saturday, organized by a homeless man, saw the largest public turnout yet for a public demand to end L.A’s massive new push to criminalize all this city’s homeless people.

Activists are calling on the community to help set up a base-camp on Skid Row to halt, immediately now, the police attacks.

Since last August, Los Angeles police have been the staging, on Skid Row, the largest attacks on homeless people in the city’s history; daily waves of police arrests, beatings and harassment that has terrorized all homeless people here: with up to 4,000 homeless people targeted.

And with, up until now, almost no widespread Los Angeles city outcry.

At this first of weekly rallies were activists from Food Not Bombs, the People’s College of Law, CopWatch Los Angeles, the Downtown Unitarian Universalists, and the Skid Row-based Catholic Worker community. Activists say they are now planning this week to establish a base camp on Skid Row --to intensify the community watch, and to assist homeless people here; and also other groups; in documenting the daily police attacks, as well as to support the upcoming weekly Saturday rallies.

About 1,000 homeless people are holding out on Skid Row sidewalks now nightly –with another 3,000 throughout the L.A. area who are estimated to spend at least one night, every three months, living on Skid Row.

“It is critical that from here on out no cop anywhere in this city get away with telling a homeless person anymore that they are a criminal because they refuse to go to a shelter. Don’t they get it? A Federal Court has ordered --as long as L.A., countywide, has over 80,000 homeless people and less than 30,000 shelterbeds you cannot humanely forbid anyone in here from sleeping wherever. This city has the worst housing crisis in the nation; but L.A. is now trying to enforce a new policy --‘shelter or criminalization.’ These attacks on homeless people are something that must end now; and the people of LA need to know that since last August, under our new, so-called “progressive” mayor, Antonio Villariagosa, homeless people are now being beaten, arrested, and criminalized --like has been done by no other mayor in Los Angeles’ history." stated the homeless organizer of the protest, David Busch.

"Not even a Republican politician would have even dared attack us like this –and it is disgusting. Housing, not shelter, is a human right for all; and this trying to force us into accepting prison-like “shelters,” under threat of jail, or criminalization, must stop --now,” further stated Busch.

Busch is homeless, and living on Skid Row, and has been attacked by cops there twice since August. He has been homeless for over 13 years.

Activist say the waves of arrests and property seizures and beatings are coinciding with homeless being shipped by threat of force out of downtown; and away from many of the government offices and services they need –all in order to evacuate the poor from L.A.’s center for new loft and other pro-business developments downtown.

LAPD Chief William Bratton, in the past, has linked the current sweeps as part of his “Broken Windows” policing policy for L.A..

Coinciding with the Saturday rally --the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, a large city anti-poverty group –also though, on Thursday, issued a press release to every newspaper, radio and television station in Southern California, as well as to all major national news media, denouncing the sweeps; and demanding a full accounting from LAPD for every homeless person harassed by a cop since August.

Eighty-percent of skid row is African American –and the largest percentage of the homeless on Skid Row, almost 10,000, are people forced to live in tiny one room hotels where they have had to pass constant drug screenings and cops have master keys, and where cops have been mounting unprecedented attacks on parolees also residing here to force them from the area. Meanwhile, this week, the Los Angeles City Council is also set to give continuing major green lights to a new, billion-dollar downtown mega-development, the “Grand Avenue Project”: and, along with the city ok, over 50 million dollars in taxpayer subsidies for the project.

City Councilwoman for Skid Row, Jan Perry supports the Grand Avenue project –but is offering nothing comparable to help even those homeless on Skid Row who’ve scraped themselves up off the sidewalks, and clawed their way into these tiny hotel rooms.

Homeless activists are calling for the community to show up en-mass for next Saturday’s rally, and to also pack tomorrow, Tuesday’s 9:30 a.m. Police Commission hearing at Parker Center; and to demand an end to all the attacks on the Skid Row community –as well as every Council meeting this week --and to also demand an immediate halt to the Grand Avenue Project, no matter what it takes, until community demands for equity for poor people downtown and throughout Los Angeles for the poor are meet by the developer consortium, and the L.A. City Council.


http://la.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/191954.php

Skid Row Los Angeles Rally

STOP THE SWEEPS NOW!!


Since last August, Skid Row's homeless people have undergone the largest mass arrests of homeless people in L.A. history; hundreds of homeless people each month now have faced multiple daily raids of police demanding warrant checks, searches and property confiscation --as waves of 50 new LAPD officers brought to the area have swept through for daily beatings and arrests of homeless people --in order to now clear downtown for the newest wave of luxury loft developers. The Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness estimates as many as 4,000 poor and homeless people may have had police demand their ID; handcuffed them; searched through every bag, suitcase, and possession they have --and then been transported to the LAPD booking room; and cuffed to a bench for up to an hour or more before being given a "choice:"

get into a "shelter" --or go to jail.

A Federal Court recently found almost 90,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County --and less than 30,000 shelter beds.

Incredibly, Central Division is getting away with now not classify these Skid Row actions as "arrests" --Division Captain Andrew Smith even recently claims that arrests on Skid Row "declined" this year. (citing only about an additional 2,000 "official arrests").

http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/01/08/news/news01.txt

LAPD are conducting a mass disinformation campaign that has hid the actual arrests figures since last November.

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/188692.php


Nor do these figures include recent pre-dawn raids --where sleeping residents are woke up and are told, now, since the first of the year, to "leave in 20 minutes" or be arrested.

