EiC meets EPD
When I was growing up, I remember someone explaining to me why assaulting a police officer was more significant than someone assaulting a plain-old-citizen. “If someone’s going to assault someone who carries a gun and has police authority,” the person said, “imagine what they’d do to someone without those things. They’re doubly dangerous.”
In the North Coast Journal this week, editor in chief Carrie Peyton Dahlberg describes her treatment when she attempted to observe and document police activity in the main library’s parking lot. It’s important reading for anyone who lives, works, or shops in Eureka.
If the police act like this to someone who has already identified themselves as an employee of a local newsweekly, what do they do to regular folk? And what do you think the police must think of the local press’ willingness to report what they observe?
Brava, Carrie Peyton Dahlberg. Brava! In my opinion, Eureka should honor you as citizen of the year.
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/2013/02/28/good-cops-arent-afraid-cameras/
(Posted by Mitch. Contact the Herald: missingheraldo@gmail.com)
Leave a Reply
Recent Comments
 | typist jobs working… on The House that Arkley bui… |
 | Anonymous on Quick Notes |
 | Flying Duck on Quick Notes |
 | Advantage Conditioni… on Happy Sink o’ de Ma… |
| Anonymous on Eureka Fair Wage Act — W… |
| Anonymous on Quick Notes |
 | Thirdeye on EiC meets EPD |
Top Posts & Pages
If memory serves me a citizen had their camera out and was taking photos at the time Martin Cotton was being arrested and beaten by the Mission. The police confiscated the camera and threatened the citizen with arrest. The video could have made short work of the cover up that followed. Citizens need to know,, in fact be assured, that they have the right to use their cameras. Thank you Carrie Peyton Dahlberg.
Thank you for this reporting Carrie. I know that speaking out with your name attached in a small town requires some chutzpah.
Just remember that suppression of your 1st ammendment rights under color of authority is a felony and proceed.
have a peaceful day, and enjoy it,
Bill
Sometimes onlookers interfer, intentionally or not, with crime scenes. Perhaps the cops were rude and/or perhaps this lady was getting in the way and had an entitlement attitude.
Dear objective and unbiased,
The NCJ article goes to great lengths to make clear how all involved behaved. You are free to not believe the article, and to believe instead that a newsweekly’s editor in her 50s went out of her way to disrupt police activity, just because she felt like it. You are even free to believe that the newsweekly’s editor had an “entitlement attitude.”
You’re fairly revealing of your values, however, when you declare an American reporter’s Constitutionally-protected attempt to document public police activity might involve an “entitlement attitude.” I confess I myself have an “entitlement attitude” to my first amendment rights. That’s because, like all Americans, I’m entitled to them.
And to KM (or whatever the nasty, crazy spammer wants to call itself today),
I’m not entitled to graffiti my ideas all over someone else’s property, or insist that a newspaper or blog carry my words. I’m not entitled to insist that a TV or radio program invite my appearance, or to insist that a club invite my band to perform. But I’m entitled to say what I wish, and to observe things in public.
Has it taken you this long to catch on? I’ve been threatened by the local cops when photographing them before — even by the PCS rent-a-cops they used to have running around Old Town a few years back.
The EPD even closed off the spigot and stopped sending the Humboldt Sentinel their press releases for a few weeks last year just because they didn’t like our coverage of their (arguably unconstitutional) DUI checkpoints which catch fewer drunk drivers than patrols do (but they sure do bring in that federal grant money). Another law enforcement agency got into some serious hot water for playing games like that recently.
It was that exact ‘public servant’ Drake Goodale who gave me my only non-traffic violation conviction in my life — jaywalking in Arcata when he was on the force there. Admittedly, this was in 1999, and my hair may have been too long at the time. He’s now the Old Town patrol, and he sure does behave like he owns the place.
These are the sorts of issues a police review committee would be able to assess…but politicians across the spectrum, despite their previous expressions of openness or even support, have quietly dropped any actual effort to make this a reality.
Mitch, the author was hardly objective & unbiased in this incident. It was also one sided and had no comments from the officers. I am not saying the writer is wrong but I am reserving judgement until I hear both sides.
