Two break ins thwarted and no one went to jail

(this photo just looks like someone camping but it isn't the whole story)

(what looks like a soda can was a heroin cooker)

(Same guys, the next day on 8/3) with this third guy come back and a repeat of last night) 

Tom McMurray who owns the building where the guy is walking away in the third photo almost had a break in. Seconds ago before I took the photo, that guy was lurking and trying to get into the door by the mailbox. Only minutes ago before, the same guy almost broke into one of the offices next to where Primrose is located. I saw him and called out to him. The guy was startled. He didn't expect anyone to be around. This was not in the middle of the night. It was around 8:30 p.m.

That older guy has been in this area many times. I see him around Eureka. After the first break in attempt, the guy told me he was leaving. He pretended he did, he went around and hid behind the fence near the dumpster and came back. I see this guy all the time peering, casing offices and buildings. He thought I had left. He came back and headed to the building owned by McMurray.

The other younger guy is also someone around a lot. He is mouthy, belligerent, entitled and threatened me today. Lying around, smoking, with drugs all day must be exhausting. 

Later on when EPD arrived, the younger guy was obnoxious and rude and insulting to EPD and me. 

In the last couple of years, the druggies and bums are more aggressive and confrontational because the tolerance for them is diminishing. Some of these people are mouthy because they have been misinformed about the law by people who don't know it themselves and by people not affected by their behavior. Instead of handing out sandwiches and blankets once in a while or around the holidays, unless you are opening your house to these two and several others, I don't want to hear what you think. 

The EPD officer was calm and handled it professionally and respectfully.  He gave me some advice and asked me some questions. He explained to the guys why they had to leave. No one was arrested. 

This officer has been with EPD for years. I would name him but I don't want the "anti cop" element to twist him doing his job for their agenda. We have enough of that inaccurate targeting by the lifelong Humboldt anti police element who do nothing but create hate and chaos. When any of them take on the entrenched Humboldt corruption, house a senior or veteran, risk their life every day for doing their job, they can give their two cents.

Before EPD was called, the trespassers had been asked nicely to leave twice. The younger guy's response was to mouth off,  threaten and use his dog to intimidate. All over Eureka, bums, trespassers and criminals argue, threaten and fight back. They attack other homeless people. I walk around all the time. I know the story of many people on the streets. After covering court for 10 years , I know who the few troublemakers are and who is struggling and deserves help. Sitting in ivory towers and on Facebook doesn't give you a clue what people are going through.

EPD had to clean up the trash, cardboard and deal with the heroin cooker because these two hightailed it across the street towards the Courthouse after cussing and trying to bait us. They failed. It is not my job or EPD's to clean up your mess on a property you don't pay for or respect.

I am not going into all the details of what led to me calling EPD because this isn't about someone just "sleeping" or "camping." Homelessness isn't a crime. 

There are those who are respectful and follow laws. Then, there are those like these two. Todd Cravens who broke into the Kaber Law office was just "sleeping" next to a trash can. What did he do when opportunity presented itself?  Cravens had drugs on him when he was arrested and when he was booked into jail.

What is a crime is doing drugs repeatedly on private property. What is a crime is threatening people instead of just moving along when nicely asked more than once. What is a crime is trying to break into private property. What is a crime is being a nuisance and an environmental hazard. What is a crime is preying on others including many struggling themselves who are trying to hold a job, earn some money and be contributing members of society. What is a crime is refusing to give up your habit while your children are being raised by grandparents because you cannot be an adult.

When you have repeatedly been warned about trespassing and not trashing and camping on someone else's property. When you have been asked to leave several times over several months and warned that EPD will be called and you shrug it off like an entitled jerk; when you piss all over someone's private property daily and think it is someone else's job to pick up your trash, dirty cardboard and drug paraphernalia when they come to work in the morning; when you threaten people because you think you have a right to property that you don't pay for and invest in; don't be surprised if your bs isn't tolerated and the police are called. 

There have been incidents all over Eureka that I write about because there are too many.  EPD is out there patrolling and responding to calls from citizens while dealing with several 911 calls.