Additionally, since the first of the year, Skid Row Police are systematically clearing now entire streets in pre-dawn raids: Los Angeles, San Pedro, 5th St. and Crocker St. --and herding people towards the L.A. river --demanding that thousands of homeless people maintain themselves now in the fifty blocks of Skid Row for up to 2&1/2 hours each day without any public water source; only one public toilet that's not in a religious mission; and not a single public place to lie down, or even sit, until 8:30 a.m..; when only two tiny parks, with barely enough rain cover for 50 people, are supposed to serve a street population of up to 4,000 at any given time.

A homeless person on Skid Row was mocked last week by one LAPD policeman, "By the end of this month all this will be gone" --referring to the thousands of homeless people here who are breaking no law, and yet are facing daily, unprecedented, cop harassment. LA City Council insiders are even warning activists that such raids are being now contemplated soon for Hollywood, Venice, the Valley, and South L.A..

Stated Robert Erlinbusch, Director of the anti-poverty advocacy group, The Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness:

"There are also many reasons why people will refuse to go to shelters; firstly, they are almost always full --making them impossible for many to get into -and, additionally, shelters separate unmarried partners; they often refuse to accommodate people's dogs or other pets; or provide adequate storage and transport of possessions; they do not accommodate mothers with children of certain ages; and they are often places extreme, and unlawful, hostility to anyone of the LGBT community."

A Federal Court order currently forbids LAPD from arresting anyone for merely sleeping on the sidewalk in the Skid Row area between 9 p.m. at night, and 6 a. m. each morning.

People are urged to bring signs, banners, and self-standing tents with footprints no larger than 8'x8'; solar panels; water; legal internet relay antennas; healthy vegetarian food and --respect for ALL residents here --for the rally, and to support the growing community resistance.

"Homeless" Tent Encampment in Olympia Feb 1

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/01/352625.shtml

On February 1, the "Poor" Peoples Union of Olympia, WA will set up a "homeless" tent encampment in response to a new city ordinance which goes into effect on February 1, making it virtually illegal to be on the street ("homeless") in Olympia. The exact location will not be revealed until the last minute, however it will be a highly visible protest. The eventual goals are to find a permanant location where the people can have a long term, autonomously run encampment and locations where people can be housed in autonomous, democraticly run communities.

The Poor People's Union, since its inception, has sought to overturn the ordinances targeted at the "homeless". Our intitial idea was to have a referendum on the ordinance and gather enough signatures for it. Over the past weeks, however, it has become clear that the PPU will not be able to expediently stop the ordinances from going into effect and has decided to put a referendum off for the time being.

Instead, the PPU is channeling all of its energy into setting up a tent
encampment in order to not only show the Olympia community what is going on but to occupy a piece of land in order to satisfy a need that those who passed these laws take for granted: housing. The people who passed and support this ordinance can hear about the "homeless problem" on TV, can complain about the "danger" of Downtown Olympia, and can be so arrogant and disrespectful as to pass laws that will effect other living human beings, but they will not get away with this without it coming back to emberass them.

The encampent will consist of human beings helping other human beings to live more comfortably than they have been. It will be run by those who have set it up. Decisions will be made by those who have a large stake in insuring the continuance of the encampment. Governments and laws try and convince us that we cannot do the simplest things, such as use vacant "city" land to house people with no roof over their heads. The encampment is one of those simple things and we do not require government approval to take matters out of their inept hands and put them into our own. They will probably attempt to crush us with the help of the police but we will not stop what we are doing. If the police do ANYTHING against us (the "homeless", the poor) it will only inflame the situation and provide more proof that they serve as nothing more than lackeys of those with exceedingly large roofs over their heads. For why would another human being want to deny another a comfortable place to live? Some will say law and some will say order, but no word or words will justify what is being done to the "homeless" in this town.

PPU (Poor Peoples Union) is an organization of Street People ("Homeless") and their friends. PPU is a autonomous, democratic organization where the unhoused have the final say on matters that effect them directly.

WE NEED:

CAMPING EQUIPMENT.
Tents, Tarps, foldable chairs, Propane stoves, sleeping bags, blankets, warm coats, boots and rain gear, buckets, sawdust. Remember, these are people who have nothing.

LEGAL OBSERVERS
Legal trainings for the people would also be desirable.

MEDICS
Needed for the standard street medic pepper spray, blunt trauma etc, but also for the needs of a varied group with different health problems.

COUNSELORS
People with some ability helping people work through trauma.

PERSONAL FACILITIES
Portable solar showers and portable toilet facilities would be good.

SOLIDARITY
We need this to be a varied group. The presence of supporters from the
activist community being in solidarity with the people will go a long way
toward making this a succesful effort.

Come and support the PPU Downtown on February 1st, the day that both the
encampment and the ordinance begin.

