The Bible has a lot to say about helping the needy, but we doubt that even the Holy Ghost saw this day coming. Good people of Humboldt County, we urge you to lock your doors, board up your windows and hide your canned food — because it looks like the meek got tired of waiting for their inheritance.
Dear All,
Our County and City are being taken over by the homeless.
So begins an email to the community from Eureka businessman Rob Arkley, who argues that by offering free food, showers and clean clothes, we have turned our region into “a Mecca for the homeless and we all pay the price.”
The email, which went out last week and was posted on the Lost Coast Outpost, announces a meeting this Wednesday at Eureka’s Wharfinger building at 5:30 p.m. (Arkley’s company, Security National, rented the venue for the occasion.) How do we quell this homeless insurrection? Arkley suggests pinching off the teat of human kindness.
“I would like to know what policies and programs can be cut that will reduce the number of homeless,” he says. (Read his full email below.)
But it looks like Jesus wasn’t the only bearded hippie with a soft spot for mooching layabouts.
That’s right: Jeff Bridges, whose family has roots in Eureka, recorded a personal message to Humboldt County attendees of tomorrow night’s screening of the documentary A Place at the Table, presented by Food for People and the California Center for Rural Policy. And wouldn’t you know it? Not only will the event include “a light meal”; it’s also free. When will they learn?
Here’s more from Bridges:
And here’s the full email from Arkley:
Dear All,
Our County and City are being taken over by the homeless. It seems as though many of the policies being pursued by our County and City governments, and certain not-for-profits, actually encourage the homeless to come here and stay here. Free food, showers, clean clothes, assistance above state averages, free housing, lax jail policies are just some of the attractive programs and policies. Clearly, too much right has become wrong. We have become a Mecca for the homeless and we all pay the price. Garbage or dump fees from trash and discarded clothing left on streets, sidewalks, alleys and private property have become “our” responsibility. Health and environmental issues arise from the same public areas and private property being freely used for urination and defecation, not to mention the aesthetics, or lack of, from this behavior. The general public is not comfortable walking in certain well known locations around our cities and county because the homeless with their antics have taken over what should belong to, and be enjoyed by, all of us.
I feel as though we are like the frog in the boiling water. It has gotten to the point where everybody knows that the homeless are a huge problem, but nobody is doing anything. All of our businesses are being negatively impacted. It is difficult to attract people to Eureka. Who wants to be panhandled on the way to an interview for a job? What business owner wants to invest in real estate that is negatively impacted by trash and loitering?
I think that it is time for us to get together and see if we can build a consensus on how to deal with this issue. Specifically, I would like to know what policies and programs can be cut that will reduce the number of homeless. I often hear that if we don’t provide certain services to the homeless, monies will be withheld by state and federal governments. While some, especially government and certain not-for-profits, may consider this dire, we need to make sure that elected officials understand that while government may lose monies, our private businesses and households may well be better off without the crime, environmental damage and monetary costs that these additional monies attract. It will also be interesting to see if the negative impacts of the homeless programs on local business and quality of life for the community are monetarily weighed.
Folks, let’s take our area back and encourage our elected officials to take steps that consider the overall negative impacts on all of us created by enrolling in programs designed to “help” the homeless. I have no doubt that when weighed against the loss of governmental revenue, the benefits to all of us by rejecting the monies would dwarf the downside.
I would like to see if any of you would like to join a group that deals with the most pressing issue that our area faces.
vty,
Rob
This article appears in Main and Loleta.
Been there, done that…
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/…
Good job Ryan. I hope that MANY people will turn out for this meeting. I will definitely be there.
There will be a focus group brainstorming ideas about how to convince Betty Chinn to move to the Bay Area
Making a comment here is kind of confusing cause I can’t tell what is being commented on??? I am commenting on the disgusting way that the richest man in Humboldt county speaks of “the homeless” and
“the hungry”. I cannot even imagine how anyone can be so callous
and uncaring. I guess the more money and security folks get, the less they can feel for others? Or we could all want to be like the Arkleys I guess, but who in the hell would want to…Lucy Lovelace
Since King Rob has already described the purpose of this meeting, “specifically what policies and programs can be CUT……etc.”, is there any real point in “us” coming? It sounds like we are not invited.
Why don’t we invite the homeless to Mr. Arkley’s meeting? Some of them may want to know how great they have it here and are perhaps unaware of the government largess that they’ve been blessed with.