These incidents don't make headlines because there are no arrests. Resources, help and referrals are made by officers. People are politely asked to move from private property at request of owners, employees and residents.

Most of the businesses and residents and property owners in this area whose offices did not get broken tonight including the Primrose salon owner will not thank me or appreciate what EPD did tonight or what I did. Nor will they change their own behavior and practices which encourages transient and criminal activity.

The same people will not thank me are also the ones who can fix the problem instead EPD has to called out by me which prevented two potential break ins. 

For months, I have walked by the area and said that dumpster being open is an issue. People dig through it night and day and it is easy access to cardboard and hiding stuff they need to until night to get high and drunk. The EPD officer made the same suggestion about a lock on the dumpster and lighting.

If that dumpster was locked, if there was lighting outside certain offices that face the alley and parking lot, this constant activity would not happen and frequently over months. There are people who come in early to work in some of these office buildings. These people ignore and do nothing about these "campers" but whine about potential problems to their landlord and property owner.

I haven't named who these whiners are but they know they didn't have permission to tell anyone to "camp out" when it suits them nor did they inform the property owner that they were encouraging this behavior. These are the same people that leave windows open and don't bother to take security measures but go around making racist remarks and false accusations. Give you one guess which Humboldt County Supervisor is their buddy or at least that is what they believe.

Why don't you "whiners" do your part in keeping where you work and live safe? Many calls to EPD would be unneccesary if people made small, sensible changes to keep their offices and homes safe like locking dumpsters, motion detector lights and not leaving doors and windows open. 

Despite a complete failure by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and Eureka City Council to address the growing onslaught of repeat offenders and belligerent bums and drug addicts, Eureka Police Department does their best to keep citizens and residents safe. Despite the Eureka City Council and administration throwing EPD under the bus to appease political mobs, the officers do their thankless job. I know how they feel.

Now one of those do nothing Eureka City Councilmembers who has been a complete failure in handling crime, safety, housing issues for the working poor, seniors, veterans is the incoming Fourth District Supervisor. 

People with political agendas try to blame law enforcement when they have never seen EPD in the field. They have not seen how EPD officers deal with situations like tonight.

I have direct experience watching EPD on a daily basis. I cannot speak to how other law enforcement handles disturbance/camping calls. I see EPD actively patrol the city, certain areas and keep an eye out for businesses.

EPD would not have to deal with such calls if Humboldt leaders did their job. People shouldn't be on the streets or struggling. This includes those who have a County job and many who are employed. 

Disparity exists because the filthy rich megachurches only care about money and fake churchgoers do not practice the beatitudes. Instead they impose their political, man made dogmas. They should tattoo Matthew 19:24 and other scriptures they ignore instead of telling other people to adhere to Sola Scriptura. 

The most judgemental and callous attitude towards fellow humans I have seen is from the local Catholic churchgoers in Humboldt. There will always be the one or two exceptions and decent people.

The oligarchs and mega churches keep pushing more people into poverty and think the homelessness and crime they created is someone else's job to fix. They can start by paying their fair share of taxes. There should be no exemptions for taxes.

People should not have to sleep on the streets or families forced to rent out a two bedroom to pay the outageous housing costs in Humboldt. Some people chose to be on the streets and no one can force them into housing. There are others who need a break but struggle for years because landlords and property owners rather have empty apartments, MIL, houses and rooms than rent to someone needing a home to keep that job and to get a second chance. Some of these properties are not up to code but in most cases it is selfishness and greed.

I have no compassion for people like these two bums tonight and their heroin cooker. It is easier to get housed if you are a drunk or druggie in affordable or low income housing than if you are a senior or a veteran. There are four year plus waiting lists for every affordable housing resource.

People like these two make it harder for others on the streets who don't fit into the callous society stereotype.

8/4: Same two guys, same time around 8:30 today. Repeat. EPD had to be called out. The older guy is the ringleader. Drunk 24/7.  See him at the Chevron gas station on 4th and near the Courthouse drunk all hours. Has threatened and cussed me out since these incidents.