Send Camping and other Stuff to

Poor Peoples Union
C/O Bread and Roses
1009 4th Ave Olympia, WA 98506

Leave message for PPU at Bread and Roses
(360)754-4588

Vegetarian...from Granny Green Genes

SAVING THE PLANET ONE MEAL AT A TIME

 On Sunday, December 10th of last year, the environment editor
of U.K.'s Independent Online posted a report from the United
Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), asserting that
"the world's top destroyer of the environment is not the car,
or the plane, or even George Bush: it is the cow".
 According to the report, the world's rapidly growing herds of
cattle have been identified as the greatest threat to the climate,
forests
and wildlife. And they have been blamed for a host of other
environmentalcrimes, from acid rain to the introduction of
alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in
the oceans,from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying
coral reefs.
 The 400-page report by the FAO, entitled "Livestock's Long
Shadow",also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs
and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion
cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 percent
of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars,
planes and all other forms of transport put together.
 Burning fuel to produce fertilizer to grow feed, to produce
meat,and to transport it--and clearing vegetation for grazing--
produces 9 percent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most
common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than
one-third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world
20 times faster than carbon dioxide.
 Livestock also produces more than 100 other polluting gases,
including more than two-thirds of the world's emissions of ammonia,
one of the main causes of acid rain.
 Ranching, the report adds, is "the major driver of deforestation"
worldwide, and overgrazing is turning a fifth of all pastures and
ranges into desert. Cows soak up vast amounts of water: it takes a
staggering 990 litres of water to produce one litre of milk.
 Wastes from feedlots and fertilizers used to grow their feed
overnourish water, causing weeds to choke out all other life. And
the pesticides, antibiotics and hormones used to treat them get into
drinking water and endanger human health.
 The pollution washes down to the sea, killing coral reefs and
creating "dead zones" devoid of life. One is up to 21,000 sq. km.,
in the Gulf of Mexico, where much of the waste from U.S. beef
production is carried down the Mississippi.
 The report concludes that, unless drastic changes are made,
the massive damage done by livestock will more than double by 2050,
as demand for meat increases.
 That's the bad news. The good news is that reducing our
consumption of food derived from animals happens one meal at
a time and that it is well within the power of each of us to
make changes, however incremental, in our food choices!
 I'm a firm believer that one can stay low on the food chain
and still enjoy life. As a mostly vegan vegetarian, I know I am
looking out for my health and the health of the animals I choose
not to eat. And now,as it turns out, I'm saving the planet as well!
(And what about not wanting to eat the products of cloned or
genetically engineered animals? Another reason to go vegan!)
 So get a grip on global warming by resolving to lessen your
dependence on animals for food in 2007.
 Martha Devine

email from tad

Sisters and Brothers;

Peace be with you!

SARCASM: a keenly ironical utterance!

I guess I'm just spitting into the wind again, but the “special” treatment plan for the homeless (the Arcata Emergency Housing and Services Plan) once again is before the grant-whoring Arcata City Council again Wednesday night. Again I expect the public to ignore this issue. After all, surely they will stop their extremely obtrusive control paradigm with the homeless (damn, and to think we give too little credit for the Nazi propaganda, the eugenics mental hygiene and the supremest domestic law enforcement machines we transferred to the U. S. after WWII during “operation paperclip”). They would never view you or me as useless and crazy enough not to recognize it.

These homeless are the least of our brethren – worthless in the eyes of our spirit and earth. They're bums, crazy as hell for not having a two SUVs and garages to put them in. They want to live like they deserve to live. We all have read the Times Slanderer, the Eureka Distorter, the Arcata Lie and the North Coast Urinal, so we all know that all our problems are the result of these “transients.” Global Warming is not a myth it is the direct result of letting the homeless into our towns! Excessive trash production would go away without all the card board and Styrofoam these useless feeders obtain when they consume their newer, bigger, better, more expensive crap bought with handout money. We could eliminate landfills if wasn't for these parasites. The Homeless require cops, which requires militarization of our police forces, which require lots of people to be killed, which is by definition a war, which escalates and causes other wars, which means all the evils ever done in the world is the fault homeless person's (ever hear “look what you made me do to you”).

No autonomy for the homeless! No liberty for the homeless! No land for the homeless! No freedom for the homeless! Just mental health/eugenics drugs for the homeless! Just cop beatings and killings for the homeless! Just prisons and jails for the homeless! And plenty of lucre for the poverty pimps and the grant whores!

Rest well knowing you ignored the issue and, like our green hero's, agreed with Bush's Chronic Homeless Initiative. Ignore the plight of these lessers and the silly issues they raise as to equality and egalitarianism will go away . . . completely!


Love eternal
tad

opinion piece from Jake Pickering

“SUPPORT OUR TROOPS – BRING THEM HOME!”

by JAKE PICKERING

P.O. Box 3050 , Eureka , CA 95502 (707) 832-8005

-- January 2, 2007 --

In her December 31, 2006 Times-Standard “My Word” column titled “Being All You Can Be, We Need The Best In Our Military”, Kris Morrisey wrote the following: “I am ashamed of the behavior of those who would lessen their commitment and sacrifice…. I am frustrated by the continuing denigration of our armed forces. Disagree with our president; debate about foreign policy; don’t put a yellow ‘Support Our Troops’ ribbon on your car; but stop besmirching the reputation of our military men and women….”

If anyone should be ashamed of themselves (other than the shortsighted political “leaders” who supported this inane, greed-based fiasco), it is Kris Morrisey! How typically dishonest and deceitful for a partisan Republican like Morrisey to label the opponents of Bush & Cheney’s unnecessary quagmire in Iraq as opponents of the U.S. military. Morrisey’s anemic assertions simply could not be further from the truth.

Did you miss the news about numerous, recently-retired American generals speaking out against the current counterproductive policy and those incompetent neo-cons (like Donald Rumsfeld) for leading the United States down this demented, disastrous foreign policy path in the Middle East?

