Political theorists’
attempt to transfer to Homeless Court denied
Court Land
By Charles Douglas
HUMBOLDT SENTINEL
EUREKA - Is it ever O.K. to ride your bike the wrong way
down a one-way street?
|  This
is the question to be resolved in People vs. Michael
Winterhalter, who is better known as ‘Quarter
Mike,’ a homeless political theorist who frequents
downtown Arcata and alleges a massive conspiracy involving
law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s
office, current and former government officials and
their allies in the local media.
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On Wednesday Winterhalter could be found at the county courthouse
entering a plea of not guilty on two counts of violating the
state vehicle code on the evening of June 17. Presiding was
Judge J. Michael Brown, who had little patience for Winterhalter’s
claims of being improperly shuffled around the legal system
and denied Winterhalter’s request to have his original
assignment to Judge Feeny and his Homeless Court program restored.
“There is no Homeless Court,” Brown claimed.
Winterhalter is charged with violations of Vehicle Code section
21657 for riding the wrong way down a one-way street and Vehicle
Code section 22450 (a) for failing to stop a t a stop sign.
An earlier charge of driving a bicycle without a license was
dropped previous to the Dec. 15 hearing.
“It’s not illegal to have a bicycle,” Winterhalter
claimed in a later interview.
Yet Winterhalter’s request to set aside the charges
due to the closure of the street where he is alleged to have
committed his moving violations was denied brusquely.
“A bicycle is a vehicle, sir,” Brown said.
The judge also dismissed Winterhalter’s plea for mercy
as a 59-year-old on disability, which might preclude the likelihood
of his being able to afford to pay the tickets. Brown then
assigned his case to the routine criminal court calendar of
Judge Morrison. Brown later stormed out of his courtroom immediately
after Winterhalter repeated his request for a transfer of
venue.
Outside the courtroom, Winterhalter spared no rhetorical
expense in lambasting local media and political figures for
their alleged involvement in a massive conspiracy, which evidently
is supposed to include a $20,000 reward offered by a local
tabloid publisher to Arcata Police Chief Randy Mendosa to
“drive me out of town.” Winterhalter when pressed
said he had no evidence of this accusation, although he related
a number of encounters with the police which led him to believe
he was targeted.
“[The officer] hunted me down, even though the Plaza
was closed,” Winterhalter said. “In Homeless Court
it’s about helping people, but instead they’re
trying to [hurt] me.”
Winterhalter’s incident does place him on the Plaza
as preparations were underway for the Oyster Festival on June
18, when streets around the Plaza were closed to motor vehicles.
“They had already set up 15 gazebo tents, the hay bales
were being set up on the corners and only delivery cars and
trucks had access,” he said.
Winterhalter said the private security personnel present
were present when he approached the Plaza and waved him through,
giving their tacit approval to his counter-traffic trip down
Eighth Street near the Bank of America.
“The road was basically closed one block in every direction
around the Plaza,” Winterhalter said. “Lots of
other people were riding their bikes.”
Police logs reveal a curious timing to Winterhalter’s
encounter with the police, occurring on the same evening when
vandals stole a fire extinguisher from Jacoby Storehouse after
discharging it in the building. To Quarter Mike, this is proof
positive of a misplaced set of enforcement priorities.
Winterhalter was directed to the Public Defender’s
office regarding information on the Homeless Court, a new
program to divert destitute individuals charged with infractions
or misdemeanors to a special traveling courtroom under Feeny’s
auspices. Trials of the Homeless Court would take place closer
to the frequent haunts of the homeless and with consequences
of community service to utilize the surplus labor available
in the homeless community, as opposed to cash fines which
are unlikely to be paid.
Assistant Public Defender Christina Allbright directed Winterhalter
to St. Vincent de Paul’s offices on G Street, where
he was told he would have to be assigned a case manager to
implement the process. Even the workers in the non-profit
agency were not spared the suspicion of Winterhalter.
“This is evil, these guys are scum,” he said.
Winterhalter’s trial is scheduled for Thursday, Jan.
26 at 2:30 p.m. at the county courthouse.
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