You however made up your mind without all the facts.
I’m wondering why “News Channel 3 – “The Spirit of the North Coast” hasn’t picked up this story. Seems to me Chief Harpham has some “splannin to do.” I left a message on KIEM’s Facebook page to this effect. I suggest others go there and do the same. https://www.facebook.com/KIEMNewsChannel3?ref=ts&fref=ts
There is a history of cops misusing their authority in this area. From the Lost Coast Outpost: The investigation concludes that Stonebarger violated APD codes of conduct by disclosing his status as a police officer to gain influence, using his badge improperly, and treating a member of the public discourteously. On July 16, after the internal investigation was completed, Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman disciplined Stonebarger by reassigning him from the Drug Task Force. http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2013/jan/18/drug-task-force-crew-parks-illegally-pho-tien-long/
O & U,
You’re right. I did make up my mind without hearing both sides.
But history matters. Reputations matter. And history and reputation lead me to believe the report of the NCJ editor. Were it a different reporter, I might not make up my mind as quickly. Were it a different police force, I might not make up my mind as quickly.
If facts come out that prove I made up my mind too quickly, I’ll happily admit it, eat my hat, whatever. And, as Peyton Dahlberg says, sometimes an officer just has a bad day. But you know, in this area, you don’t exactly do yourself a professional favor by criticizing law enforcement. It would make no sense to me that Peyton Dahlberg would intentionally create and then print a story that many in the business community won’t like one bit.
I’m neither jury nor judge. If I were sitting on a jury (which I wouldn’t be, since I’d be disqualified based on my comments), I’d listen to all the evidence before reaching a conclusion. Same if I were a judge. As a blogger, I’m willing to reach a conclusion based on what I’ve already seen.
Of course she’s in her right to nose in on what was happening with the bust and I’m sure she and her retired Public Defender husband are pleased with themselves. It seems like a bit frivolous though and quite contrived. The Cops come off as creepy as Ms. Dahlberg does herself. An ugly incident all the way around. A blow for journalistic freedom? Feh.
The glee of the liberal, a cop bashing story.
No glee here. I wish all cops were as honest and professional as the guys on Adam-12. But I was working at Fifth and F when the Cheri Moore shooting took place at Fifth and G. When I left for lunch, a colleague with a radio scanner told me she’d agreed to come down for a sandwich or a candy bar or cigarette or something similar. When I came back, she was dead.
Obviously, the cops in this story aren’t “honest cops”. Except no one has heard their side of the story. Other than that, I live in the fantasy world of Adam-12.
Pretty much every law enforcement press release is published verbatim by the “newspapers” and by various local blogs. I’ve yet to hear anyone ask that “the other side” be printed simultaneously with the police press release.
The officers will not have much trouble getting their side out. But if they’d like to put their description of the event here they are more than welcome to. Just email missingheraldo@gmail.com if you want to prove your identity first, or comment right here. Unfortunately, there would be no way to know if you are who you say you are if you just choose to comment here.
I miss HEERALDO! WAAHHHHHhhhhhHHHhhaaauhuhuhWAAAAAAAAAAA ! !
sniff.
WAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Drake is a good guy. I miss him on the Arcata beat. Eureka is too tough and there are too many scary meth addicts there. Drake, come back to Arcata!
The only public employees the right has any respect for is the police. They bitch about long wait times or rudeness at public agencies but defend cops even when they use unlawful authority to abuse citizens. I have never been rudely treated at the post office or DMV, but II was once asked if I “wanted to be arrested” for asking a cop if he had entered my home without permission with no one home, as my neighbor reported she had seen him do. He wouldn’t answer. I regret to this day not filing a complaint.
Mark Sailors,
Feel free to repost with the nasty reference removed.
Which nasty reference would that be?
The one referring to someone as a piece of shit, Mark. No name calling here.
Oh…sorry about that one.
will re-post a little later lunch is over now.
“And to KM (or whatever the nasty, crazy spammer wants to call itself today),” -Mitch
Hey, what about no name calling?
Good point. I should have said, “and to KM, or whatever the person whose comments I keep deleting wants to call his or herself today.” Sorry.