An overwhelming majority of Americans now demand that our military men and women be withdrawn ASAP from Bush & Cheney’s illegal war for oil and imperial expansion. Why? Because we actually do support our troops, unlike those Republican war criminals in The White House who have willfully murdered thousands of patriotic Americans (along with hundreds-of-thousands of Iraqi civilians) in an effort to make themselves and their business partners-in-crime even more filthy rich than they already are.

And, oh….by the way, where is that most infamous Bush family business partner of all = Osama bin Laden? Did you “smoke him out” yet, Mr. Bush, Junior? Or, have you not personally profited enough from your debacle to date?

Hey, who needs universal health insurance or a cleaner environment? So long as lying, cowardly racist oil men from Texas get what they want!

Poor Kris Morrisey has apparently been “functioning” with her head-in-the-sand these past few years (or solely relying on FOX “News” and the Republican Arkley-owned Eureka Reporter for her disinformation).

Did you miss the news from our intelligence agencies (all of them) contradicting Bush & Cheney’s propaganda campaign falsely portraying Iraq as an imminent threat to U.S. national security? Where are those nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, Mr. “President”?

Did you miss the news from our intelligence community that neither Saddam Hussein nor his regime had any role in the 9/11 attacks, whatsoever?

Did you also miss out on reading the Project For The American Century’s Hitlerian manifesto titled “Rebuilding America ’s Defenses” from September 2000? The entire Bush/Cheney imperial agenda is laid bare in print for all to see in this single document, which you can download online (for free) at www.raytal.com.

Being a faithful fan of Bush & Cheney’s immoral, bloodthirsty misadventure, Kris Morrisey also made this statement (shockingly, without any apparent sign of irony): “We live in a country where too many people believe that serving in the military is for someone else to do. It’s someone else’s duty. Not my child. I highly recommend ‘AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America ’s Upper Classes from Military Service – and How It Hurts Our Country.”

Did the irony-deficient Morrisey miss the news about George Bush, Junior being Absent Without Leave (AWOL) from the Alabama National Guard for a period of 18 months during war time in 1972-73?

Did you also miss the news about Dick “Chickenhawk” Cheney asking for - and receiving - a total of FIVE deferments from military service during the Vietnam War, another wholly unjustified slaughter which both Bush & Cheney claim to have “supported?”

Maybe one day these naïve, hypocritical Republican warmongers will finally learn to take this wisdom to heart: People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Especially if your last name is Bush.

End this unforgiveable, murderous occupation, Mr. Bush! Bring our friends and family home from this bloodbath – NOW! We are done asking nicely, and we will force your hand, if necessary. Either leave Iraq , or leave office – your choice. Your time is up.

Direct Action and the Critique of Real Estate

Below is a link to an on-line article entitled:
"Anarchist Squatting and Land Use in the West
Direct Action and the Critique of Real Estate"

by Anders Corr

http://www.squat.net/archiv/anders/anarchist_squatting.html

comment form The Plazoid's new Public Relations expert

In response to an agreement to carry on on-line discussion with the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye under the condition of unanonymous communication, The Plazoid has brought on board a Public Relations expert. This comment was recieved by The Plazoid's new Public Relations expert, Anne Hohnermuss.

"Thank you. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Anne Hohnermuss, and I will be handling non-anonymous communications for The Plazoid publication project.

I am fully willing to carry on on-line discussion with the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye, if you are still up to it.

May I suggest a topic for the first discussion item? Perhaps we could talk about the recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case of Jones et al v Los Angeles (April 14, 2006). The decision can be found on the internet at: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/8138B5E4723C6FE988257150005B327E/$file/0455324.pdf?openelement
.

I think that a good starting point would be to talk discuss the differences in coverage of this decsion by the two news sources, the Arcata Eye and The Plazoid.

Again, I am very excited about my new job and I look forward to many wonderful discussions.

Thank you."

The Plazoid Reaches Out

The Plazoid Reaches Out

The Plazoid recently recieved an email from the Arcata Eye (newspaper) agreeing to online discussion, but not "anonymously." In an effort to reach out to our fellow Arcatans, The Plazoid has brought on board a Public Relations expert to communicate with the Arcata Eye, non-anonymously.

Please welcome The Plazoid's first and only Public Relations expert: Anne Hohnermuss

What is "Anonymity"?...conversations with the editor of the Arcata Eye

Anonymity?

The Plazoid recently recieved an email from the Arcata Eye (newspaper) agreeing to online discussion, but not "anonymously." This condition imposed on the discussion by the editor(s) of the Arcata Eye brings to mind some questions:
What's in a name? ("...that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet...")
What are the intentions behind this conditional agreement?

In response, let us look at what a "legal name" is. Many of our legal nems have been stripped of their traditional or cultural meaning and are nowadays essentially numbers. Our legal names are attached to social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, P.O. box numbers, drivers' license numbers, IP addresses, case numbers, employee numbers, etc.

Our "names," which are essentially just numbers, exist to make it easer to keep track of us, like subjects of an experiment or inmates of a prison-system.

So why would the Arcata Eye insist on our identification numbers? Would that help them to relate to us or understand our points better?

No.

I can only think of two reasons why they might want our numbers: so they can concentrate their attention on "the messenger" while distracting attention away from "the message," or perhaps keeping track of the individuals who participate in The Plazoid project. Neither one of these intentions are welcome here.

The Arcata Eye editors are, of course, welcome to continue commenting on this blog, anonymously or not.

