Arcata has been quiet today after protesters’ chants echoed through the city’s streets for two consecutive days, demanding justice for slain Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson.
More than 100 people descended on the Arcata Plaza yesterday, where they chanted and waved signs before moving on to the Union Town Shopping Center. At the shopping center, which houses Safeway and CVS, the protesters blocked the entrances and exits, refusing to let cars pass unless they first agreed to call the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office to request further investigation into Lawson’s killing.
The protest — which came after more than 100 students and community members marched through the streets Friday night — turned tense at times, when some motorists took exception to not being allowed to leave or enter the parking lot. Ultimately, Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman said protesters remained peaceful.
Lawson was fatally stabbed at 3 a.m. on April 15 at a house party on Spear Avenue. On Friday, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Dale Reinholtsen ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to hold Lawson’s accused killer, 23-year-old Kyle Zoellner, to stand trial on a murder charge, prompting Zoellner’s release from custody and the protests that have followed.
HSU, the city of Arcata and Chapman have all pledged to continue investigations into Lawson’s killing, which have been complicated by a lack of physical evidence and — to date — no eyewitnesses to the stabbing.
On Friday, Chapman said his investigators were still awaiting the results of DNA testing on blood stains on Zoellner’s clothes and will continue seeking out additional witnesses. He said the department will continue to work with investigators from the district attorney’s office and will spare no resource.
“Whatever resources we need, we’ll tap those resources,” he said. “This investigation doesn’t end until we run out of evidence, leads and witnesses.”
One question that the preliminary hearing laid bare is whose fingerprint is on the 10-inch kitchen knife that was found at the scene and that prosecutors believe was used in the slaying. The knife was tested and a single fingerprint was found on the blade, but the print wasn’t Zoellner’s. Chapman said investigators will continue to work to find out who that print belongs to.
“That is obviously a question that needs to be answered,” he said.
Photographer Mark McKenna was at the scene of yesterday’s protest and shared the following slideshow. Read about Friday’s protest here, the judge’s dismissal of the murder charge here and the chaotic scene of the stabbing here.
This article appears in What Now?.
One girl’s sign says “if you aren’t angry, you’re not paying attention”. Where were these protesters after Tommy Mclain was shot by police? Or after a police officer was fired shortly after stomping a fourteen year old? One can’t help but feel that if black were white, there would be outrage over the undisputed assault on Kyle Zoellner, and the fact that he was subsequently incarcerated for murder over seriously mishandled evidence. Not to mention the ridiculously inconsistent testimony from the victim’s own friends. There’s no hope for anybody. The millennials are polarized reactionary internet addicts, feeding eachother’s frenzy on a moment to moment basis.
How about instead of just “disliking” my comment at 4:12, you take a moment to tell me exactly why you dislike my comment, so that I might see your light? You’re not clicking buttons for justice, you’re being a lazy hypocrite. You’re being an armchair nobody, and you’re not doing anything but handing out pennies to this website’s advertisers. The metaphore of “the race card” is well enough understood. And lots of people are calling you “dislikers” out for playing the race card. What does “playing the race card” mean to you? Has it been played in this case? How much do you really know about this case? What’s your bias?
Since when is the halting of another person’s free movement and allowing them to leave only after they call or agree to call the DA’s office considered a peaceful protest?
Holding signs with messages, yelling and using bull horns to get one’s message out to the public, offering to assist people with understanding their message and point of view are all consistent with free speech. Halting movement on public sidewalks or public streets and then forcing people to do their bidding crosses the line and should not be tolerated.
Would these so called protesters be ok with a group of people blocking the entrance to HSU and only allowing entrance or exit to/from HSU only after agreeing to call the DA’s office and demanding no charges against Zoellner be filed? I think not and rightfully so.