Chief Douglas defends use
of force against bicyclists, protesters
By Charles Douglas
HUMBOLDT SENTINEL
|  EUREKA
- In the wake of the widely-criticized mass police response
to the disparate protests in the Humboldt Bay area on
Nov. 2, the Eureka Police Department and the California
Highway Patrol have been on the defensive regarding
the conduct of their officers in an interaction with
activists that resulted in injuries and arrests. |
Eureka Councilmembers received a report from Eureka Police
Chief Dave Douglas on Nov. 15 which was long on explanations
but short on explaining how complaints about the conduct of
his officers would be investigated, although he assured the
audience they would be.
“The staging of the process was not overkill,”
he said. “What we did was appropriate.”
Douglas, who suggested an uneven history with Critical Mass
rides in years past, alleged that he had been in been informed
of a plan to block traffic in Eureka in connection with the
protest at the federal protest once the bicyclists arrived,
although the Critical Mass was initiated by Humboldt State
University students unconnected with the World Can’t
Wait event. Centered at the federal courthouse on H Street
and followed by a march on Congressman Mike Thompson’s
office, the protest was sponsored by the Green Party of Humboldt
County and intended to contest the ongoing efforts of President
George W. Bush and the Democratic Party to prolong the U.S.
occupation of Iraq.
“We will not have streets blocked, we will not have
areas blocked,” he said. “We will try to work
with people to get them to comply with lawful orders…if
something happens to someone on either side, we lose.”
Sources close to the EPD told the Humboldt Sentinel last
week that the warning the EPD and CHP received had originated
with the Arcata Police Department after they witnessed the
early stages of the Critical Mass ride around the Plaza. Douglas
himself confessed to having requested aid from unnamed federal
officials, but did not comment on the nature of the unidentified
federal troopers massed within the federal building.
“We heard complaints about people near the post office
obstructing traffic in the roadway by crossing very slowly,”
he said.
Douglas also requested aid from the California Highway Patrol,
which just happened to have a helicopter on rotation landing
in the area that morning. Several activists have claimed the
helicopter and crowd of police on foot and in vehicles was
designed to intimidate peaceful protest. He later attempted
to downplay divisions in the community.
“I have friends on both sides of the issue and most
people were fine,” Douglas said.
Councilmembers and Mayor Peter LaVallee made no comments
on the matter.
Less room for rooms
The Redwood Community Action Agency received an early holiday
gift, as Councilmembers voted unanimously to grant their request
of an amendment to the building code to allow the conversion
of motel rooms into smaller studio apartments intended to
be both bare-bones and affordable. RCAA Executive Director
Lloyd Throne wrote in his request that state funds were available
for his agency to perform such conversions.
“Older hotels are available on the market but have
little value because newer units have been built,” he
stated.
The building code change would only apply to current properties,
with new properties still tied to the established minimum
of 220 square feet according to Public Works Director Michael
Knight.
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