Suspects told EPD they were protesting foreclosures, yet home was a vacant rental
Staff Report
Humboldt Sentinel
Several Occupy Movement protesters were busted Wednesday morning after Eureka Police officers answered a complaint from property managers that trespassers were squatting in a house on the on the 3500 block of O Street.
A graffiti 'anarchy' symbol was sprayed on the home's wall.
One of the protesters had already left at the property managers’ request, but others refused and likewise refused to follow officers’ orders to leave. As officers entered, two women later identified as Amanda Tierney, 24, and Shayanne Clark, 21, both of Eureka tried to leave through the front door and were taken into custody.
Four other protesters tried to barricade the front and back doors with their bodies or furniture as officers entered. After repeated tries officers were able to force their way in to arrest Martin Katz, 23, Ann Rian, 21 and Keelan McWayne, 21, all of Eureka; also Stanton Wood, 25, of Florida.
The group told officers that they were “occupying” the house because of homelessness issues and foreclosures, although the house is a vacant rental unit, not a foreclosed home.
After the protesters were in police cars, officers walked through the residence with the property managers and found graffiti on the walls, including anarchist symbols, as well as a small amount of marijuana. The protesters had also removed several locks and replaced them with their own. Property damage was estimated at several thousand dollars by the managers.
The protesters have been jailed in Humboldt County Correctional Facility for vandalism, forcible trespassing, conspiracy and obstructing a police officer.
The O Street rental home.
Graffiti sign on the floor of the squat.
Conditions inside the squatted home.
Inside the squatted home.
Scattered parts of a lockset used to illegally change the locks on the O Street home.
Amanda Tierney
Ann Rian
Keelan McWayne
Martin Katz
Shyanne Clark
Stanton Wood
That Martin sort of looks like the SCARIEST PERSON I’VE EVER SEEN.
And what is he wearing? A couch?
I believe those are dreadlocks.
I’m 99% sure that he comes to Old Town selling crack.
This, again,invalidates the local “Occupy” movement. If it were a true peaceful protest, they would not have broken into private property, that wasn’t even a forclosure and they definitly wouldn’t have vandalized the place.
There’s a website that lists the locations of local foreclosures, had they been interested in actually intervening on behalf of a family to keep them in their own home.
Every savvy Realtor in Eureka is suddenly doubling as a property manager.
Now THERE’S a story!
The development community’s historic success in securing “growth friendly” political leadership has resulted in a cruel 25% housing affordability rate.
The reaction(s) of human beings to corruption that restricts access to life’s essentials…jobs, housing, food, medicine, education, (read: dignity), has consequences as old as the earliest tyrannies.
Reporting on crime, poverty and homelessness is considered professional journalism, but, write a few words about the well-researched causes, and you’ll be called a “commie”, risking advertising, while winning the admiration of grateful community advocates.
I have participated in several Occupy events and am appalled and disgusted at what these individuals have done. This is NOT what Occupy is about and it’s an unfortunate example of individuals “going rogue” in the name of a community group. Having attended a recent General Assembly (GA) meeting, this action NEVER was discussed and NO ONE that I know was aware that this was contemplated. I, for one, say that this was NOT IN THE NAME OF OCCUPY HUMBOLDT and I personally disavow what these folks did.
I feel there are plenty of reasonable complaints about home foreclosures and evictions, but this action was inappropriate and not representative of the OCCUPY HUMBOLDT movement. I will personally volunteer to assist with the clean-up of this property and I encourage all community-minded members to do the same.
If the (alleged) trespassers had told the EPD that they, the trespassers, were orangutangs, would that make it so?
Why are the SubStandard, 70% owned by the Banksters Of America, and the EPD, which has never ever arrested any Bankster for an illegal Foreclosure, so quick to promote the absurd claim that the (alleged) trespassers were anything other than the product of a public education system that dumbsdown its prisoners and force-feeds them drugs if they display independent thought? A group of young people who face a bleak future of marginal employment given that the banksters, with their governmental gun-and-badge enforcers, have trashed the economy?
I have long expected absurdities from the SubStandard and the hierarchy of the EPD. Et Tu, Sentinel?
Well, I’ve seen (and filmed) most of these individuals at the Occupy Eureka protest on multiple occasions personally, so no, the EPD statement in this particular statement was not outrageous or untrue so far as I (or the writer who penned that staff report, which wasn’t me) are able to ascertain. If you have information to the contrary, please speak up.
