Said vehicular resident and mother Susan Dunn: "There are lots of people with disabilities; that's why they're here. They can't work any more. There are people who have injuries; they can't walk far. Others are on crutches, probably for the rest of their lives. They will not be able to walk to the free meal, and the places they need to go. Social Services used to send these people to the Jetty because there is nowhere to go. On the Jetty, the people are much better off. The mentally ill are relatively safe. People on the Jetty have formed a real community. .. a church, and a playground."
Humboldt County officials ignored the_ recommendations of two County Grand Juries for the creation of a permanent homeless shelter, and refused to ratify an affordable housing element which would allow for zoning for shelters and campgrounds. This failure endangers future-federal funding, which the County is apparently willing to sacrifice in its disdain for the homeless, according to Rev. Eric Duff, a concerned local citizen.
•^ Ruben Botello, a writer on the Internet who has organized two protests supporting the South Spit Jetty community, has written the County Grand Jury, denouncing local expenditures on a huge new empty jail, a brand new courthouse, and a "Taj Mahal" library that is now largely closed because the County can't pay for staff. He sees a $20 million Humboldt Harbor dredging and gentrification project lurking behind the South Spit land grab.
String, a veteran on disability with a broken back, asks: "They're closing down the military bases; why can't the homeless go there and try to make a living? Why don't they let us go in some of those ghost towns or abandoned homes and let us fix them up?"
Merle Adams, an Apache-American veteran who has lived on the Jetty off and on for 10 years, simply says: "I had a dream three times. It was the same dream — that I got shot. I ain't got no place to go. I'm willing to die for my land."
On Friday, September 26, Judge Buffmgton issued an injunction delaying eviction of the Jetty residents until after a court hearing on October 10. The armed guard and the roadblock remain, but guards have been instructed that they can't keep out people bringing in food and medicine or visiting relatives. Guards also are limited in their searches andean't keep people from leaving.
To get to the South Spit Jetty by land, take the Lolita tumofffrom US 101, south of Eureka.