Pave Paradise to Put Up a Parking Lot

Pave Paradise to Put Up a Parking Lot

The folks who make the plans for the city of Arcata are planning on destroying Hobo Field and putting in condos and a parking lot.

This sucks.

Hobo Field has long been a sort of “commons” for Arcata, providing space for people to be together and a pedestrian path away from the noxious reign of automobile traffic. It is also a refuge for wildlife that can not survive in a city environment.

Will we let this space be taken away from the people of Arcata and turned into more over-priced unaffordable housing, and yet another parking lot?

email from Jake Pickering

So, I got this email from somebody named Jake Pickering, who ran for some office of something. It was an "opinion column" piece. Does anybody want to read it?

Apparently, some political foe taunted him over email. If people want to read it I can post it or email it. It didn't seem right to just post it like other news posts - just didn't seem relevant.

Anyhow, if there are any Jake Pickering fans out there, let me know.

Critical Analysis of the "Official" Explaination for the Execution of Cheri Moore in her Home by the Police

The Plazoid recieved this letter from Tad. Tad's critical analysis of the "official" explaination of Cheri Moore's murder raises some important questions about the honesty and accountability of our local armed extention of the State.

I’ve read repetitive letters written expressing the opinion that it was the victims and their families (also victims) who were responsible for the killings by police bullets. Poor peoples around the world are constantly being told they are the reason that prisons, mental health departments, and probation departments are necessary. The truth is that our prisons are full of the poorest of our so-called civilization. African Americans are extremely over represented in the criminal justice system and extremely under represented in our society pages, making it easier for the wealthy, the wealthy media, and the campaign finance dependant politicians to blame the poor for their plight, and evidently their murders as well. But, really it boils down to: police trained to kill verses families just trying to get by doing the best they can.

Most people have heard of the “magic bullet” theory in the JFK assignation. A single bullet defying physics, created 6 wounds through a zigzag trajectory, and was then found to be in pristine condition after its journey. Did a magic bullet kill Cheri Moore on April 14, 2006? In Humboldt County, a bullet shot by 5 cowboy cops facing Cheri penetrated the back of her head with a bullet that the pathologist performing the autopsy, claims “disintegrated” – It can not be linked to any individual weapon. The weapon in question is an “assault” weapon that fires a .223 caliber bullet. At the scene of Cheri’s murder (by law enforcement) several police carried AR-15s, M-16s and .223s as testified to in the Cheri Moore Coroner’s inquest (http://www.times-standard.com/mooreinquest). Little research is required to learn that all the weapons listed above use a .223 caliber bullet.

On April 14^th Cheri was shot 5 times by .223 bullets, the wall was shot two additional times, and only 5 .223 bullet casings were found. Who at the scene had such a .223 weapon? Rodriquez Sanchez (police) and Rocky Harpham (police) claimed to have had “Bernoulli 12 gage shotguns,” and Tim Jones (police) claimed to have had a “pepper ball projectile gun,” Michael Johnson (police) and Terrence Liles (police) claimed to have had an “AR-15,” - a “.223” caliber assault rifle. The five mentioned above all admitted to busting into Cheri’s home when she was killed; across the street and slightly to Cheri’s right, an observer/sniper named Robert Mengal (police) was positioned with an “M-16,” - a “.223” caliber assault rifle.

Cheri’s body was riddled with buckshot entry wounds; two groups in her chest, groups in her groin, her neck, and her armpit. Each buckshot wound entered in front and on the left side of Cheri’s body. Cheri had 5 entry wounds from a .223 - 1) the back of her head; 2) the back of her left shoulder; 3) Her left arm; 4) her left chest; and 5) her right chest. In other words, the official police version is that one police “assault” weapon shot Cheri from all possible directions, while the actual shotgun wounds, combined with all inquest testimony indicates that Cheri was facing her killers during the entire shooting.

Two wounds to Cheri’s back were .223 entry wounds one to the back of her head and the other to her right shoulder. The inquest jury did not find either of these wounds to be the absolute cause of death, but the shot to the back of Cheri’s head can’t be ruled out either. Police testimony indicated that only two officers burst in with “.223’s” – Michael Johnson and Terry Liles. Liles claimed not to have fired his gun. It defies logic that either Michael Johnson or Terry Liles could have made the shot to the back of Cheri’s head. The official police version claims Michael Johnson must have de facto shot Cheri in the back of the head because he was the only police officer, in the police S.W.A.T team, found by the police investigation, to have been officially proclaimed by the police to fire his police issued weapon!

There was another .223 involved besides the two in the room. Across the street were two “observers/snipers,” as testified by Ron Harpham. One was Ron Harpham watching thru just binoculars and the other was Robert Mengal watching thru the sights of a M-16/.223. Could Mengal shoot Cheri in the back of the head from where he was? Robert Mengal never claimed he fired his gun, yet, Robert Mengal doesn’t surrender his weapon like the “S.W.A.T.” members do, he “lock[s] it in [his] car.” Mengal declines to testify in the Cheri Moore inquest, instead the recording of his initial interview was transcribed. The transcribed interview was acted out by Jim Dawson, (chief investigator Humboldt County District Attorney’s office) as “himself” and Charles Van Buskirk, (deputy coroner with the Humboldt County Coroner's office) as “Robert Mengal.” Mengal has relocated to Idaho since the shooting and felt it too unimportant to testify. According to the official police version of the magic bullet theory he was also the one who gave the “hands free” S.W.A.T. command he knew to be the “signal” to crash thru Cheri’s door.