Dear All,
Our County and City, on land violently seized from the Wiyot, Yurok, Hupa, Mattole, and Wailaki, has been taken over by greedy, selfish, short-sighted developers, “businessmen,” real estate agents and bankers. Many of the policies being pursued and enforced by our County and City governments are to please the likes of gluttonous, predatory, exploitative, spoiled brat Arkley, and much of our tax money goes to Rob Arkley’s projects (parking lots, etc) so that he and his pompous, money-grubbing, spoiled family can stay rich. Rob and Cheri Arkley actually encourage policies that violate human rights, regularly use political bribes, and helped the City secretly bring in Walmart to come here and stay here. Arkley’s food, showers, clothes, and many perks, decadent well beyond the means of the average resident of the U.S., all come from the exploitation of poor people worldwide. Arkley found Louisiana attractive due to the grave tragedies that Hurricane Katrina brought to many thousands of people, and has used lax restrictions on corporations and free-trade policies to exploit the people and land in Louisiana and to pursue capitalist ventures that threaten life right here. Clearly, his support of the George Bush right is wrong. Arkley wants Humboldt to be open as a corporate Mecca, and we all will pay the price, not Arkley. We all will pay with our lives, our poverty, the destruction of the rivers, forests, our children’s futures, small ethical businesses, and our culture in general. Arkley and his 1% ilk are completely un self-sustaining, relying on third world peoples’ (here and abroad) to do all their work; deal with their toxic waste; build their roads; pay for their politicians; make their restaurant food; deal with their excrement, toxic supplies and garbage; park their vehicles; slave to make their clothes and cars; school their children; pay their corporate subsidies; grow their food; slaughter their meat; and fight in their politicians’ wars, as if every rich-man luxury is “our” responsibility. Health and environmental issues arise from Arkley’s outrageously spoiled destructive behavior, and health and environmental issues will arise for generations to come from the plan he supports to expand Highway 101 through ancient redwoods, and from his influence on the City of Eureka, the County of Humboldt, and the North Coast Co-op. The general public is not comfortable with Arkley’s dangerous antics, while he and the politicians he funds, attempt to privatize EVERYTHING that should belong to, and be enjoyed by, all of us.
The frog in the boiling water will jump out before its end, and the people of this County and City (and the world) will rid ourselves of nasty, inhumane greedy behaviors from the likes of Arkley before those behaviors destroy everything. It has gotten to the point where everybody knows that rich bankers and developers (i.e. Arkley) are a huge problem, but it takes time (while we struggle to survive) and persistence to once and for all unburden ourselves of bankers and developers who care for no one and nothing, only for control and the dollar. All of our local small businesses are being negatively impacted by Arkley’s ventures. It is difficult to attract people to Eureka while Arkley and the politicians he supports keep changing the rural landscape to an impoverished Walmart city. Who wants to interview for a job that can’t even pay for an apartment? Why should we continue to allow Arkley, a greedy business owner/banker who wants to own the beautiful area here, to turn it all into developed real estate and trash it for his avaricious self-interest?
I think that it is time for us to get together and move on our consensus on how to stop Arkley’s attempt to control our home and kick many out of theirs. Specifically, I would like to expose the politicians that can be cut to reduce the number of crooked deals and long term problems they create for the people here. Arkley does not consider it dire that people of all ages go without food, shelter, water, healthcare, education, basic necessities, and freedom from harassment, but instead Arkley believes his private businesses and a few rich households are all that matter. We would all be better off without the crime, environmental damage and costs borne by the public that Arkley causes. It is easy to see the heavy negative impacts of Arkley’s program of rich-spoiled-Walmart- George Bush- war-lovin’- develop-every-inch intrusions on local business and quality of life for the community.
Folks, let’s take our area back and get rid of our elected officials that invite and perpetuate overall negative impacts on all of us by making deals to “help” Rob Arkley, and ignoring the needs of almost all local people. I have no doubt that the benefits to all of us by rejecting Arkley’s schemes will include a loosening of the yoke of poverty from around our necks so we can share dignified healthy lives for generations to come.
Arkley and his plans cause problems that are some of the most pressing issue that our area faces.
Verbena
The Times Standard said people have to RSVP by email if they want to attend Arkley’s get the homeless out of town meeting tomorrow. They said to email Arkley’s assistant Shirley Fuller at sfuller@snsc.com
Thanks Tom for reminding us about the sensibilities of the rich and their need to exclude walk-ins so that, if necessary, they can fill the room early enabling local elites to remain cocooned within their comfort zone.
I can’t wait to hear them remind us little people how The Law in its grand equality forbids both the destitute and the rich from sleeping on Arkley’s blighted properties.
Rob Arkley should be ashamed of himself. Has he taken a look at the environmental destruction and costs to others that his lifestyle causes?
Does anyone have an update on how this BS meeting went?
verbena said it—