Community News

Welcome to the Friendly City! Fortuna’s Passed Ordinance Criminalizes Camping

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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.”

Community News

Yurok Tribe Issues Emergency Declaration to Raise Awareness About MMIW

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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.
  • Learn self defense.

Click the link to read the “Resolution of the Yurok Tribal Council MMIW Emergency Declaration”

Health, Radio

Health Matters: Vaccine Mandates

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Health Matters is hosted by Lynn Szabo and Paul Critz. This episode also featured Mike Thornton. Produced by Persephone Rose.

On this Health Matters, we sit down to talk about something that’s not such a big deal for the rational person yet a politically hot topic: Vaccine Mandates. PA Lynn Szabo sits with Paul & Mike to talk about what they actually mean, how they’re being done here, and to just… get vaccinated. If you want to do all the things you want to do, you gotta get vaccinated.

What’s a vaccine mandate? Although it’s a requirement that says you must be vaccinated to do certain things, an individual cannot be forced to receive a vaccine. (Think of it as “Vaccination Mandatory to attain entry.”) Of course, this means there are still consequences as you can be prevented from doing something you may want to do, which is well within the rights of those putting up restrictions. Vaccine mandates have been a common part of our lives long, long before COVID-19, such as school vaccination requirements or travel vaccination requirements.

The Federal Mandate for COVID-19 Vaccinations… The current federal mandate declares that all employers with more than 100 employees must be either COVID Vaccinated or the employee must get weekly COVID-19 testing. This is enforced on the federal level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

States and cities can require vaccine mandates, which is legally supported by a rather strong Supreme Court decision in 1905—a 7-2 decision based on the idea that an individual’s right to liberty cannot deprive others of their right to liberty. What this boils down to is everyone has some restraints that exist for the common good.

Exemptions exist to maintain compliance with the ADA. Religious exemptions follow complicated rules, including:

  • Beliefs must be sincere
  • People must be informed that they have this option
  • Religious exemptions are judged on an individual basis
  • Health exemptions need verification from a health care provider and cannot legally include details. 

What’s a law abiding Del Norter to do?

  • Get vaccinated -or- submit to weekly testing.
  • Have your documentation in order if you believe you qualify for an exemption.
  • Remember that yelling, drama, and anger isn’t a solution.

Health Matters is live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!

LGBTQ

Unseen and Unsafe: Students Who Have Been ‘Deadnamed’ Explain Why a New California Law Matters

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Jamie Marquis can’t count the number of times they’ve been called the wrong name.

A junior psychology major at the University of California, Davis, who identifies as non-binary, they changed their name several years ago. But since then they’ve struggled to get that name even on basic educational records, instead of their name assigned at birth that they do not identify with, commonly known as a deadname.

“I wish that there was a way to really explain to cisgender people how being deadnamed feels,” Marquis said. “It’s humiliating. It makes you feel out of place and unwelcome, because of all the things about your identity, even your name is being ignored.”

A new state law could make a huge difference for people like them, Marquis said. Not only could it ease anxiety, but it could also provide important protections from discrimination and harm.

The new law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, requires the state’s public colleges to update records for students who have legally changed their names. It also allows graduates to request an updated copy of their diploma at no cost to them.

Then, starting with the 2023-24 class, it will require institutions to allow students to self-identify their names on diplomas, even without legal documentation of a name change. (The legislation does not specifically require colleges to let students self-identify their names on educational records besides diplomas without legally changing their name. It also does not affect how people are identified on legal documents used for tax, immigration status and other purposes.)

“It’s humiliating. It makes you feel out of place and unwelcome, because of all the things about your identity, even your name is being ignored.”
— Jamie Marquis, junior psychology major at the University of California, Davis

California is the first state to enact such a law. A previous version failed in the Legislature in 2020.

The right to self-identify one’s name on a college diploma helps protect transgender and gender non-conforming students, advocates say. Research shows that transgender people are at higher risk of discrimination and violence.

More than one in four trans people has experienced a “bias-driven assault”, with rates even higher for trans women and trans people of color, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Academic records listing a student’s name and gender as assigned at birth could potentially “out” that student’s identity, which can put them at a significant disadvantage when seeking housing and employment, said David Chiu, who authored the bill while representing San Francisco in the state Assembly. Chiu, now the San Francisco city attorney, said he was asked by Equality California and other transgender activist groups to draft the bill.