Unless they are Unionized of course. The right won’t be happy until all govt. agencies are privatized.
How about forming a citizens camera brigade? Say about 20 or so armed with cameras and police scanners who show up at every police stop, stay as far away as they can, yet visible to the police, cameras recording, deployed in a circle around the crime scene. I wonder what the cops would do? Call out the SWAT team perhaps?
Surround the police with 20 cameras?!? Right, good plan.
So close, Anonymous 6:09. But no, libtard is not acceptable. Here’s your comment with the nastiness censored:
Mitch, you are worse than what you call foul in this post. Censorship is wrong.
Anonymous 9:42,
I’ve deleted the other insults to various people that turned up overnight, and discussions of the Herald as opposed to the topic. I’ve kept your statement regarding me, so that I can reply.
I’m not deleting posts to favor any set of views. Just as happens to many who deal with the public, some people are convinced I’m for side A, others that I’m for side B. Of course I have my political opinions, and I’m rarely hesitant to share them. But I’m doing my best not to allow my opinions to affect the moderation. (Others have the ability to moderate here as well, and I can’t speak for them.)
Instead, I’m trying, not particularly successfully, to create a place that is more hospitable to intelligent discussion by all people. That requires, among other things, that people not think they are lowering themselves into a cesspit when they think about contributing. That means that nasty comments, off-topic personal attacks, and so on, all have to go.
Some out there consider that censorship. We have different understandings of the term. I view it as graffiti removal. There are plenty of places on the web where people can continue to spray graffiti — the Herald is now occupied by people who will attempt to scrub it off when it shows up. Try telling a newspaper that they are censoring you by not carrying your letter to the editor, and they will probably disagree. Try telling a publisher that they are censoring you by not publishing your book, and they will probably disagree. Every privately operated discussion forum has its own way of deciding what they will allow and what they will disallow. For some, that may be “everything goes.” For others, that may be “toe the party line.” For the Herald, it means discuss the topic rather than the Herald, and act as though you are civilized.
The Herald belongs to Heraldo, whoever that might be. If Heraldo wishes to return, I’m happy to continue here or leave. In the meantime, unfortunately, I’m stuck holding the keys and trying to keep it going.
I’m breaking my rule here, which is to delete the discussions of the blog rather than respond to them. I’m not 100% consistent and freely admit that. I’m just doing the best I can. And I’ll resume deleting the insults and the discussions of the Herald, including responses to this comment.
Mitch , you are so biased you can not even see it. Again can you even see with that log in your eye? You are ridged idiolouge except when you are a vacillating idiolouge..
I support the censorship you describe provided that its limited to insults and such. Please use it wisely and most of us won’t even notice it. For those that are tripping, grow up and communicate as if you were face to face.
It was pointing a camera at CHP Officer Scott Powell that caused him to punch me on 11/17/11 on the bridge over 101 in Garberville.
The truth will out – in court. Will keep you posted.
Oh yeah,with regards to the story….I know Drake and he’s a good guy. Intense yes, bad cop no. I would like to hear both sides of the story, but from what I read in the NCJ, seems he made a boo boo. However, we all need to put ourselves in the shoes of police given their salary and the scum bags they deal with on a daily basis. They are human just like the rest of us. So many people are quick to point out their mistakes but rarely praise them for the good job they do. Hopefully, they will make a gesture to the public and apologize for the camera incident.
I wonder. . .is carrying and using a camera a constitutionally protected right? What about a TV camera? With lights? Do you need a license? What if it’s concealed?
Ok, that’s weird. I know there was a comment posted the other day, and now; nothing. I’ve been disappeared? Strange, maybe it didn’t post? I could have sworn I saw it in blue. So it must have posted. Watch where you step! I dropped it somewhere around here, so keep your eyes open.
I haven’t deleted any of your comments, but there are other people who may be moderating, or who knows.
That happens to me all the time Mitch. Completely civil and on-topic posts are present for a while and then just disappear for no apparent reason and without comment. ZIP~
Thanks for reporting that, 7:23. Beats me, probably literally. Bottom line, don’t try to work with a web site or blog you don’t really control. Lesson learned, even if I’m slow on the uptake.
