Editor:
Heidi Walters’ article “New Direction” (Jan. 19) talks compassionately about all sorts of trash: the kind generated by the community’s less responsible or able homeless people, trash left by the occupiers of bushes, marshes and forests, trash left by the Occupiers of the Eureka Courthouse … how society may treat people like trash when they lack a home.
So this is where the great causes of human and civil rights meet up with the rights of the environment and public use: at the tunnels behind the Mall, on the trampled and muddy courthouse lawn. Is it OK to trash the environment while championing freedom of speech and assembly?
Speaking as “we, in the houseless and poor advocacy community,” Verbena, (Kim Starr), trashed activist John Shelter severely, calling him a very foul name. She also exhorted the supervisors, the DA and the EPD recently to “stop lying” about their professed respect for the constitutional rights of protestors and the houseless. Regardless of how these entities are perceived, pejorative name calling certainly won’t help the chances of resolving problems for activists who are trying to foster dialog with them.
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart moves in. This profits-before-people, everyday-low-wages kind of trash, a Mallwart, could be truly toxic to our businesses and quality of life. They have an expansion planned in Ukiah. The Richardson Grove widening project will be very beneficial for their huge trucks.
When camping or protesting, let’s respect the land and landscaping. As nonviolent activists, let’s remember the first guideline of the nonviolence code: We will be open, honest and friendly.
Naomi Wagner, Eureka
Editor:
I was so thrilled to see John Shelter’s picture on the front of the North Coast Journal. I thought about what he meant to my life. In 2008 I became homeless. I moved into the Rescue Mission. John agreed to have me participate in the Endeavor for my Experience Works training.
Being homeless, I was hopelessly socially isolated and living in total poverty — most unbearable depressive conditions, indeed. Sundays we had to leave the Rescue Mission at 5 a.m. I walked all over Eureka until the mission opened at 5 p.m. Then, Monday morning, the doors opened at the Endeavor and I entered a vibrant social world.
I treasured every moment when I had a chance to be with John Shelter. I felt that he really knew what I was going through. I felt that his eyes and brain were 100 percent focused on me as we talked. John Shelter connected to me being a highly educated person in physics and as a lifetime victim of supreme social isolation. Under John Shelter’s supervision, my “sociability” rose. I began to experience myself as one of the Endeavor’s social group. I left Experience Works. I told John Shelter I wanted to spend time finding a woman. He told me to “follow your dream.” Being in the Endeavor with its lunch program was like being in high school or a fraternity. For once, I belonged. Well, I hope John Shelter fulfills his dreams.
Ed Musgrave, Fortuna
Editor:
With more and more people without places to live walking our streets I was very glad to see the coverage of the work that John Shelter is doing and has done for a long while now. His incredible commitment and dedication to his chosen calling is wonderful. I was struck by Shelters’ values as outlined by his friend, Pastor Schulze, of dignity first, then the teaching of responsibility and that there is no free lunch. That Shelter works with the EPD is very important. The practices of the EPD in terms of the homeless have often and long left a great deal to be desired. In particular the taking away of tents, sleeping bags and personal belongings leaving people with nothing is an unacceptable practice that has long been the EPD’s MO. Do we want to be a culture that punishes people for being homeless??I love Shelter’s dream of a campground funded by grants. I love that he thinks big. Kudos to him.
What I did not love was the petty remarks made by Kim Starr, aka Verbena, who said that Shelter is “what we call in the houseless and poor advocacy community a ‘poverty pimp’ ” What is both amusing and disgusting about her hurling that epithet at Shelter is that a couple of years ago, in a discussion in the Humboldt Sentinel, she was referred to as a “poverty pimp.” Maybe she’s been saving that up just waiting to use it on someone else. Although she sees herself as a member of the “houseless and poor advocacy community,” I am not aware of anything she has done in that area of any significance, and now she is orchestrating the Eureka Occupy, which is hardly creating an image that is helpful to the Occupy movement locally or to the many homeless who hang around there. ?I doubt that Verbena’s remarks will slow down John Shelter. He would seem to be like one of those blow up figures that are used as punching bags: they go down with each punch and pop right back up again.