Van Buskirk, reciting Mengal (who had two advising lawyers during his interview), stated he saw Cheri reach out of the fourth window; spoke “north window empty hands,” heard some bangs, left the building, and locked his M-16 in his car. Mengal who was “about the same height” as Cheri, and about “35 yards” away, could see “inside her apartment.” If the testimony of the other three officers is creditable then while Johnson was watching his “laser sight” on Cheri’s ribs just prior to shooting, Mengal was “observing” the back of Cheri’s head through his rifle sights.

Matthew Kristen, criminalist with the California Department of Justice, claimed that he found two entry holes in the corner of Cheri’s apartment. Susan Comfort, a forensic pathologist, explained how .223 bullets “fragment” and don’t leave the body. Seven total .223 bullets were fired – five in Cheri’s body and two in the wall. Matthew Kristen drew circles and arrows on a floor plan of Cheri’s apartment making a little circle in the middle of the living room away from any other bullet holes or shell casings he identified. He never explains what this smaller circle signified or why he drew it, but if a fourth shooter across the street shot and missed, then that circle could be the area the bullet would strike. Judy Taylor, an evidence technician with the Eureka Police Department, never told the jury where Charles Heuer, Cheri’s landlord, found the “fifth” .223 shell casing he gave the police a few days later.

None of this is concrete evidence that there was a fourth shooter in Cheri’s death, but listening to the testimony in the coroner’s inquest conveys a story of Cheri “slumping” back from the shooters not spinning in a circle. Michael Johnson testified to seeing his “laser sights on [Cheri’s] midsection” and the “change in her eyes” just prior to shooting. Tim Jones described Cheri falling back away from the officers. Todd Wilcox (police) described, “easing Cheri forward to put handcuffs on her.” Even Ron Harpham and Michael Johnson describe Cheri as falling back away from them.

The “investigation” was poorly done. Obvious discrepancies were ignored and key witnesses were not pursued; yet, nothing can be done by the citizens of Humboldt County to discover the truth. Cops investigating cops is a BAD idea! An independent police review board is the first answer to really finding out what really happened and what we as a community can do to stop it. All police bullets should be required to be identifiable once they’re shot. And police who have a history of violence should not be on any police department’s payrolls.

As mistrust in the police department grows with every questionable death by police violence, more and more secrecy on the part of the police becomes apparent, if elected officials make excuses for their police departments, then how are we as citizens represented - more important how are we being protected? If those we elect to protect us leave us in the hands of good-ol’-boy rogue cops, then we must take initiative for our own protection. The wealthy support police eliminating “undesirable” people, but the majority, the poor, see it as an assault upon our safety. It is hard enough to deal with our children being thrown in jail and put on probation for little stupid shit (victimless crimes), but the police have become judge, jury and executioner. The time to speak out has come.

Love eternal

tad

The PLAZOID censored from Wikipedia!!!

Apparently, "the PLAZOID" was the subject of an entry on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), which was deleted. A version of the encyclopedic entry can be found at: http://www.answers.com/topic/the-plazoid, and just in case it too gets censored, it is included below:

"The Plazoid is a 'zine and online blog (The Plazoid website) based out of Arcata, California that publishes articles related to homelessness, as well as issues of police brutality and social justice. The name is derived from a term used in reference to persons who hang out on the Plaza (Arcata's town square), Arcata's streets, the Arcata Community Forest and the Arcata Marsh. The Plazoid uses the term "unhoused" rather than homeless, due to a belief that the word "homeless" is used derogatorily. Since the spring of 2005 the Plazoid publishes and distributes a print version in the city of Arcata. The Plazoid has been, alegedly, hostile to The Arcata Eye, its pages often referring to the paper as the Arcata LEye. However, according to Kevin Hoover, the Eye has allegedly given the print version of the 'zine free advertising. Plazoid supporters say that the Plazoid never gave permission for this "free advertising" and assume it to be more anti-homeless propaganda. Hoover has allegedly also censored many letters from homeless and nonhomeless readers alike."

Wow, how controversial!!!

There is more! If you google "plazoid," you get this interesting dialogue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mediation_Cabal/Cases/2006-02-11_Arcata_Eye_Plazoid, including this little gem: "The nature of the POV is such: all of its focused either "against" (the IPs) or "for" (me: in that I'm not against) the newspaper publication the Arcata Eye. Some neccessary history: an online and print 'zine called the Plazoid was created in reaction to the Arcata Eye's aritcles and editorials. This controversy is explained, I hope fairly, on the Eye page. I believe that the IPs are either two of the writers who publish the Plazoid, or very close friends (others have suspected this as well, see comments about 1/3 down the page on Talk: Arcata, California). Thus, I believe they have a vested interest in pushing the POV that they do." and "Please investigate discreetly, I'm afraid my report of this will only inflame matters if known."

...so let's take a look at "Talk: Arcata, California":

"Talk:Arcata, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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User at 137.150.23.170, please do not edit my comments, reversing the meaning, as you did on Aug 30th. I've restored my origional comments, and paraphrased yours inline, as is the usual style, (see Wikipedia:Talk_page) Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

In the culture and institutions section, 2nd paragraph, it says:
Work in Arcata consists largely of the dumpster-diving...
Dumpster-diving obviously isn't "work" in the usual sense, as in employment. Perhaps this should be rewritten and expanded to include details on the unemployment and homeless, as well as high occurance of dumpster-diving. Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Dumpster-diving *is* work in the usual sense, as in employment.