The Humboldt Herald it seems to me has been under attack by one or more professional trolls/disruptors for several months. Everyone needs to chill until its straigtened out.
One thing that happens is that a skillful troll can cause people who normally get along ok to start to despise each other, often by spoofing identities in back channel off blog communications, thus raising the ire of innocent people. Kind of like George Bush attacking Iraq because 16 Saudis and a Yemeni or two hijacked some airliners and took down the World Trade Center.
Those of you who are all of a sudden fighting each other unexpectedly need to consider that someone is intentionally stirring up trouble between you.
Step back, everyone, take a deep breath, relax, forgive and forget. Work towards making the HH at least as functional as it was in the past. At this point that will take forgiving each other and moving on positively.
That’s my 2 cents.
So who was the “skillful troll”, the hijackers or George Bush? 2cts is one of the more skillful trolls I’ve seen on here. Very subtle, yet inflaming. BRAVO!
Those of you who are all of a sudden fighting each other unexpectedly need to consider that someone is intentionally stirring up trouble between you.
Step back, everyone, take a deep breath, relax, forgive and forget. Work towards making the HH at least as functional as it was in the past. At this point that will take forgiving each other and moving on positively.
That’s my 2 cents.
Mitch, my comment: ” I have a solution to your problem with the slander-trolls. Offer to allow any post to go through that has a person’s real name, or linked-to-real-name; attached to it. I seriously doubt any of the vile and vulgar crowd would post such garbage when people know who they are. It would take way more guts (or stupidity) to attack people without the Elfin cloak of invisibility.
But you threw in your 2 and a half cents the first time by putting in a dig about George Bush. If you practice what you preach, go ahead and apologize, we’ll forgive you, and we can move on positively.
If ya can’t stay on topic – in a way, you’re all trolls!
Good Morning!
And to Mike Wallace – I’m not sure the answer to all your questions – but a concealed camera is NOT OK. The parties must be aware. Esp. should you wish to use your footage as evidence.
Though I suppose, if you were up in a window well away…..it might depend.
Would that apply to those who slander our elected politicians? Even conservative ones?
There is nothing genuinely conservative about a politician who would squander billions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of lives to fight a war based on the supposed threat of “weapons of mass destruction” that never existed.
I doubt you understand anything about conservatives and you probably have no interaction with any.
No *true* Scotsman would every squander money and lives.
The topic is: In the North Coast Journal this week, editor in chief Carrie Peyton Dahlberg describes her treatment when she attempted to observe and document police activity in the main library’s parking lot.
It’s an interesting topic – could we talk about IT?
You missed “Braveheart” ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
Mitch, good job on this post. Keep it up.
All I’ve got to say is that when you can keep the likes of a Murl Harpham in charge to protect his legacy with his so-called “tough cops,” Eureka gets exactly what it deserves. A gun and a badge does NOT make a life any more important than anyone else.
I make a clear distinction between “slander” and “criticism.” To “slander” someone is really not ok, regardless. Real criticism, is very valuable and is protected by the 1st Amendment. Not to sound like a scratched record, but why are so many people hiding anyway? The First Amendment is like a muscle, if you don’t exercise it, it’ll stop working.
” Fuck The Police ” …right? We need cameras with triggers on them! Did we ever get to see the video of Martin Cotton thrashing around in his jail cell? That video was withheld by the DOJ…wait there was no video! The sheriff lied,the coroner lied,and the police lied. Yup these people of authority need to stoned to death by the people. My video is titled “Eureka Police Brutality” … Shows Officer Laird beating up an old dude! Crazy aye? The video was a little shaky,but then again I was scared for the old dude’s life at the time. I was there and I actually had the officers call an ambulance for the poor guy. Anyways,make sure you take them memory cards out immediately after filming. Cops like to confiscate cameras to tweak the video and get it back to you months later! All cops are crooked especially Eureka cops. I do not recommend using cameras with internal hard drives to film crooked cops.