Sylvia De Rooy, Westhaven
This article appears in Drug Money.
“Regardless of how these entities are perceived, pejorative name calling certainly won’t help the chances of resolving problems for activists who are trying to foster dialog with them”.
Democrat’s success in fostering dialogue and “working across the isle” with republicans maintained the wars, bailouts, and ineffective Wall Street reform.
Most of the rights you enjoy today were won by actions far worse than name-calling.
Why would the trucks come from hwy 36 up 101, when they are going to cross 299?
And why are they “huge” they are the standard size trucks. Another liar liar, facts on fire person in Naomi Wagner.
You mean like the Bentovillians like Jewlee Buggerflyhill
Picture of Dive posted in the Bentonville, AR gallery
http://www.topix.net/album/detail/bentonville-ar/ND92T1DKSJIH33CJ
They dress their women up in thick ultra conservative garb and doing things like pretending they are Russian imagrants around me because of the Folks in Mendicino who are of Russian ancestry trying to Mimic them. There was one whom I caught stealing cans from waste managments green recycle bin who was so adamant about stealing everything in it the person dressed as an old woman was halfway in the bin bent over at the waste.
As if these people who work at Walmart actually have any intelligence at all
Go in the Walmart asking for a bath back scrubber with which to wash my back in the shower and they point one in the direction of the condom Isle.
I asked the pharmacy counter person for some Benzoile peroxide it comes in soap form and the clerk pointed to the RID and NIX
I returned some 16oz? propane torch bottles and they actually weighed them as if I am some creep who would use them and bring them back half empty.
They treat any of the people from this area as if we are criminals and are completely nothing except for objects that have money for them.
They will be on the street when there is a drizzle in the air and ask “are you staying dry”? Translation; have I been imbibing in alcoholic beverage? I am thinking Who the hell is this another impostor from Bentoville Ar.
They seem to have my yearbook’s from High school and have been ‘Practicing impersonating everyone from my past right down to my High school chums Girlfriend. Even to the point where there is an impostor lurking me trying to be like a friend of mine from around the corner named Keith w; an older sister I used to ride bus 22 home with.30+ years ago. A big blonde guy. He lurks around smoking pot. As if they can replace my family and friends with a bunch of people their higher up’s don’t want anymore. It’s as if I am getting handed my older brother used underwear he has outgrown.
They are trying to force themselfs into my home and bed a simple no is not sufficient. I have never seen such rudeness. It’s quite like talking to a goat. I have had to be so incredibly rude to some of these ‘People’ that it offended me and I spent a lot of time with the ‘Boys’ at the Plaza.
Dan, are you trolling, or do you need some help?
I live right next to I-5. I can hear it. Trucks come through here night and day. I have been told by those who might have a clue a lot of them are coming from Canada and going to Mexico. From what I have heard they drive in team 3 guys never stop. 2-3 what? {i’m not I trucker so I don’t know for sure} 600 gallon diesel fuel tanks. they don’t even come close to stopping here and spend money.
There is a bridge on I-5 across the Columbia river and at 3AM they hit that poor old bridge at 75MPH with 50+ tonnes of truck the whole thing shakes. I walk at night sometimes after the kids spin out from their sugar highs. Remember ladies I am an XL adult male was homeless long time. You female types buddy up going out.
It has a rise in it like a small hill and on the south side is a good opportunity to gain some kinetic energy and momentum and they do take advantage of that.
I hear it in the background “truckers” pay attention to the truckers. They can come down 101 or over 299 and land in the Hum. just like trash being blown from a dumpster.
I see people here in the Portland area they seem to know me I could even begin to know who they are or where they are from. they say they are all anonymous like they are trying to be as if they are in the 12 step program and in recovery. They aren’t I got news for them on that subject.
