Thank you for that great obituary for man's best friend. I would have taken him in too.
If thoroughly investigated by law enforcement, a general pattern would emerge that a group of marauding substance abusers move into the apartments of disabled individuals and threaten, or otherwise coerse them into silence while the "squatters" tear the place up. This has been the case in more than one instance that I know of. The blue ghetto on Wabash is one example, the Squires housing at California and Harris is another.
I have direct knowledge that disabled people are being repeatedly exploited in Eureka, often losing their Section 8 vouchers, because they're housing more people than approved by the Housing Authority. The next step for these already challenged individuals is eviction.
The end result is that our most at risk population is victimized twice; first by the substance abusers that move in and take over the residence and then by law enforcement officials that can't or won't protect them.
I don't presume to have the answer. This is a complex problem that cannot be easily solved. But, indeed, something must to be done to help all those involved, the abusers and the abused.
And finally, this solution would need to include the neighbors that have been victimized. Just by virtue of the location of their homes these individuals have been made to endure the destruction of their neighborhood. Their suffering deserves acknowledgment.
Re: “Fastest Route Between Eureka and Arcata Finally Determined!”
As a transplant from Chicago, I am always looking for alternative route to a given destination (you've heard of the two seasons in the midwest? Winter and road construction!) I discovered a few years back that the difference between taking the safety corridor and the Samoa back road is five minutes. Samoa is a lovely little community and the ranches so near the ocean are quite an arresting vision for this newer resident.