Feb 15, 2012


Time to listen to the actual 99 percent
John Chiv/For the Times-Standard
Posted:   02/15/2012 02:27:11 AM PST

Occupy Eureka, despite at least three My Words from different people, and at least 100 people or so who have attempted to peacefully communicate with you, the tactics you are using to get your message are disrespectful and deceitful, and you are manipulating the Brown Act and the generosity of an open community.
Less than a handful of protesters are there most of the time, so having a couple hundred show up at counter protests or having more than five people at peak hours waving signs, is not speaking for the 99 percent.
I have put my personal feelings aside and have attempted to get to know your group.
Ordinances take time. This has gone on far too long, and public officials need to do more than pacify and meet with Occupy Eureka.
Some protesters are a threat to public health and safety. It is a waste of time to arrest and try and prosecute them. As an EPD dispatcher informed me, “People have a right to protest and cannot be arrested for that. Even those that are a public nuisance get out in five hours.” There is no room in the jail for non-violent offenders. So does someone need to get assaulted or raped before public officials will stop being politically correct and send them a serious message?
I am unable to attend Board of Supervisors and City Council meetings because of work.
Despite several people pointing out the tactics of Occupy Eureka, despite my efforts to amicably talk to the two main organizers, certain people have held us hostage for months. They have a right to protest. What they don't have a right to do is trash public and private property. In addition to what they have done to the courthouse property, they trash nearby private property and office complexes. Many of them block people like me from walking to the courthouse. Walking near the courthouse is a problem; the noise day and night is not conducive to area businesses. I walk, I don't have a choice to avoid these people; some of whom have taken to verbally harassing me, particularly after I approached one guy who I watched for months go up and harass and approach women and be sexually lewd.
If any other citizen was smoking pot and was drunk and loitering, they would be prosecuted. Many of these people hang around Old Town, and now they have a new spot. There are domestic disputes caused by some of these people. The police have been out here, often daily, and this is a waste of their time. When they are dealing with Occupy Eureka, how is this affecting response to more serious crimes?
With all the men in the area and all the law enforcement, why is this guy still here day after day harassing women? He is not mentally ill. I told him because I have seen him be sane when he isn't playing for the crowd. His fellow protesters were silent.
Now they have moved from the courthouse steps to congregating around the traffic light on 5th and depending on who is protesting, it is difficult for people to walk through. I am frustrated with the kid glove treatment these protesters are getting. And to any of the officials and people that sympathize with them, you don't have to deal with them. You feel so strongly about their plight, take one of them home with you, live with them for a week or a month and then get back to me.
They lost their right to protest when they decided to disrespect the rest of us.
These are not all the protesters, but the people causing the problems use Occupy Eureka as an excuse. If Occupy Eureka wants presence 24-7, they need to stop blocking access, have someone there to monitor their crew, stop the harassment and sexual harassment of women and they need to keep the noise down.
It's time to listen to the actual 99 percent.