Better Protections 

Editor:

My free-thinking communities of Arcata and Eureka are inadvertently living under the control of the Arcata and Eureka city councils and county board of supervisors' hidden agenda, which largely supports its special interest groups. Our community members (homeless, or not) are negatively being impacted by those who hold the power.

Recent years we have seen an abundance of city ordinances that ostracized, marginalize and victimize people living without homes ("Strumming up a Case," Aug. 31). Recently, the federal court system has responded to the Arcata Municipal Ordinance 1205 as unconstitutional, yet it was placed and enacted. It is apparent that our local governments are aimed at harassing our homeless populations and not serve their obligation of addressing how we can truly end homelessness.

 Many of you might be wondering, "Why should I care?" I ask: "Do you call yourself a true community member?" Homeless people constitute as a large group of us and their pain is our pain. If we can support one another in advocating for basic human rights by taking action, we should. Humboldt County holds dignity in our forward-thinking, progressive culture, and to hold true to our beliefs we must stand united in not allowing government officials to negatively impact the quality of our water, heavily regulate parks and recreation use, and ultimately undermine the livelihood of all community members just to benefit their own interests.

Our local attorney Peter Martin's federal lawsuits against the city to address just how these recent ordinances violate constitutional amendments, such as the right to life and liberty, the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, and the prohibition of unreasonable search and seizure of our homeless population. We must support one another (homeless or not) in our fight for basic human rights and inspire one another to do what it takes to preserve this right.

Cassaundra Denae Blancett, Eureka