Expecting mothers are worried about how COVID-19 immunization will affect themselves and their growing baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Tens of thousands of pregnant women have been immunized with no complications, and they will pass along antibodies for COVID to the infant while nursing.
Nevertheless, few pregnant women in Del Norte County are immunized against COVID-19. With our high rates of disease transmission and the fact that pregnant women get more sick when they contract the virus, immunization is urgent.
For more information, check out our video and visit https://covid19.ca.gov/ .
Homelessness SUCKS. Food insecurity, exposure to the elements, and insufficient rest all contribute to that difficult life. And because of these factors, the COVID-19 pandemic is even more threatening to people who are homeless.
Luckily, there are steps an unhoused person can take to protect themselves! Wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer, getting immunized, and safely socially isolating as much as possible are things they can do to help keep themselves safe. Del Norte county has many resources that offer help.
Masks and sanitizers are available at:
-Rural Human Services on 286 M Street
-The Department of Health and Human Services on 880 Northcrest Drive
-Community Assistance Network on 355 Standard Veneer
The Redwood Voice team went out to find out the vaccination situation for houseless and low income individuals. After several interviews we gathered enough information to give you the following video:
The Yurok Tribe and the Klamath Community Services District signed a permit to initiate the installation of a much needed 125,000 gallon water tank on a tribally owned property in Klamath Using a combination of general fund and Indian Health Service grant dollars, the Tribe is funding the design and implementation of this forward looking project, which will greatly improve KCSD’s water storage capacity.
“We are happy to work with KCSD on making our community more water secure,” said Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “In addition to improving water security, the new tank will support the ongoing expansion of our Tribe. Right now, we are in the middle of a major growth period. We are starting new businesses, creating jobs and building recreation al facilities for all reservation residents. I would like to thank the Indian Health Service for investing in our community.”
“I am really excited about this project and what it means for our community,” added Yurok Tribal Council Member Ryan Ray, who represents the Requa District. “I look forward to working with KCSD so that together we can ensure the water system has the capacity to meet the community’s needs now and in the future. We need a system that can support the growth of our community, especially when it comes to facilities like the emergency operation center. The signing of the agreement represents the first step toward the completion of this critically important project.”
Signed by Chairman James and KCSD Board President Margaret Caldwell, the permit allows the services district to construct the new tank on tribal lands. The KCSD will own and operate the system. The Tribe has already completed the engineering work for the tank installation. The Yurok Planning and Community Development Department will soon distribute a request for bids, which will be used to select a contractor to implement the project.
As a young person in Del Norte, I have seen that vaping is an issue affecting other young people. And I’m not the only one to notice this. A group of Del Norte High School students, part of the organization, Storm,which stands for, standing together and overcoming addiction with a radical movement. led by the NorCal4Health project director, Amber Wier, Went to the City Council meeting on Monday, January 10th, asking them to help with stopping vaping issue hurting our fellow teens. Storm told the council about their experiences with vaping and to ask the city to implement a tobacco retail license, especially one that would ban flavored vape products or limit the places where youth can see these products, with some of the members giving personal stories of their families experiences and some sharing more overall experiences that the youth faced.
When the members of STORM were giving their presentation and sharing their stories, some members had brought up that it was impossible to use the restroom during their breaks, and Council Member Smith said,
“I’m very very concerned that its that big of a problem at Del Norte County High School, where all the kids go to, and the reason I’m concerned is because obviously the staff isn’t doing anything about it. That’s my concern, where’s the staff? Where’s the staff when this is going on in the bathrooms?”
But what would you want the school to do? The current admins are already busy enough dealing with what they already have to do, and even if they hired new people for this, it would cause outrage in a second. Think about this, if the school hired people just to watch their kids inside the bathroom, every single parent would be calling to complain about the invasion of privacy going on at the school, and if they were outside the room, it would be impossible to catch anyone vaping since it’s so easy to hide. Vape pens can be slightly larger than a USB drive. It’s really easy to hide it in a sleeve, glove, pocket, or even in a backpack. In order for the school to be able to catch these vapes, there would be a huge price to pay in the privacy of students, and also a price on the taxpayers for the school to be able to afford the new monitoring systems. And on top of that, no matter what the school put in place, the students could still have their vapes
When the meeting was going on, I decided to contact youth I knew who vaped and tried to find out what their experience with vaping is. None of them wanted to share their names, but I’ll let you know what they told me. I asked all of them if they use nicotine vapes or something else, and if they were flavored. All but 1 told me that they used nicotine vapes, and EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. told me that they have only used flavored vapes. One of them told me, “Yes. the flavored ones are the only ones people get, they’re targeted at teenagers. Everyone knows its bad. It’s just the mentality.” When the youth themselves are saying that they only use the flavored vapes, its something we should consider taking action against.