I disagree. Usual employment includes a employer and an employee. The employer expects the employee to conduct some work for some amount of compensation, usually money. Since a dumpster-diver does not have an employer, this is not employment, but it might be called an occupation. However, this is all beside the point. The real point of this that at the very begining of the paragraph dealing with employment, dumpster-diving is listed as the first item. This is leads the reader to the conclusion that most people in Arcata are unemployed and spend their days sifting through others trash. While I agree that Arcata may have a higher rate of dumpster-diving than many other US cities, it is my no means what the majority do on a daily basis. I have no objection to the inclusion of a note about dumpster-diving, but feel that it should be in it's correct context (unemployment), and backed by factual data. Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, friend, but that is bullshit. What about the "self-employed"? I do not think that your paradigm of master-to-slave relationship is dominant in Arcata ("prevalant" maybe, but not dominant).

The 3rd paragraph is:
The city is dis-served by a weekly tabloid, the Arcata Eye. The newspaper is noted for its bigoted use of police reports to instigate violence against unhoused people while profiting from the entertainment value of sensationalized hate-mongering. In response, an independent publication, the Plazoid started to document civil and human rights abuses perpetrated against the unhoused.

Use of the word "dis-served" isn't really appropriate here as it is an opinion of the author which may or may not be a majority opinion. The "dis" part should probably be removed. Additionally, if the paper is, in fact, noted for it's bigoted police reports, can someone provide links to the notes? Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Use of the word "mis-served" is really appropriate here as it is a majority opinion. The "mis" part should probably be capitalized. Additionally, the paper is, in fact, noted for it's bigoted police reports, and it was disappointing to see the Arcata Eye use Wikipedia to advertise its un-journalistic atrocity.

The Wikipedia:NPOV page, says assert facts, including facts about opinions — but don't assert opinions themselves. There is a publication called the Arcata Eye, it's articles are written for and about Arcata, it is printed on newsprint, I am unaware of it's dimensions. Hence I feel that the statment "The city is served by a weekly newspaper, the Arcata Eye" is factual. However, use of the word "mis-served" (or "dis-served") is an assertation of on opinion. One may assert that there *is* an opinion, but one should not assert that the opinion is correct or incorrect. Finally, this is a page about Arcata the city, not about the Arcata Eye publication. It should be enough to state that the newspaper exists. Discussions about the newspaper and allegations of bias, might be best placed on a page about the newspaper itself, such as has been done for the NY_Times Jrouvier 01:18, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, friend, but if you think that the word "served" is nuetral, then you need to check your free on-line dictionary. The Arcata [L]Eye has done a great MISservice to the people of Arcata with its blatant hate-mongering and purposeful distortion of fact to misrepresent targeted residents of Arcata.

Then you don't use served OR disserved (I have changed the entry to use neither). Wikipedia is supposed to be neutral, an encyclopedia, if you will, not a soapbox. Also, I've never heard of the Plazoid. Is it well-known enough to deserve mention? -Reisen

Upon second look, given the fact that you not only ext-linked the Plazoid, but that you spelled out the URL in the article, makes me think that perhaps you own the Plazoid and you are trying to hype it. That is not what Wikipedia is for, and it would certainly explain why in 18 years of Arcata life I've never heard of the Plazoid. The Plazoid is not a major part, or even noticable part, of Arcata life, and its mention shall be removed. It would, however, work fine to mention the Plazoid on a dedicated Arcata Eye page.

I appreciate the edits you have made to the main page (I myself am new to this and don't really know how to do things the "proper" way), however, I do have qualms. You obviously are allowing the Arcata Eye FREE ADVERTISING at this website, which, as you pointed out, is NOT the purpose of Wikipedia, especially given the questionable nature of the content of the Eye. As for the Plazoid (publication, name derived from slanderous term used in the Arcata Eye to disparage unhoused people and encourage violent acts against them), I am surprised that you have not heard of it or read an issue. It is almost always available at the Arcata Co-op, Solutions, and other places. It is only up to about issue number 8 (monthly), but the blogspot has had plenty of comments on it from Arcatans (one post had 42 posts!). Have you heard of the Humboldt Advocate? also a relatively new publication in Arcata. Why does the Arcata Eye deserve FREE ADVERTISING while any mention of these other publications are edited from this website?

The Arcata Eye deserves mention because it is a major Arcata publication. If I were writing a Eureka article, the Times Standard, the Lumberjack (blegh), (and the Tri-City Weekly, blegh blegh) would all deserve mention because they are well-known and generally worth mentioning along with any detailed explanation of the city. It's not advertising, it's worthwhile information. Now, if I mentioned the Eye without mentioning a publication of equal prevalence in the community, that would be incorrect. But the Eye and the Plazoid are really not comparable in popularity nor in knowledge of their existence. The Plazoid, it seems, exists mainly as a reaction to the Eye. Thus, it would be a perfect inclusion on an Eye-only page, but makes no sense on the Arcata one. -Reisen

