The rise and fall of Occupy Arcata
By Toby Shao
At a glance
ARCATA, Calif.- From Occupy Arcata’s birth in mid-October to the crackdown outside the city hall on Nov. 16, the Occupy Arcata movement dodged police disbandment many times, adopted a “Good Neighbor” policy, and drafted and passed a city resolution to get Occupy Arcata the city’s partial support.
No single war, company, or practice can be pinpointed as the focus of the Occupy movement. It appears uniformly perplexing from the outside. Yet how do Occupiers keep any sort of focus in their movement?
“The goal of this movement is to create a society where every single person has a voice,” said Falstaff.   Organizers of the Occupy Arcata movement claim to have rules governing the behavior of protestors. “Even if we support the legalization of marijuana, it doesn’t mean we have to be out here smoking pot and getting high constantly,” said general assembly moderator Falstaff Tarien Du’Mara. “The biggest threat to our movement is people that decide to come here, drink, and smoke tons and tons of weed. It makes us the laughing stock of the community,” Falstaff said.
Despite Falstaff’s claims, protestors on the scene experience a different side of the movement.
“I went to Occupy Arcata and Occupy Humboldt excited for political protest,” said Humboldt State University student and Arcata High alumnus Solomon Clark, “but it turned out to be just a bunch of people smoking pot, so I left.”
Despite the general distain for hierarchy, pragmatic leaders have had to take up leadership positions to avoid the movement’s demise.
“I basically run things around here.” Falstaff said. Members come to decisions in General Assembly (GA), where each member votes on the policies, and the division of labor and specialization. De-facto leaders include members of the Arcata street community, such as “Silent Bob” and Falstaff, and experienced protestors such as Patricia Tillison.
“The problem is that we have no structure,” Rex Regum, a member of Occupy Arcata, said in reference to a major disagreement between members of the movement. “There is a fundamental division between the experienced protester and the long-time members of the street community.”
Establishment: Oct. 16-27
Following a demonstration on the plaza by college students of “Occupy Humboldt,” and sit-ins at Wells Fargo and Chase banks, the first tents and canopies were erected on the southeast corner of the plaza in a 24-hour occupation on Oct. 16th, From then on, Arcata city demonstrations have been referred to “Occupy Arcata,” separate from “Occupy Humboldt.”
The city of Arcata supported the movement by proposing Resolution 112-26, which was eventually passed Nov. 1, which instructs “city departments, including police, public works, and parks, to work cooperatively with Occupy Arcata and Occupy Humboldt, while also protecting the general wellbeing of all residents and visitors in Arcata.”
A majority support for public restrooms and regulation of the bars on the plaza held by Occupy Arcata is largely aligned to Mayor Susan Ornelas’ standings issued in city council meetings.
“I have been talking to local businesses, trying to get their support,” said Tillison. “I hope they can realize that they are also a part of the 99 percent and that we have shared interests.”
“Many who oppose us essentially argue that if you’re intelligent and good looking, you won’t have a problem finding a job, but if you’re stupid and ugly, then you don’t deserve to be alive.” Falstaff said, “That’s what they’re saying.”
Falstaff is a graduate of Everest College in SF, and has long been a part of the Arcata Street community, and volunteers at the Endeavour.
Inner conflict : Oct. 27Â
As tents stood at the center of the plaza on Oct. 27, the words “Occupy Arcata” brought eye-rolls to an onlooker’s face. “I don’t think its going to do anything,” a bystander, Mark Schultz, said, “I support their cause, but I feel that their voice falls on deaf ears.”
Altercation broke out between Tillison and other members of Occupy Arcata during General Assembly, the occupiers stood tightly packed in a circle in the center of the plaza silently watching. “You don’t need to be doing everything! You’re not the only one working for this movement!” another member said.
“Don’t you see that I’m doing this for us?” Tillison exclaimed. “I’ve been trying to get the support of the local businesses. I’m doing all of this for us!”
Pepperbox reporters were quickly beckoned away from the conflict by Occupy members.
“But at the same time, I think we have been unfair to her,” Regum said, “However, she is making major mistakes for her defense,” he said. “If we aren’t able to resolve these issues, I doubt that Occupy Arcata will survive.”
Protesting Oct. 29 – Nov. 16
Occupy Arcata agreed to move to the front lawn of the City Hall, where they laid hay to protect the grass. “There’s no way we would have survived Monday Night (Halloween),” said Andrew Schneider, self identified as Occupy Arcata’s informal publicity manager. “We generally have a good relationship with the City and the Police department. We are open to make compromises for the survival of our cause.”
Occupy Arcata members are protesting everything from the lack of public rest rooms, to corporate personhood worldwide. While many members that the Pepperbox surveyed are supportive of the Democratic Party and the Green Party, anarchist members have stated support for complete reform of U.S. government, and single-party systems.
“This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived,” said a man self identified as the “Mushroom Guru”, who works to provide Reishi mushroom soup to all Occupy Arcata members. “If you’re from Kansas like me, this is paradise. Arcata should really set precedent for the rest of the world.”
Crackdown week Nov. 14 – 19
They knew it was coming.
“After high profile evictions of occupy camps in New York, Eureka, Portland, Oakland, and other cities, members of the community in Arcata have come by to show their support for Occupy Arcata,” wrote man identified as “Forest Defender” on a blog recording Occupy Arcata events.
Since the second raid of Occupy Eureka by the Eureka Police Department at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, members of Occupy Arcata declared their support of Occupy Eureka. In a Humboldt Occupier Action Alert statement, “Participants of both the Occupy Arcata and Occupy Humboldt movements have vowed to support the Occupy Eureka protesters… we ask you to join us at the Occupy Eureka site.” Protesters from Occupy Arcata and Occupy Humboldt tore down fences surrounding courthouse.
On Nov. 16th, two days after Eureka and other Occupy evictions, Arcata Police chief Tom Chapman issued an eviction notice ordering “an end to the encampment portion of the movement” citing illegal camping, open smoking of marijuana, and lack of public sanitation.
“Uniting under one banner” Nov. 16- Present
Since eviction of the city hall Occupy site, a team of Pepperbox reporters visited Falstaff at Indianola mobile park (see front cover). He reflected on what he sees as Mayor Ornelas’s sudden change in attitude toward the movement.
“She came out of the city hall last week and started furiously harassing us,” Falstaff recounted. “It was great to see the look on Tom Chapman’s face when he came out of the police department expecting to resolve a public disturbance, and to find his own mayor harassing the Occupiers.”
Falstaff stated the movement’s intentions to join with Occupy Humboldt. “Our goal is to unite under one banner, instead of having Occupy this and Occupy that,” Falstaff said.
The first combined General Assembly was held at the Kate Buchannon room at HSU to decide on the future of the movement.
“Eureka is the real battleground” an occupier said.
Filed Under: News
Legend has it that the Pepperbox originated in the 1930s, when Arcata High had just moved to the current campus. There was a box in the library called the "Pep box," where students put in suggestions for teachers and administration. This box also happened to be a used pepper (the spice) box. When the Arcata High Student newspaper was founded, it was appropriately given its current name, "the Pepperbox".