The council also talked about how they thought this was a parenting issue, with members saying,
Smith: “Us as a local government, it’s not our job to parent these kids. It’s their parents’s job.”
Inscore: “I agree”
Greenough: “And I’ll just kinda piggyback off that, It really feels like we’re gonna try and parent the parents by limiting their choices.”
But it ignores where most of the students are getting their vapes, Their friends. When talking to these people who vaped, some of them told be they didn’t want their name attached, just because they were worried of their parents finding out, because their parents didn’t know about it, so if the parents don’t know their kids vape, it’s not something that the parents can fix.
I also asked them how their friends who did buy them got their vapes. I was told that some of them did buy them in town, and while this wasn’t all of them, it’s something to consider since even one of the store owners said in the meeting, “The state can pull my license if I sell underage.” but someone is still selling them to youth, so the current California licenses don’t completely stop these sales since it’s still happening.
After the presentation, when the board was discussing if they should do anything, Council Member Inscore said,
“Does big tobacco have the right to try to make money in our community? And if you guys don’t see it that way I’ll respect your opinions, but the bottom line is you’re defending the right for big business to make money at the expense of the health of our citizens, and we know that. There’s no doubt that that’s what they’re doing. They’re making billions of dollars at the cost of our health.”
At the end of the discussion, the council agreed to discuss this further at a late meeting.
The whole discussion between Storm, The City Council, and the public comments was really interesting to watch, and I’d recommend anyone who has some free time to watch it. It’s available at the City of Crescent City, California Youtube page, with the video that was streamed live on January 10th, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTYz3vXP0g , with the vaping discussion happening between 42:00 and 2:39:14
I’ll finish this off by saying one last thing. People often say that the youth are our future, and right now, some of the youth are telling you that vaping is a problem and that it is hurting their future. Maybe we should listen to them and see what’s going on
The audio version of this PSA, as made for radio—by Persephone Rose.
Nourish yourself, mind and body, with Coastal Connections’ new cooking class for youth aged 14-21! Over the course of 6 sessions, develop your cooking prowess and learn to mix it up in your diet! It’s free, hands-on, and sure to be a whole lot of fun. Explore a growing healthier relationship with food preparation, cooking, and of course the fun part: eating! Registration includes a student workbook, nutrition resources, and even raffle prizes for each class to assist in building your very own healthy living toolbox.
This class comes both virtually and in-person. The virtual series will be happening every Monday from January 31st to March 14th, 3pm and 4:30pm on Zoom. The in-person series will be happening every Thursday from January 20th to February 24th, 4pm to 5:30pm at the site itself.
For more information you can call (707)464-3060, or stop down at Coastal Connections down on 475 K Street in Downtown Crescent City, California. Again, that’s (707)464-3060. Come cook with us!
On December 6th, the Fortuna City Council passed an ordinance that would criminalize camping throughout most of the city. Officials say it’s a much-needed remedy to problems caused by unhoused residents, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California says the proposed regulations are both illegal and cruel.
The ordinance would make it a misdemeanor for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use “camp paraphernalia” in residential and commercial zones that cover the majority of the city’s jurisdiction. It would criminalize camping in any public place between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. — plus the hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. “unless there are no sleeping spaces practically available in any shelter or if there does not exist any viable alternative to sleeping in a public place.”
At the December 6 council meeting, city councilmembers Mike Johnson and Jeremy Stanfield said they hope the ordinance has “teeth” to deal with people who’ve been sleeping in front of businesses and in other public places. Councilmember Mike Losey agreed, saying, “I think our citizens are just going to relish being able to call in and report some of these violations and then see action taken to stop some of this.”
The Fortuna City Council conducted a second reading of the proposed ordinance and again voted unanimously to implement it. The new anti-camping laws will take effect on Jan. 19th.
As first reported by the Times-Standard, City Attorney Ryan Plotz crafted the ordinance, with input from Fortuna Police Chief Casey Day, to address complaints about the local homeless population while attempting to navigate the terms of the landmark 2018 Martin v. Boise ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District.
In that case, the Ninth Circuit panel found that it’s unconstitutional to charge criminal penalties “for sitting, sleeping, or lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter.” The Eighth Amendment bars punishing a person “for lacking the means to live out the ‘universal and unavoidable consequences of being human,’” the court found.