I disagree. On Monday nights, the night before the new issue of the Arcat Eye comes out, look at the Eye vendboxes: THEY ARE FULL! Just because the Eye is well-funded and can afford to create volumous waste doesn't make it a "major publication." Look for a moment at the "letters to the editor" section. The Plazoid gets more comments at the blogspot than the Eye gets letters to the editor, and thus is MORE interactive with Arcatan than the Eye. ASK AROUND! I'll bet you find that alot of people have atleast heard of the Plazoid. Also check out the blogspot yourself (theplazoid.blogspot.com). There DEFINITELY is "WORTHWHILE INFORMATION" at the blogspot, complete with sources citations. Contrast that with the non-informative opinionated "stories" of the Arcata Eye. I don't think that the Arcat Eye reports "worthwhile information," or at least not at all ACCURATELY. But, yes, Hoover is well-funded (by advertisers, not interested paying customers!). So if you think that the amount of money behind the publication is more important than the content of the publication, then by all means, go ahead and mention the Arcata Eye. But don't edit out the Plazoid just because it isn't heavily funded."

ok ok ok....there is much more, too much more.
At any rate, it looks like the PLAZOID lost this battle. Oh well. Let me know what you think. Maybe someone can start a new Plazoid entry?

Thanks to the anonymous commentor who exposed this act of censorship.

Critical Analysis of the "Arcata Eye"

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ARCATA NEWS, OCTOBER 10, 2006

by Cash ULT

In his story, "People & Grizz 1,Tad 0 in tethering challenge – Oct. 10, 2006," Kevin Hoover cites the eveidence brought before Humboldt County Court that clearly demonstrates that Arcata's dog-tethering ordinance is selectively enforced against homeless people, then declares a "victory" when Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Dale A. Reinholtsen rules in favor of the police.

Ironically, Hoover insinuates that Griz the dog also shares in this celebration of bigotry, inspite of the fact that this particular form of bigotry could spell his doom. Griz has never expressed any elation that might support Hoover's ridiculous assertations.

Unsurprisingly, Hoover has used his "newspaper" to distort reality and attempt to rile up more classist bigotry against local activist, tad.

My advice: don't believe the hype.

"comment moderation" back in effect

sorry kids.

if you can't play nice, then we'll all just have to take a "time out."

comments

comments are moderated due to the foul language and innappropriate threats recieved by "anonymous" person or persons, or possibly machine(s).

please do not let this stop those of you who have opinions from posting them.

thank you.

Down and Out

“It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars, for when one has consorted with them, and found that they are ordinary human beings, one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them. People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary ‘working’ men. They are a race apart—outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes. Working men ‘work’, beggars do not ‘work’; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature. It is taken for granted that a beggar does not ‘earn’ his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic ‘earns’ his. He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable.

Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is no essential difference between a beggar’s livelihood and that of numberless respectable people. Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work? A navvy works by swinging a pick. An accountant works by adding up figures. A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course—but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless. And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others. He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines, high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor, amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout—in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite. He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community, and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas, he pays for it over and over in suffering. I do not think there is anything about a beggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him.

Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?—for they are despised, universally. I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living. In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic; the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable. In all the modern talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it, what meaning is there except ‘Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it’? Money has become the grand test of virtue. By this test beggars fail, and for this they are despised. If one could earn even ten pounds a week at begging, it would become a respectable profession immediately. A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honour; he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich.”

from "Down and Out in Paris and London" by George Orwell, 1933

pharmacueticals

Eli Lilly, Zyprexa, and the Bush Family

“The most important story about Eli Lilly is that Lilly’s two current blockbuster psychiatric drugs—Zyprexa and Prozac—are, in scientific terms, of little value. It is also about how Lilly and the rest of Big Pharma have corrupted psychiatry, resulting in the increasing medicalization of unhappiness. This diseasing of our malaise has diverted us from examining the social sources for our unhappiness—and implementing societal solutions.”
Eli Lilly, Zyprexa, & the Bush Family
http://zmagsite.zmag.org/May2004/levine0504.html

Bruce E. Levine, PhD, is a psychologist and author of Commonsense Rebellion: Taking Back Your Life from Drugs, Shrinks, Corporations and a World Gone Crazy (New York-London: Continuum, 2003).


“Whistleblower charges medical oversight bureau with corruption”
British Medical Journal July 10, 2004
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7457/69


Allen Jones, who worked as an investigator in the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General (OIG), gained widespread attention as a 'whistleblower' after voicing concerns about attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to implement a mental health screening plan, based on the controversial Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP), in Pennsylvania.

Jones was escorted out of his workplace on April 28, 2004, after OIG officials accused him of talking to the press. Jones was relieved of his duties because he breached OIG guidelines that no worker may report confidential data. Jones indicates he chose to disclose his findings to the press precisely because of corrupt behavior by OIG officials themselves, alleging the OIG's policy was "unconstitutional."

Jones further alleged, in a wrongful termination suit, OIG officials had sought to "coverup, discourage, and limit any investigations or oversight into the corrupt practices of large drug companies and corrupt public officials who have acted with them." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Jones_(whistleblower)

Allen Jones’ TMAP Critique (January 20, 2004) on the net at http://psychrights.org/Drugs/AllenJonesTMAPJanuary20.pdf


Study Finds a Link of Drug Makers to Psychiatrists
New York Times
April 20, 2006

“More than half the psychiatrists who took part in developing a widely used diagnostic manual for mental disorders had financial ties to drug companies before or after the manual was published, public health researchers reported yesterday.”

“In recent years, critics have said that the manual has become too expansive, including diagnoses, like social phobia, that they say appear tailor-made to create a market for antidepressants or other drugs.”

See also “Medicating Aliah” http://www.motherjones.com/