Who was THE guy that witnessed Martin Cotton’s death in the Humco jail? Martin http://www.gunlistings.org/uploads/1_pistols_eaa_witness_40_wacc_93000.jpgwas drugged into his jail cell by police. He wasnt resisting or putting up a fight according to witnesses in the jail cell next to Martin Cotton. The jail cameras were shut off and the deputies did not know which witness came forward w/this crucial information. Martin Cotton had a hood over his head when he was half dead and drugged to a holding tank within the jail. The sheriff stated…”we have video of Martin Cotton banging his head into the wall and fighting w/deputies”. Yeah right? The people haven’t seen that video yet! But if I didn’t have that one witness,all it would take is a deputy under the hood to stage this whole ordeal and cover up a murder. The Humco law enforcement family will kill you and lie their asses to save their lil bullshit jobs. I believe these same people that killed Martin,killed my friend Jon “Jungle” Poschman.
Sad and true (though not of ALL cops) – the video portion of my camera’s contents were deleted at the jail (I suppose if you end up under arrest that’s almost a given these days – at least if your footage shows the police in a less than flattering light). But they left the stills…oops!
Never give up!
Don’t get arrested, it works for me.
“I believe these same people that killed Martin,killed my friend Jon “Jungle” Poschman.”
And your belief is based on what?
He’s just stirring up hate in the hopes of a reaction, which makes me impulsively think he’s probably part of the local Copwatch.
Just to be clear, I think Copwatch’s goal is admirable, but they seem to stretch the truth to make their stories more believable, their ‘witnesses’ are often those with grudges against the police to begin with, etc. These and other things makes them lose credibility and sound like a bunch of paranoid conspiracy theorists, which brings down what they’re trying to achieve IMO. The EPD DOES dirty stuff, but embellishing it isn’t necessary and it just makes Copwatch look bad.
NCJ’s publisher follows up, supports her editor. http://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/2013/03/07/waiting-answers/
EPD being bullies? Nothing new.
EPD stopping you for doing nothing wrong (such as riding a bike while wearing earmuffs), while frantically searching their little cheat-sheets for the citation code? Nothing out of the ordinary.
EPD putting you in cuffs whilst trying to pull the ‘hidden blade’ out of a wooden sword (plus having 3 more cars show up, and their respective officers trying as well), and when unsuccessful (since there’s no hidden blade in a boken, you morons), they confiscate it anyway? It happens.
While the last example (which happened to me a few summers ago) was amusing — or at least the part where of a trio of cops were taking turns twisting, turning, tapping & knocking on a stick was — none of them got in trouble for it in spite of me making a complaint. I hope the NCJ lady has better luck.
Ok. It’s been a week without any new posts here. Time to roll this blog up and shut ‘er down. No sense in cluttering cyberspace up with another dead blog.
Yah. And shut down the Humboldt Mirror, too.
I left the same message there, except nothing new there for 3 months.
It’s kinda like watching someone on life support……waiting for the doctor to come in and pull the plug.
Sohum Parlance II is pretty grim also. Are all the blog masters at a democrat conference without internet access? I really miss the Humboldt Mirror.
EPD, keep fighting the fight. Reminds me of the New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh. Imagine what Eureka would be like without them.
The North Coast Journal is morphing into the Heraldo paper though.
“Remember that it is not by a tyrant’s words, but only by his deeds that we can know him”
@ F.M. Why? With such a lively and intelligent debate still raging on this post? If trollage weren’t such a pain, I suppose there might be more posts – but it’s pretty amazing anyone tries to keep this blog going what with the likes of……
In spite of ‘trollage’ I rather like this blog – don’t let’em get ya down Mitch (and you others).
“Every tyrant who has lived has believed in freedom – for himself”
This blog is officially dead…..
Time to listen to the Monte Python bit: “I’m not dead……”
“This blog is officially dead…”
And yet somehow I doubt this will be your last visit.
It’s sick and twisted to send comments to a dead blog.
Hey look everyone…….BJ’s back!!
Just Watchin declares the HH dead but his obsession over PJ lives on. How sad.
Who’PJ?
this blog is dead like the former comblock governments. RIP libtards
See the Ed Show tonight – He is interviewing the guy who made the 47% tape that killed Mitt Romney’s Presidential bid. That ought to get your blood flowing (internally, I mean.)