“Liberals” crying in outrage before this case is adjudicated and the facts are known, is bizarre. Were they also the vandals?
If/when the OWS grows large enough, far worse offenses will be committed, just like the bad apples in the ranks of corporate America.
These are NOT “protesters”. These are TRANSIENTS. Buy a dictionary and learn the difference.
Transients belong in the protest, they are among the most visible victims of corporatocracy.
I doubt you’ll find that in the dictionary.
Purposeless! If protesting the foreclosure process, they far surpassed any logical attempt by their tagging and destruction and drug possession and general stupidity. Anyone who knows the ‘art of demonstration’ understands that the sole purpose is to gain public support. As far as I can tell, the best these clowns could expect is for the public to poop in their water supply. They NEEDED a good arresting! And they got it.
For those who understand the financial crisis, and choose to demonstrate against the 1%, do everything these gassheads DIDN’T do, and nothing they did!
Interesting journalism. Why did no one take the time to ask the homeless activists if they in fact vandalized this home, or if they found it in this condition? I have met these activists on many occasions and found they were wonderful. They sought to understand the global delima, were seeking alternatives, and, unlike most people their age in the area, are actually doing something about the circumstance and demanding they are allowed to seek shelter on the planet with which they came from. Based on my interactions with these kids, I guarantee the spray paint was there prior to their seeking shelter. And good for them for finding shelter.
I suggest you do a follow up article and get the other half of the story from these human rights activists before you go assuming what the Eureka Police has to say on the matter. How many times do we have to prove the EPD lies before the community wakes up? Being homeless and attempting to survive, is not a crime, it is a basic human right. No amount of wealth or property can harbor such ignorance and perpetuate avoidance from our responsibilities to our species.
“Ownership and property are not American or Democratic. Property is a primitive mental perspective generated from generations of scarcity.” Peter Joseph, “Social Pathology,” The Zeitgeist Movement
The creator of the EU Currency System Bernard Lietar warns,
“Greed and competition are not the result of immutable human temperament…Greed and fear of scarcity are in fact being continuously created and amplified by the money we are using… We can produce enough food (and homes!)to feed everybody but there is clearly not enough money to pay for it all. The scarcity is in our national currencies. The job of the central bank is to create and maintain the currencies scarcity. The direct consequence is that we must fight one another to survive.”
Until the majority wakes up to the reality of this situation we are in, and removes all power from the hands of political SERVANTS turned blood thirsty pawns of our current plutonomy, it seems the creator of the EU currency system is clearly stating the perpetuation of scarcity is in our national currencies, perpetuated by banks and government, and the social “consequence is that we must fight each other to survive.”
I ask you brothers and sisters of planet earth, when there are more vacant homes than homeless people (according to a Truthdig.com article Dec 2011) What are we fighting each other for?
Shouldn’t we ask ourselves who the common enemy of our species is and regardless of your agenda, class, religious affiliation, political motivation, personal style etc come together collectively to rid the power from inherently corruptible political, police and economic systems?
A new world is possible. Lets put aside our differences and support “squatting” aka surviving, till homelessness is no more. What would the consequence be? Oh bummer no more bank owned properties, banks, government and the fed who have the legal right to invent 90% of the “money” on a computer screen due to our fractional reserve banking system. These official sounding institutions are ALL corporations for profit that have our lives in their hands without warrant. Why have we allowed them to have this power? So they can assist in the perpetuation of unsustainable technologies like fracking and pipelines for our current solution? How many streams and facets need to go up in flames before we see those in power do not have our interests in mind?
We need to work together to make this system obsolete and take back our basic human rights. Like standing for example, The city counsel plans to take our right away to stand in front of the courthouse in Eureka to protest ever again.
8% of the US military budget would end global poverty, and approximately 30,000 children under 5 die everyday due to lack of resources, preventable disease, war, poverty, famine, etc. All of these concerns our species faces is related folks.
If you make more than $10 a day, you are in the top 20% wealth bracket globally speaking. It is time WE WAKE OURSELVES UP and take responsibility for the dwindling freedoms we have left.
We will be in front of the Eureka courthouse insuring we maintain our right to freedom of speech. Please put your differences aside and join us in liberating our species from our common threat!
Namaste
One of the arrestees sent us a note complaining about not getting his side of the story — we replied and offered to interview him and he blew us off. If any of these folks would like to overcome their own apprehensions and sit down with us, we’d be happy to find out more about their perspective on these issues.