So, last Friday afternoon I had to run an errand to the Paper Mill and as I’ve done so many times in the past I walked by the weekly anti-war demonstration which takes place at the sidewalk in front of the mini-mall. The demonstration took place at the curb, but on the sidewalk behind them were a couple of very angry women trying to sell rocks and gems. By the time I arrived the conflict had been well under way, and the rock sellers were screaming obscenities and such, and showing impressive stamina in a constant barrage of noise.
The dispute: the demonstrators have been there for years. They had been at a spot closer to All-Sport, but it was a small portion of the sidewalk between the driveway entrances to the mini-mall’s small parking lot. Sometimes the demonstrators tended to wander into the driveways and so they were asked to move over to the stretch of sidewalk between the mall and the gas station, where they’ve been for some time.
Enter a couple of women who have been selling rocks at the same location on weekends, and decided to expand their time to Fridays. They were there when the first demonstrators arrived, and the demonstrators set up right in front of them.
Dilemma: The rock sellers were there first on Friday, but the demonstrators have been there for many years. The rock sellers say that the demonstration is preventing them from doing business (although the yelling may have played a role, and I’d be curious to see if they sold rocks in its absence). The demonstrators deny that they’re interfering in any way, and they are not blocking the foot traffic, which they argue is where the rock sellers will make their money anyway. But really, it comes down to which takes precedence as an issue – who arrived first on the day in question, or who has been using the same space at the same day and time for years.
The Sheriff was called twice, the second time because one of the rock-selling women thought she saw one of the demonstrators smoking marijuana. The second time around the Sheriff deputy was a little short with the rock seller, saying “I have better things to do with my time.”
Certainly either group could move, but it is the most visible spot in town from vehicles. Who’s right and why? Kind of like a real life Socratic ethics exercise of the sort we used to get in high school back in the 1970s (“you only have one spare heart and the potential donees are a pregnant mom, 14 year old talented musician, a brain surgeon at the dawn of his career, etc.”).
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May 10, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Fred Mangels
Certainly either group could move, but it is the most visible spot in town from vehicles.
Perhaps a solution you could suggest to the anti- war folks:
Might I suggest that, while that location might be the most visible in town, they’re likely just being seen by the same people over and over again. After all, how many people really pass through Garberville proper?
Maybe a better spot would be on one of the freeway overpasses? I just drove by there a few hours ago. How many overpasses are there? They could wave signs and hang banners and spread their message to the thousands of people driving north and south on Highway 101 past G’ville. I’d say that’s a much more diverse crowd than the people walking in downtown Garberville on the same day every week.
The protesters get a better spot and everybody’s happy? Just a thought. I’d get a little bored doing the same thing in front of the same people all the time.
May 10, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Matt
I’m wondering if it’s actually legal to setup a table and sell rocks. Don’t you need some sort of business permit?
May 10, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Eric Kirk
They claimed to have some sort of permit from the Chamber of Commerce. I don’t know what that means.
May 11, 2010 at 12:01 am
edsvoice
Eric?
Permit from the Chamber of Commerce? And all you can say is; “I don’t know what that means”? Well it means they don’t have a County business license to sell “rocks”on Main Street in Garberville, that’s what it means.
Unless, maybe Humboldt County opened a office at the Chamber? That’s where you got your business license too, right Eric?
I think you can do better than this Eric?
May 11, 2010 at 7:01 am
Eric Kirk
I don’t know Ed. It’s what the rock people were screaming. Take it up with them.
May 11, 2010 at 8:03 am
Anonymous
The protesters have been there on that spot for years, same time, same place, seems like if these rock sellers were local, they would have known this, and picked another time to set up their rocks. Maybe after the protest?The rock people sound hard headed and rude. The CofC does not give out business licenses’ e, you know that, or should.
May 11, 2010 at 8:27 am
Eric Kirk
I don’t know what they got from the Chamber, if anything. I believe I said that.
May 11, 2010 at 8:48 am
Ryan Burns
…said the Israeli to the Palestinian (or vice versa). You’d think peace advocates might have a higher priority. Christ a’mighty, you could cut the irony with a knife.
May 11, 2010 at 8:51 am
sageplant
this is an oppertunity for anti war demonstrators to figure out how to not “go to war” on the most simple small scale. It’s an example of how on a small level people cant get along and then magnify it to world leaders and corparations and I think the reasoning (or lack of) is very similare.