Mitch or Eric: Perhaps you can post this story for those of us without TVs.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45755822/
Stirring endlessly: Thank you for that link. An interesting diversion as we wait with baited breath for the next post from Mitch or Eric or Heraldo.
Sorrt jr……I hear there won’t be any. R.I.P.
I think the moderators have died of AIDES. Should have been a clue when Heraldo died.
No (sic) even? I do not know how you rise above it.
I don’t think Heraldo died. I heard he went to the Northcoast Outpost.
Of course some think that is the same thing.
he probably figured he was superfluous what with the existence of the LoCo, just like he supplanted that other guy, what was that “big” blog before him?…really this blog is ripe for a takeover! i would do it but…oh, why bother…but really someone could start putting new posts if they wanted to, i’d just say, hey eric, whaddayathink?
Why doesn’t Bill take it over? Every third post is by him anyway.
Wow, shut down without a word. You know this means someone did die, got arrested, or is having that sex change procedure.
Or maybe kidnapped by the Huffington Post.
AFTER 6 YEARS OF moderating you idiots, i mean us (we?) idiots it is completely understandable that H would take a H…
he went out on top, si?
c’est la vie…
Or to use a Santa Barbara street name he opted to salsepuedes.
It looks like the progs have left town. Must have got transferred to a different Walmart.
The fact that comment # 94 was posted proves the Humboldt Herald is not dead, but merely sleeping.
The fact that message # 94 was posted proves the Humboldt Herald is not dead, but merely sleeping.
No H is did not go out on top. He is a fugitive from the law.
the herald LIVES!
One way or another…
Sorry about the advertisement YouTube sneaked in there. You can skip it if you’d like.
The point remains: Rock and Roll, like the spirit of the Humboldt Herald, and like the spirit of Joe Hill before them, will never die.
Never say die. Keep on posting.
fuggit i’m taking over this blog…
manana…
its mine now…why not?
see you then…
this is my first post in my take over of Heraldo’s blog, i’m not sure if he cares but here i am…
Mea Culpa Dept…
i want to apologize for being a jerk. this winter i was alone in the rain with no phone calls, emails, or visitors, just completely alone, miserable, depressed–i was pressing the inbox button over and over hoping for a message. i had alienated all my friends; i asked the last one to give me another chance and he did. he helped me to realize that maybe i was in this situation because i’ve spent the last few decades out here annoying and pissing people off.
then one day i was driving into town and as an exercise i visualized each fellow resident of the small village of about 200 people where i’d lived for 25 years: i noticed i had pissed off practically everyone! (90, 95%!) could that be why i’m alone, miserable, unloved, and untouched today? at that point, traveling along the winding mattole river road i smiled and laughed through my tears…did i finally get it?
then i did a little test driving from redway to garberville: i counted the people who i’d annoyed and pissed off (mostly because of my mouth) driving the other way and in five minutes identified six. oh shit, i may be the most annoying person in SoHum!
i want to be a better person, not just say everything i think, unedited. i used to think that the highest value was to be totally open and honest but my friend convinced me that that honesty thing is a crock. that’s not the way to get along in society–should i learn how to lie?
i stopped crying and started laughing, at who i am, the truth was setting me free and though it was not a happy truth it seemed enlightening…and then i went out and immediately annoyed three more people, including my doctor– oh well, old habits are hard to break?
anyway i am sorry i’ve been annoying and pissing you off all these years.
(here’s a little “poem” i just wrote on day two of my takeover of the HH)
Touch Me
could you text me
thirsty in the desert
could you touch me
hungry in the orchard
the turd time bomb went off
septic system ruptured
there’s nothing like renegade turds
floating in the backyard
to galvanize the senses
meanwhile your humble hole
halfway up the mountain
embraces yesterday’s quinoa
loving kiss of light and fertilizer
so why am i so under your spell
missing you after running away
can loneliness be this vast
we have herd mentality
a king without a crown…
Nice website there for you. Very tidy I like a lot with razzle dazzle add-ons. But this would be great in the field however its cost. So I look next to the forward reports. Much enthusiasm expecting the politics to result.
Herald is dead, Mirror is dead, neither will be missed.