Day said his department’s approach will begin with a “soft launch” of the ordinance, offering education and literature to the city’s unhoused offenders while working with partner organizations. Even with habitual offenders — those who refuse to adhere to the city’s ordinance and refuse help — the department plans to issue some kind of “warning citation” before charging them with a crime.
City Councilmember Mike Losey asked whether his officers will “make some effort to determine whether there are beds available in Eureka, say, at the homeless shelter.” Day said it would be their “overarching goal to provide that type of assistance.” In the event that they find someone “open minded” and seeking help, he said “we really do try to facilitate that by making those phone calls and/or even, in past practice, arranging transportation to those facilities.”
The City of Fortuna does not have any homeless shelters, however in interviews with the Outpost, City Manager Merritt Perry and Plotz said police officers have offered to drive people to shelters in Eureka and Arcata.
The decision has caused many cities across the western United States, including Eureka, to redraft their own anti-camping ordinances. It’s also left a good deal of confusion in its wake as cities grapple with the lack of specifics in the ruling. Plotz said courts have struggled to interpret the language in the Boise decision for not being specific enough to provide real guidance. Fortuna’s ordinance bans camp paraphernalia, which it says “includes, but is not limited to, tents or tent-like structures, cots, hammocks, personal cooking facilities and similar equipment.” The definition explicitly excludes blankets, sleeping bags or bedrolls. A lot will be left up to individual officers’ discretion, he said.
The Boise decision “doesn’t specify a distance in terms of what’s considered available or not,” Plotz said in a phone interview. “It’s one of the areas that Boise has received some criticism from the League of California Cities for not providing that type of detailed guidance.”
Perry told the Outpost that Fortuna approaches the issue of homelessness regionally. When Fortuna recently received $400,000 in CARES Act funding to address homelessness, it wound up giving the money away. They made an agreement with the City of Eureka to put half of that towards their UPLIFT Program, and put the other half towards Arcata House [Partnership]. “So we’ll find a way to get people to where there is shelter” — assuming they’re willing to go, he added.
At the Dec. 6 meeting, Plotz told the council that the Fortuna Police Department has largely stopped criminal enforcement of its anti-camping regulations as a result of the Boise case, and residents have noticed an uptick in the number of people building temporary shelters and lying in front of businesses on Main Street.
“[…] the aim of the Martin v. Boise case was to prevent cities from criminalizing sitting, sleeping or lying on public property,” says Plotz. “It does not speak to the larger issue of camping and the things that that comes with, including the erection of temporary shelters.”
The ACLU of Northern California disagrees with Plotz’s assessment. In a statement sent to the Outpost last week the organization says:
“The Fortuna City Attorney’s claim that focusing on ‘camping’ rather than “sleeping” makes their ordinance legal is false and misrepresents Martin v. Boise…It covers “the unavoidable consequences of being human,” which includes the need for shelter, cooking, and having some personal possessions available.”
Additionally, the suggestion from one councilman that residents of Fortuna will “relish” calling in to report unhoused people attempting to survive outdoors suggests a concerning lack of empathy for the plight of unhoused people […]”
Day said this ordinance represents a needed update to regulations in “The Friendly City.” At the public meeting two weeks ago he stated, “I really feel strongly that for the public morale and health and safety of the community, that this revision to the municipal code is exactly what our community needs.”
Series of human trafficking attempts occur on reservation, surrounding area—the following is a PSA from the Yurok Tribe:
Today, the Yurok Tribal Council issued an emergency declaration in response to a spate of missing persons and attempted human trafficking incidents on the reservation and in Arcata, where there is a disproportionate number of cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW).
“Today, we are asking our local, state and federal partners to take a stronger stand against the trafficking of Native women and girls,” said Joseph L. James, the Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “While human trafficking and abductions have been all too common in the Humboldt County area, I ask all of our members to be extra cautious at this time. If you have to go into town, please take someone with you and let a family member know when you expect to return.”
In the last month, the Yurok Tribal Court received reports from seven Yurok women, including mothers with young children, who were approached by would-be traffickers. Thankfully, all were able to make it to safety. In mid October, Emmilee Risling was declared missing. The Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribe, in conjunction with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, implemented a coordinated, month long effort to locate her, but she has not been found. The Hupa woman was last seen near Weitchpec on the Yurok Reservation. The Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Emmilee’s safe return.
