Editor:
It was great to see the Journal‘s story (“Already Occupied,” Oct. 13) on the local response to the OccupyWallSt.org movement. While Humboldt Tea Party members may not feel much affinity with the Occupy Humboldt members, I agree with your writer Zach St. George that “their members might find more in common if they paused to consider.”
I was pleased to read in other local media that in Arcata even the mayor was out in support of the protesters, but I must point out that while many in Arcata support the right of these “occupiers” to hold up their signs with any number of statements and demands, if one of these protesters dares to include a request for donations on one of those signs, they will be in violation of Arcata’s Panhandling Ordinance, over which I am currently suing the city.
If we want to support free speech for Tea Party members and Wall Street Occupiers alike, we need to also tolerate free speech by panhandlers.
Richard Salzman, Sunny Brae
This article appears in in Karuk.
Really Richard? Panhandlers? of all the people to rally behind…it’s the lowly panhandler. Are you bored? I hate taking my family to the plaza for that very reason. The last time we were down there, some dirty ass wanna be hippy approached my 10 year old daughter asking her for money while she was trying to buy a scone from Cafe Brio. I was a mere 2 feet away from her. We then tried walking across the plaza to the Lukes Joint to get something to eat and ended up walking through petrule and weed clouds. Then we were accosted once more from someone asking for money. I generally do not agree with many of Arcata’s politics, but I do believe they are spot on with the Panhandling Ordinance.
Until there’s a jobs/training/placement program like we used to have (CETA, among others) no one has the right to condemn the human fallout from a generation of public-divestment.
Bigots.
At least Richard is using his own name now. Some of the time, anyway, eh?
“So it looks like Mr. Salzman was right all along. I don’t expect the North Coast Journal will be running any apologies for its editorial that criticized him for the (private) e-mails he sent out ….”
By in Reality; “no one as the right to condemm the human fallout from generation of public-divestment”….Yes they do have the right, whether or not you like what’s being said. That’s the whole point of Richard Salzman’s lawsuit against the city of Arcata.