May 11, 2010 at 10:25 am
ED Denson
I am not “edsvoice”, or perhaps I should say “edsvoice” is not mine. The statistically minded can calculate how many people would have to post to Eric’s blog before two had the same or similar first names. Of course “anonymous” got duplicated first, but “Ed” seems to be in the runing. Now if we get a third, perhaps “edsfingers”, we’ll really be confused. TIP: I spell “ED” with both caps when I can.
May 11, 2010 at 10:30 am
SoHumBorn
I Love Garberville! I really, really do…
Thanks for the laugh Eric, I needed it.
May 11, 2010 at 3:18 pm
just this once
OMG,
Scheduling conflict escalates to turf war…
and the media loves it!
How silly.
May 11, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Not A Native
Umm, who came first and is that significant? Eric should ask the Israelis and Palestinians to act as Duet and prescribe a solution to his community’s conflict. That has precedent in that Eric has prescribed solutions for their conflict.
May 11, 2010 at 3:27 pm
the reasonable anonymous
Pathetic.
May 11, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Goober Gallery
“Rock seller burns fossil fools”
or
“Fossils vs Fossils” ?
May 11, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Ekovox
I hope this conflict gets worked out before someone gets stoned….well, er…uh….nevermind.
May 11, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Provingthepudding
Come now. I was there and heard Erik say exactly what ed’svoice said – “who gave the Chamber the power to issue permits.” Maybe ed’svoice is actually Erik’s conscience, the Charlie McCarthy who tells the truth while Edgar doesn’t let butter melt in his mouth
the cop was a lot more liberal than Erik’s opinion given in retrospect since the Cop ultimately understood that as long as the sidewalk wasn’t blocked by the two parties there was no legal conflict . The vigilers thought co-existence was feasible since the vigil faced the street and the peddlers had the pedestrians.
However, the rock lady said many many times that she was there because the chamber gave her permission so she could move the protesters off the spot. Over and over she said that and it didn’t offer much motivation to move.
Her tabling partner was a onetime employee of the Merchant’s Guild and ultimately a representative from the chamber took up the cudgels with the same party-line loop as the peddlers:that the vigilers were insensitive to block the peddlers – from who – the cars? Cars don’t buy rocks.
The Chamber rep did say the magic words – that the vigil interfered with tourism.
May 12, 2010 at 7:00 am
anonymous
LOL Ekovox!
I like Fred’s suggestion. That demo is nothing but preaching to the choir. It’s useless as a political act and really functions as nothing more than the demonstrators’ Friday social scene. They could find some new creative and effective anti-war action if they put their minds to it.
And yes, if they were truly non-violent, they could have worked out a solution. Or taken their clown costumes and demonstrated elsewhere.
Bet they don’t have a permit either.
May 12, 2010 at 7:48 am
Eric Kirk
the cop was a lot more liberal than Erik’s opinion given in retrospect
I actually haven’t rendered an opinion on anything here Paul, liberal or otherwise. You don’t do that in a Socratic exercise. Ed V. has a bad habit of putting words into peoples’ mouths based on his own pre-assumptions.
To quote Ed V., “I’m just asking questions.” Only in my case, I’m really just asking questions.
May 12, 2010 at 8:50 am
Anonymous
It’s all about the party line Eric. You’re either with us or against us.
May 12, 2010 at 8:54 am
Dave Kirby
Its been my experience that the property owner seems to have some sway over sidewalk sales. The building owners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk that fronts their holdings. I know that the Brannans have in the past given permission for folks to sell stuff in front of the theater. As for permits being required …I doubt that the guys who sell tools in the turnout by Cal Trans have one, nor the fellow who sells produce off his truck down by NAPA. There have always been traveling vendors in town selling everything from carvings to teepees. That spot near the clock has seen a passing parade of vendors over the years especially during the summer events. If Jim Johnson asked them to leave it might have some effect. As for the local lefties who meet there on Fridays I find them amusing. They confirm Garberville’s reputation as a 60s museum and Hippie game refuge.