The Tribal Council issued the emergency declaration through a resolution, which speaks to the underlying cause of the MMIW crisis. According to the resolution: “The intergenerational impacts of 170 years of violence, trafficking and murder through missions, massacres, forced relocation, state sanctioned indentured servitude, boarding schools, widespread removal of children from their families through the child welfare system, disproportionate incarceration, police violence, and high rates of gender violence are still playing out to this day, and directly contribute to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
Per capita, native women and girls are victims of human trafficking at a much higher rate. Tribes across the US are advocating for additional resources to confront this indelible issue. In 2020, 5,295 indigenous people were reported missing to the National Crime Information Center. At the end of the same year, 1,496 were still missing. Last year, there were 18 cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in California, according to a report produced by the Yurok Tribal Court and the Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI). The actual number is likely much higher because MMIWG cases are poorly documented at the state and federal levels. A third of all cases in California occurred in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, despite the sparse populations in these areas Even worse, murders of Native women in the state are seven times less likely to be solved.
“Every one of our families has been impacted by this issue. It cannot be allowed to continue,” said Chairman James.
During the past two years, the Yurok Tribe has substantially increased its capacity to respond to MMIW cases both on and off of the reservation. In 2019, the Yurok Tribal Court, in partnership with SBI, started the To’ Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney wo chek’ (I Will See You Again in a Good Way) Program to combat the crisis. The Program aims to improve the efficacy of MMIW investigations and establish an enhanced level of protection for Native women, girls and two spirit individuals in California, one of the top five states for MMIW cases The program is also developing the first MMIW database in the state. Additionally, the Court formed the Office of the Tribal Prosecutor, which aids in the investigation and prosecution of MMIW and domestic violence cases in all jurisdictions.
Similar to the Yurok Tribe, most tribes are located in rural areas, where law enforcement is minimal due to enduring inequities in federal funding. Predators intentionally target rural and tribal lands because there is less chance of getting caught. MMIW cases, including local incidents, often involve multiple law enforcement jurisdictions, making investigation infinitely more challenging. Prior to the formation of the Tribal Court’s MMIWG2 Program, the Tribe had no formal way to influence off-reservation cases. In many states, including California, Tribes are further hindered by Public Law 280. Public Law 280 grants the state jurisdiction over most violent crimes. When federal legislators determine where to distribute tribal law enforcement dollars, tribes in PL 280 states are often left out. There is no doubt that PL 280 has contributed to the inordinately high number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Humboldt County.
“The quantity of MMIW cases in the local area and across the country is staggering. This needs to change and it needs to change now,” concluded Chairman James.
Here are helpful tips to avoid being a victim of human traffickers:
When in public, be cognizant of your surroundings.
Travel in groups.
Trust your instincts.
Be suspicious of strangers who reach out via social media.
Take swift action – if someone makes you feel unsafe, leave immediately and report it to law enforcement.
The information of this message comes from Del Norte Library District Literacy Coordinator Danny Clark.
Could you use assistance with your reading? How about assistance with basic computer skills; like word processing, writing a resume or setting up an email? Do you need help preparing for your GED or HiSET? Are you learning English as a second language and would like to improve your reading, speaking and listening skills?
Del Norte Reads is here to help with all this and much more!
Del Norte Reads — a grant and donation funded nonprofit organization aimed at helping community members with all aspects of functional literacy — is a library program that works in conjunction with the Del Norte County Library District to provide free literacy services to community members. They proudly provide assistance with reading, writing, math, computer literacy, GED prep and much more.
They are looking for compassionate volunteers to tutor our hard working learners. We provide materials and training. Even an hour or two a week can make a huge impact in the lives of the program’s learners.
All of Del Norte Reads’ services are free and they are more than happy to provide accommodations for a diverse group of learners.
“Fun times on Adult Literacy Day at the Del Norte Reads Open House.” – From the Del Norte Reads Facebook Page.
If this program sounds like something you or someone you know would enjoy being a part of this program, you can call them at (707) 464-7072 or stop by and see them in person at 1080 Mason Mall suite 9. More information is available at the Main branch of the Del Norte County Library.
“Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Del Norte County Library (including our visiting dinosaurs)! […] Happy Thanksgiving!” – From the Del Norte County Library Facebook Page.
The audio version of this PSA, as made for radio—by Persephone Rose.
The Wild Rivers Community Foundation is conducting a survey to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on the youth of our community, primarily those aged 16 to 24 out of work and out of school. The data gained from this research will support the operations of various social programs and has a vital role in serving the underserved youth of our community.
You can access the survey with the bit.ly link: bit.ly/DNYSurvey (note that the link is case-sensitive.) You can also scan the QR code on their flier, which has been included below. All participants will receive a $10 coffee gift card and will be entered to win 1 of 4 $100 VISA Gift Cards.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