“A college diploma represents years of hard work and academic achievement,” Chiu said in an interview. “It shouldn’t cause stress or harm by having someone’s deadname on it because of outdated school policies.”

NO STATEWIDE POLICY

In California, public colleges have been using a range of policies about what names they record on diplomas and in other records, as no statewide policy existed. In November 2020, the University of California system put in place a policy — the Presidential Policy on Gender Recognition and Lived Name — that ensures that all individuals are identified by their accurate gender identity and preferred name on university-issued documents and in UC’s information systems.

At California State University and the California Community Colleges, there have been no system-wide policies, spokespersons said. But the two systems support the new state law, they said.

Jamie Marquis and their cat Cleo in their backyard in Sacramento on Dec 4, 2021. Photo by Karlos Rene Ayala for CalMatters.

Some campuses have put their own policies in place. American River College in Sacramento County, for example, adopted an affirmed name policy in 2019, which allows students to change their names in campus computer systems, and in early 2020, to self identify their name on their diplomas.

The change, college officials said, has been powerful and emotional for students. Emilie Mitchell, interim dean of social and behavioral sciences at American River College, described her experience helping a former student change their name in the college’s computer system.

“This person was just crying when they were talking about going into classes, and professors often read the roster out loud, and it was their deadname,” Mitchell said. She said she could hear the retraumatization they experienced.

Within five minutes, Mitchell was able to change the student’s name in the system.

“I thought, that’s such a small thing, right?” Mitchell said. “All I did was click a couple of boxes, literally, but this person’s experience, their educational experience, their sense of being validated in their identity, was so profound.”

Eli Fox, a junior psychology major at California State University, Monterey Bay, changed their name during their first few months of college but said they had to deal with a lot of stress due to their deadname being on high school documents.

“It was really tricky to get everything to line up,” Fox said. “There are a lot of school administrative people who aren’t really educated, and it was really difficult trying to educate them and also advocate for myself.”

High-school teachers, college professors, and administrators have often resisted respecting their name or helping them change their school documents, Fox said. They often asked Fox invasive questions about their transition that made them feel like they were just being nosy.

“No one should have to explain their identity or justify the way that they are to anybody,” Fox said.

Fox said they are relieved to see the law pass, as it will make the process easier for future students like them. Fox aspires to use their degree in psychology to work in data gathering and research, and wants to continue their education in biopsychology, and incorporate social theory into science.

Fox says they have gained so much knowledge just from being queer and being around queer people. They hope to help show LGBTQ+ youth of the future to be proud of who they are while looking different or feeling different.

REDUCING ANXIETY

Michelle Haggerty, a psychology professor who advises the Queer Student Union at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, said the new state law will help to reduce the anxiety of both students and professors and to create a more accepting environment on campus. If students are able to update their names on school records before the semester starts, it will erase any awkward scenarios where the professor may deadname a student by accident, Haggerty said.

She also said this new policy will help students after they graduate, lessening how much they may have to explain their name or who they are to future employers. Haggerty has known students who have quit their jobs due to discrimination and invasive questions about their transitions, she said.

“Depending on where you are, it makes people feel unsafe,” Haggerty said of being transgender or gender non-conforming. “Different industries and different communities will look at these things differently… I think it’s hard to make a judgment on ‘Am I safe or not?’ and ‘Who can I reveal these aspects of myself to?’”

“A college diploma represents years of hard work and academic achievement. It shouldn’t cause stress or harm by having someone’s deadname on it because of outdated school policies.”
— David Chiu, who authored the bill while in the state Assembly

The new law could help protect cisgender college students, too.

Linda Johnson — a sophomore at College of the Redwoods who has earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a master’s degree from Fuller Theological Seminary — said that she was unable to have her maiden name printed on her diploma. At a time when she was going through a divorce from an abusive spouse, she wasn’t able to feel happy or excited when she received her diploma. Instead, she didn’t even want to look at it.

“It would have been so much easier if I could have gone and said ‘This is what I want’ without having to wait for all of the legalities to catch up,” Johnson said.

Marquis, the Davis student who is also an American River College graduate, remembers the anxiety of a day when they walked up to the counter of the community college’s records and admissions office to update their academic records. Had they forgotten a document? Would they be met with help or hindrance?

“It’s so awkward and uncomfortable to have to go up to every teacher, every front desk staff, every doctor, and explain the situation,” they said. “And it’s draining to constantly be polite to the people that want to tell you all about how hard it is for them to remember.”