All right these people OFFEND all my senses and obviously has a self perception as if there is nothing wrong with that
5 senses ;
#1 Sight; Tacky clothing, Cheap accesories, See-Food Body, Shiny things in inapropriate settings and enviroments
2 Touch; hitting, filth, Vermin, skin irratints, intestinal tract pain,
#3 Taste; Choice of entertainment,food, drinks, Cheapest booze available, Fast food that does not resemble food at all, Not holding up ones end of a bargain, insinuations of criminal behavior, sneaking,
#4 Smell; Cheap colonge, marijuana smoke, cigarette smoke, extreamley cheap coffee, greasey funky garage smell,
#5 Hearing; Brainless eletronic gizmos, religious fervor, high pitched squeals, dogs barkings, loud cars and motorcycles, yard and garden equipment, beligerent remininencing about the past, Gossip, Guns
Talking in the third party as if one is the pet, Condensending put downs, childish mockery, Casual use of profanity, refusal to co-operate in any way, Stalking, Attitude when none is neccaasary or wanted
Insult to all senses plus other things found undesirable
Insult to the intelegence
Annoying immature antisocial antagonistic behaviors
Anticlimatic drama
Paranioa
Perverted sense of humor
Disruptive tasteless hateful speach
Tasteless clothing, choices of food
Needyness used as for attention getting
Posturing
Focusing on the negative in the world
Nitpicking
Overanalizing everything
Reading between the lines over a simple cash transaction at a conviniance store
Inability to differniate between two similar but not even close to the same product
Feeble attempts to label someone else to bolster ones self image
Handle Vandal, Mr. Clarks Penny Loafers I would guess. Obviously you need some help after blowing all your money on Wells drinks, (whick consist of ice about $0.01 worth of everclear and a dash of Vodka that comes from a $10 1/2 gallon of Vodka in a plastic jug for smell) Lotto and Gambling gasoline, cheap cars and other tacky consumerism acutrima,
I was panhandled to buy Marijuana more than 10 times last night when I walked 6 blocks round trip to get potatoes and beans from some big box grocery
Help from you no try to help me I call the cops on speed dial on my Verizon cell. I don’t want any of you touching anything I own or use. I don’t need your stink hydroponic weed
ACTIVISTS? WTF IS THIS?!!! this woman is living in Italy in an old money estate coddled by the state
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Butterfly_Hill
Looks more like a Gold Digger with a trachea shave and an estradoil habit and some other thing certain OBGYN’s might know something about Such as Dr. M.Bowers
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=golddigger
Any woman whose primary interest in a relationship is material benefits. A woman who cares more about a man’s bank account than she does about the man.
The closest male equivalent is a gigolo or boytoy.
ACTIVIST?!!!
More like some ignorant person who signed a lease on a Strip mall in 2008 and when the Stock market and Gold prices were screaming skyward and now that they can’t afford the mortgage payments have legally changed th ownership over to an LLC and are going to play the ‘Born Again” Christian singles night potluck party routine, “again”. Obviously they can’t pay the mortgage selling beers at night and rehab in the morning. They must have been projecting their own values as yto what they would buy ha ha ha.
Seeing how their make believe rehab centres went over like a dead weight and their Ebay store turned into a bust because they can’t compete with a competent businessman.
Cover your ass’ kids I mean it.
DAN HUGHES! Please get the correct meds at once! There isn’t one correct statement in any of your posts! But let’s start with the standard easy to dismiss ones! 600 gallon fuel tanks. Not true. Just flat out is wrong. Not even close. 50 tons CAN be true, but isn’t for trucks that go to Mexico/Canada or through California. Weight limit in California is 80K, those 105,000 pound trucks have extra axles, and are legal and fine. I find it hard to believe you can feel and hear the bride shake after they installed the air cannon on the bridge. You know, that one….
You do know right? And let’s not even start on how the speed limit is 55mph, not 75mph.
Or how most heavy truck traffic takes I-205 around.
Stop doing drugs, or start. I can’t tell what’s wrong with you.