May 12, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Dan
Well I was walking by on last friday and was shocked by the foul language that both ladies were slinging at the group of anti-war people.That have been there longer than the Bush adminstration.It just went on and on and on and on with these two ladies.They would call the cops and then when the cops showed they would shut their foul mouths.I believe those two ladies were the problem that day, and are a problem. I believe the ladies were the ones hurting their own business, and probley chased people away from other business’s buy all that foul mouth screaming they did for hours!!
Hats off to the anti-war people for not showing them hate back.They took their verbal abuse for over 3 hours. The anti-war group even went over to the farmers market and was going to pay for them to be there on Fridays, but the two ladies refused, because I believe they loved throwing hate on this group. I seen one of the anti-war people go over and buy something from them , just trying to have some peace…The one lady that sells the twiker jewelry crap has worked for the chamber before and she acted the same way to everyone in town.It was like they gave her the keys to the kingdom and she slung her hateful,Foul mouth around just like I seen that day.
The Rock and fake bone lady took the others hate, hook line and sinker.
Oh yeah people lets not forget that in this country They have a right to protest!! I hope that the anti-war folks don’t back down to these to hate filled women and show up again on Friday.
The chamber should be concerned if they gave these women permission to do that. I have never seen anything like that….
Ladies where is the Love???
May 12, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Jo
I’m Ashamed at the way these two ladies attacked our community members last friday at the anti-war rally that has been going on for many years!! Shame on our Chamber for allowing this to go on.
I know everyone of those folks on the anti-war side. They seemed to really go after one of the ladies that was rallying, that I know personally. I was on my way to pay my insurance payment and heard the most God awful stuff they were saying to this lady, one of our valuable community members that was standing out there with the anti-war group.
This woman has been a help to ALL in our community! When my child passed away she was there, when a family needed food, she was there.When I seen a man almost die and couple of years ago, she was there to help him and took him to the hospital, and saved his life.When our community has a need they call on this women, and she is there…. To watch these women say the stuff they said to her was SO VERY HURTFUL to me and I can’t even imagine how she felt?? This women took it and never responded to there attack on her.
What is wrong with these Ladies?? I say throw those Big mouth Ladies out of there, Chamber. I too heard them say over and over that the Chamber allowed them to be there. Those women are really a reflection of our Chamber. Stupid, and clueless to our community and the people in our community.
Shame on you Ladies, and the Chamber!!
May 12, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Eric Kirk
The behavior of the rock women was certainly way out of line, whatever position you take on the underlying issue. And I agree that their carrying on was probably much more of a factor in lowering their sales than anything the demonstrators were doing.
Again, I don’t know if the Chamber was involved in any way. Someone in the demonstration suggested that it was a deliberate act on the part of the chamber to deny the space to the demonstration, but that’s speculation at best.
May 12, 2010 at 8:12 pm
edsvoice
Eric,
You are so right, if you say something enough times, people will start believing it (“I’m just asking questions”). It’s like training a dog to roll over and play dead.
Could you give us any examples of “Ed V. has a bad habit of putting words into peoples’ mouths based on his own pre-assumptions”
http://co.humboldt.ca.us/taxcollt/business-licenses.html
May 12, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Eric Kirk
You are so right, if you say something enough times, people will start believing it
You’re the expert Ed.
May 12, 2010 at 10:02 pm
edsvoice
I take it, you don’t have any examples, its funny how that works;
“Could you give us any examples of; “Ed V. has a bad habit of putting words into peoples’ mouths based on his own pre-assumptions”
If by expert you mean telling the truth and backing it up, then yeah, for once you are right.
May 12, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Anonymous
Ed wants to be the center of attention again. It’s all about Ed.
May 13, 2010 at 12:32 am
Provingthepudding
This blog is the first to know: it’s official that “preaching to the choir” has far surpassed “get a job” as the leading cliche hurled at protesters. We all lived with the latter for years. I even envisioned a leaflet trying to deal with the resentment of someone who couldn’t imagine having any time at all to spend on the streets. I eventually settled for yelling back “Why aren’t you at work?” I am sympathetic to the resentment felt by the “choir” hecklers who have given up the idea that political action can change anything. Or maybe they just hate singing as well as preaching.
May 13, 2010 at 7:33 am
Dave Kirby
I can tell you all that the chamber of commerce has nothing to do with permitting street vendors. The chamber and merchant’s guild are positive additions to our community. They perform a number of tasks that only enhance the local environment.