When the process went smoothly, they felt a sense of bewildered relief. But their name-change journey still wasn’t over. When they transferred to UC, they had to present records from high school which still used their deadname.

Now, Marquis hopes the new law will remove some of these roadblocks — and that that could help them finally just be themselves at ease.

As a beacon of hope, Marquis aspires to take this experience with them as they enter the field of psychology after college and work with mentally ill queer children, letting them know it is ok to be themselves, whoever that may be.

Taylor is a fellow with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation.

CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Community News

Del Norte Reads: A Program For All Aspects of Functional Literacy

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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.
Health, Radio

Health Matters: The Omicron Variant

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On this week’s Health Matters, KFUG Community Radio’s show about all things health with local PA Lynn Szabo, we sit down to talk about the thing you’ve already heard about: COVID-19’s Omicron variant.

Very little medical information is present as this remains an unfolding story. The first cases reported came from South Africa, November 24th, 2021 (with those particular cases initially being reported November 9th, 2021.) The Omicron variant itself has approximately 50 of its own mutations at the time of reporting, 30 of which are on the spike protein.

In short: we don’t a know whole lot just yet. The effectiveness of current vaccines against Omicron is yet to be determined, but the response from scientist has been a matter of weeks instead of months like previously, with Moderna and Pfizer looking at the vaccine response to this variant.

All this being said—what’s a concerned Del Norter to do? It’s back to the basics, or continuing for those who have listened:

  • Get your third dose. (Talk to your provider or pharmacist about what’s available)
  • Wear your mask, correctly. (The nose is part of the respiratory system too.)
  • Isolate and distance. (While you don’t need to confine yourself to a dungeon, don’t start rushing into groups of strangers.)
  • Wash your hands. (Come on. Don’t be gross.)
  • Don’t touch your face. (Might be tempting but if you skipped that last step, you’re really gonna want to listen.)

For the full talk with PA Lynn Szabo, you can listen to the full episode of Health Matters below!

Health Matters is hosted by Lynn Szabo and Paul Critz. This episode also featured Oliver Corcovelos and Mike Thornton. Produced by Persephone Rose.

Health Matters is on live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!

Community News

Help Wanted: 16-24 Year Olds Out of Work & School Impacted by COVID-19

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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.

Community News

Fire on Howland Hill: An Interview with Lathrop Leonard

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Here at KFUG and Redwood Voice Paul Critz and yours truly, Oliver Corcovelos, interviewed Forester Lathrop Leonard to talk about the one acre fire over on Howland Hill and give an update about the fire, what it’s affecting, and how it all started.

Lathrop Leonard
We discovered a week ago Sunday but suspected was going on for almost two weeks prior to that, there was a lightning storm you may recall that came through and started another fire in the park that we put out fairly quickly. But this one nobody noticed because it was just kind of smoldering up in the tree tops for a number of days before it managed to make its way to the ground and start spreading and putting up enough smoke for people to realize it was out there. 

Paul Critz
And initially, when you discovered that a week ago this last Sunday, what was the extent of it then? How many trees?

Lathrop Leonard
So it was about an acre on the ground and about five trees were burning up in the canopies. And so what happened is one of these trees probably got on fire from the lightning. And once it started burning actively up there embers and pieces of the tree, I mean, sometimes just little embers and other times big branches, like 100 pound branches would fall to the ground on fire. And then that all lit the ground on fire and it spread on the ground and even from tree to tree. And so we ended up with about five trees on fire when we discovered it and started actively suppressing that fire. 

Paul Critz
Oh, my gosh. So you did something that I had never heard being done before, and that was installed sprinkler systems. Is that correct?

Lathrop Leonard
That’s right. We had some regular sprinklers like you would see in your yard on the ground so that if something fell out of the tree, it fell on the wet material so that it wouldn’t start another top fire. But then we also needed to get water where the fire was. And so we had a series of ropes and things that were pulling these sprinklers and the typical brass garden hose that people may be using in their yard. We’re hauling a bunch of those up there attached to hoses to help put this thing out. 

Paul Critz
Wow. Now, is that like, ad hoc? Is this something that is commonly done or is just a fix that you guys made up?

Lathrop Leonard
Well, you know, I don’t know if anybody who’s been doing this outside of California state parks, but it’s something that we’ve been kind of developing and improving over the years over the last, I don’t know, maybe ten or twelve years or so in parks. Mostly, we seem to have more of these down in humble Redwoods State Park area, but certainly we’ve been putting them out up here and within Redwood, national and state parks, as this one, of course, is in Jedi Smith Redwoods, all those that happens everywhere, and we just have to kind of adjust and each fire up there is a little bit different so that the techniques kind of change a little bit and evolve over time as we figure out what works best in each situation, the last resort, if we can’t put it out from the ground is we’ll send a tree climber into a neighboring tree, and then they can squirt water from there. But obviously, tree climbing. That’s something Arbors and other folks do. We have some folks that are specially trained in climbing trees, but anytime you’re getting off the ground like that, it’s kind of a heads up from a safety standpoint. So we’d rather risk hoses and people’s lives. 

Lathrop Leonard Forester For California State Parks and the go to guy to talk to about the fire on Holland Hill. All of us at KFUG and Redwood Voice thank you and all the firefighters working on this to keep our community safe and appreciate the lengths you go to to protect our redwoods.

Community News

Sticky Grove Gives Back To Hospital Workers

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The audio version of this report is available for listening!

     In August 2021,  Del Norte County District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey found out that because Sutter Coast Hospital is overflowing with COVID-19 patients, they had to close their cafeteria to prevent an even wider spread of Covid-19. When she heard this she decided to call out to the community to donate food and water to our healthcare workers to make sure they are being taken care of.

Robert DeRego, owner of Sticky Grove, heard Valerie’s plea and decided to give back to the community that’s unique to his dispensary business. Redwood Voice Reporter E. Corcovelos Interviewed Rob to get more information on how he was going to give back to his community.

E. Corcovelos
You wanted to give out some of your products to medical professionals. How did that all start?

Robert DeRego
Actually, we saw Supervisor Starkey’s post about giving something back to healthcare workers, and started thinking of what I could do. And a couple of people came to the window in scrubs on, and got something—they seemed to be in a hurry. I figured that’d be an easy way to get back and show to me, and I thought maybe so far it’s been underutilized. If anybody wants to take advantage of that, we would like to help out anybody and show a little love that’s being shown at the hospital right now. 

E. Corcovelos
What does it entail exactly?

Robert DeRego
It’s been underutilized so far. We’ve got a few regulars that help out infusion center in different places like that. But I have a couple of gummies, some joints if somebody comes in with an order and generally been trying to take care of them on that, we kind of had a budget for it in mind, and so far it’s nowhere been near exhausted. 

E. Corcovelos
Are you going to stop this anytime? Is it just going to go until your budget runs out for it?

Robert DeRego
You know, I’m not sure. Sometimes I get jaded with our local government, but the community is just great. And so we’ll do it until it until we can’t do it. And so far, I haven’t had any sign that I can’t do it. Nobody is exhausting my resources on it. And maybe in the future, we’d like to recognize retail workers as well. And so we might switch gears here if we can get the hospital empty to say thanks to the retail workers in a similar way.

E. Corcovelos
Oh, that’s so cool, man. So people just show up in their scrubs and be like “I’m a medical professional“? 

Robert DeRego
Yeah, and I’m stoned a lot of the day. Sometimes you might need to save scrub, or there’s something to remind me a little bit, but I’ve got masks on the window there. And the masks on the window are trying to remind me to look for scrubs. Sometimes I do forget there. And still, I probably might forget. So any little gentle hint to remind me is helpful in these situations. 

E. Corcovelos
I think that’s really cool personally. And it’s just a way to give back, and I dig it. 

Robert DeRego
Yeah, I was afraid some people will say, hey, these people don’t have time for this. But actually, if you’re working, the only thing I’ve ever done is food service and that kind of thing. And then you’re working on a high paced environment, it’s so hard to get to bed when you do have a chance. All of a sudden you’re wound up. And so I think some people could take some benefit out of that when they do get a chance to go to bed, to actually get to bed for a few hours. I know our medical community’s up against quite a quite a really proud and grateful to them. 

So if you are a medical worker in need of some help relaxing or even falling asleep after a long shift, head on over to Sticky Grove. Let Rob know you work for the medical field, and he will give you the hook up.

Health, LGBTQ

Anything But Safe: An Examination of Anti-Transgender Healthcare Bills Introduced in 2021

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2021 is already almost over and so many bad things have happened that it’s hard to keep up. And, as exhausting as it can be to keep up with current news, it’s very important to remain vigilant. For example, this year saw the rise of legislation targeting transgender rights. A record number of bills have been introduced in states across the US this year that seek to interfere with trans people’s safety and even prevent trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care. Two anti-trans bills from Tennessee and Arkansas that restricted trans rights in their states managed to become law. The bill in Tennessee required businesses to post signs on bathroom doors “warning” people if their bathrooms are trans friendly. The bill in Arkansas would make it illegal for doctors to prescribe any gender affirming care to a patient under the age of 18. However, these laws were thankfully shot down by a federal court in July. While this is a great victory for the trans community, attacks on the rights of the trans community are far too common. Considering this, I would like to focus on the bill that was introduced in Arkansas back in April and unpack some of its contents, and refute some of the anti-trans rhetoric. 

The S.A.F.E. Act

In April of 2021, Arkansas became the first state in the country to ban medical treatments for transgender minors. This bill, HB1570, is also titled THE ARKANSAS SAVE ADOLESCENTS FROM EXPERIMENTATION (SAFE) ACT. While being opposed by many, and even vetoed by the governor who had passed a different transphobic bill earlier this year, his veto was overturned by the Senate. Having read this bill in its entirety, I and many other trans activists find it to be deeply harmful and anything but safe. 

The bill restricts any medical professional from providing or referring youth under the age of 18 to any gender affirming care. This includes puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. The stated reasoning behind this decision is that transgender people only make up a small portion of the population and there haven’t been enough scientific studies into the longterm effects of these gender affirming procedures. 

It is important to mention that the most common form of gender affirming care that children and youth receive is puberty blockers, NOT hormones or surgeries. For many providers, a social transition is needed before they will even prescribe the blockers, to make sure that the child is comfortable living as their gender. 

Puberty blockers, as the name suggests, are prescribed to youth to postpone their puberty. These blockers are not only prescribed to transgender youth, but also to cisgender youth who are developing much earlier than their peers.  These blockers have been studied for their effect in youth for decades and have been found to be harmless and reversible. So, when adults begin to bemoan the use of puberty blockers in trans youth to prevent a possibly traumatic puberty, one has to question their intentions. There wasn’t this much of a pushback for cisgender children accessing these blockers. However, thanks to the recent bill in Arkansas, children of any gender identity will have a harder time accessing these blockers. 

Harmful Outcomes

If this bill had not been blocked by a federal court, it would have caused tremendous harm to the trans youth in Arkansas. Not only are trans and gendernonconforming youth more at risk to be bullied by their peers, they also have a higher rate of self harm and suicide. According to the Trevor Project, “40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25”. Restricting access to gender-affirming care will only increase the mental duress that trans youth feel from gender dysphoria. 

In addition, the process to accessing gender-affirming care like puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy isn’t quick. In fact, most doctors who are capable of prescribing said medications require a letter from a psychiatrist who specializes in gender identity. Speaking from personal experience, I had to travel around 2 and a half hours to the nearest licensed psychiatrist who would be willing to discuss hormone replacement therapy. From there, it took months to get an appointment with a doctor who would prescribe testosterone to me. After that, it takes years of waiting to get a referral for top surgery and even longer to schedule the actual appointment. And this was while I was a legal adult advocating for myself, and I didn’t have to deal with potentially unsupportive parents, like many trans youth have to. 

This process isn’t easy, and it’s often exhausting to young trans people who have already had to justify their identity to everyone around them. Now, they have to push through miles of red tape to plead their case to a medical professional, some of whom aren’t even willing to give care to transgender patients. Many trans people have reported discrimination or harrasment from medical professionals because of their gender identity. Restricting trans peoples’ access to healthcare would also reduce the amount of trans patients that doctors would communicate with, isolating them from the community as well. 

Next Steps: Becoming an Effective Advocate

First things first, educating yourself about transgender issues and terminology is crucial to becoming an effective ally. There are plenty of online resources like GLAAD or the ACLU website that can teach you more about transgender identity. It’s alwasy incredibly important to keep in mind that trans people of color experience higher rates of violence, harassment, and medical discrimination. 

Secondly, if you live in one of the states that currently has anti-trans bills introduced, please call your representative and ask them to fight it. You can find out if your state has bills either enacter or proposed at theguardian.com, where there is a map detailing each state and their fight against anti-trans bills. 

Finally, be an advocate for transgender people in your own social circles. If you hear the kind of anti-trans rhetoric that these bills are promoting, call it out. Take the time to educate those around you about trans issues and encourage them to become advocates as well. The trans community needs allies who care about our wellbeing and our right to exist as ourselves.