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Photos by Molly Taylor Photo illustration by Paul Melvin |
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On Sept. 2, 1997, an order was signed by Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ann Lindsay for the "restricted access to and evacuation of [the] South Spit [of Humboldt Bay]." The action taken as a result of this order has been discussed both as a rousing success and a dismal, inhumane failure of the system. In all, this action directly affected close to 1,000 people, including residents, workers, activists and police. It had an indirect effect on countless others in the community and beyond. These are the stories of some of those directly involved.
Background
For as many as 10 years the South Spit (known as the South Jetty) to Humboldt Bay had been home to displaced people. Across that span of time, the numbers grew to the point that there were an estimated 300 people in permanent residence on the Jetty in 1997. These were people of various backgrounds and levels of competence, ranging from the very intelligent and capable to the mentally unstable.
The ownership of the land on which the residents lived was greatly debated. As a result, land owners could not be held solely accountable for the cleaning and evacuation of the land. There was no electricity, running water or modern sewage disposal system. There was a church, a clean-water storage tank and hundreds of trailers, busses and campers, as well as several portable toilets.
In order to remove Jetty residents, the county tried to bring suit against many of the individuals under the claim of "public nuisance." However, as of June 16, 1997, the county had "no legal basis for evacuation" of the residents, according to Lindsay's report.
Between June and September, the county asserts that eight lab-confirmed cases and five "presumptive cases" of shigella diarrhea were found in Jetty residents. Shigella is a virus that is passed from contact with human feces.
As a result of these findings, Lindsay, within her powers as health officer, ordered the evacuation and cleaning of the South Jetty under Section 120175 of the Health and Safety Code, which states that it is the duty of the Health Officer to "take measures as may be necessary to prevent the spread of ... disease or the occurrence of additional cases." The health code also states that a "mere suspicion" of such conditions, unsupported by facts, is not grounds for "depriving persons of their liberty and subjecting them to virtual imprisonment under a purported order of quarantine."
Lindsay made the determination that the only way to prevent the spread of the shigella virus was to relocate the residents and clean the Jetty land. She coordinated an effort between the Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services and Animal Control (as well as volunteers) to help relocate the residents of the Jetty to healthier environments.
Dr. Ann Lindsay
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As the health officer for Humboldt County, the final decision for any action taken at the Jetty was in her hands, and she is confident that she did the right thing. Support and agreement came from both the state and the county Board of Supervisors, as well as the Coastal Conservancy, the Salvation Army, the Unitarian Fellowship, the Humboldt Area Foundation and many others.
Lindsay cited photographs of conditions on the Jetty at the time, first-person accounts and statistics in support of her claims that the operation was successful.
According to Lindsay's report, more than 330 tons of solid waste (including human waste) were removed from the Jetty. Approximately 150 cars and trucks were crushed and hauled away, along with 2,000 tires, 200 car batteries and countless volumes of hazrdous materials such as used needles and drug-manufacturing paraphenalia.
"A lot of that stuff was not put there by the residents," Lindsay acknowledged. However, she quickly pointed out the health risks that such conditions pose for those who live around it, as well as the environmental impact that such volumes of waste would have.
Lindsay said that the services provided for the former residents of the Jetty were numerous. Official statistics state that of the 104 people who registered for services, 66 had received housing of some sort after six months. In the period immediately after the relocation began, residents were housed in hotels. Cars were repaired, pets and children were immunized and clothes were provided for people.
According to those same records, 35 of the 36 children that were registered for services were in school after six months. Three adults successfully completed detoxification programs, and 17 residents left the county, in effect ending their services.
The final cost of the entire project was more than $300,000. Lindsay said funding was provided by state and county funds and private donations. Additional statistics have been catalogued, though they are too numerous to list.
"A lot of people were happy with what we did," Lindsay said.
Lindsay has faced accusations that the action was taken more as a way of removing an eyesore, and that the cases of shigella were restricted to only one family, who moved off the Jetty. In response to such accusations, she stated that the actions taken had the backing of both the proper medical and government officials.
Windy Eberly
"Lots of people got off the Jetty and went on to the streets, and eventually died," Windy Eberly said, as she sat in a chair on the brown lawn outside her public housing apartment in Eureka. Her 4-month-old daughter, whom she affectionately calls "Hippy Baby," is in her arms drooling and making an ocassional outcry. The name comes from the child's father, "Hippy," who was also a Jetty resident.
Eberly and her mother, sister and brothers all moved out to the Jetty shortly before the relocation began. They moved there out of what they saw as a need for protection from personal enemies. They knew from past experiences that such a community would open their arms and help protect them.
Eberly spoke of the friendships and the peacefulness that, to her, characterized life on the Jetty.
"It was nice," Eberly said. "You could ask anybody for anything. It was like a family."
She also suggested that the story of the Jetty is different from what the officials tell. She claimed that throughout the years, the police and the welfare department actually referred many single mothers and homeless men to the Jetty.
"All those people who were out there, most of them were sent out there," she said. "A lot of people didn't even know what the Jetty was."
The Jetty offered freedom to Eberly. "What happened was that a very free society developed," Eberly said. "I think that scared (the authorities). They felt like they couldn't control it."
Eberly said she believes this is why the relocation action was taken.
Patricia Casey
As one of the many Community Health Outreach Workers (CHOW) who worked with former Jetty residents in the relocation efforts, Patricia Casey explained that she had a great deal of compassion for them, though she acknowledged that the Jetty's living conditions were not ideal.
"There were a lot of people with very real mental problems and drug problems," Casey said. She described how many of the Jetty residents simply couldn't function in the stressful environment of the population, and that they were much happier in a simpler environment.
Casey worked with many of the displaced residents, including both Eberly and her sister, and helped them get public housing and other services. She and the many other CHOWs were given the job of working with multiple "clients" in carrying out the plans for relocation.
Both Casey's clients and her superiors spoke of how she and all of the CHOWs went above and beyond the call of duty. Making no claims of success or failure, she simply shared her stories.
Barbara Anderson
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| Photo by Molly Taylor |
Barbara Anderson now lives in a housing project apartment in Eureka. |
Anderson moved to the Jetty after a four-year marriage ended and she had a nervous breakdown. Her mother was already living in a trailer at the South Jetty and invited Anderson to live with her until she could get back on her feet.
She described the South Jetty atmosphere as a warm and loving place.
"I felt safe there. It was a memorable experience," Anderson said. "I believe it was the first time I made true friends I could count on."
She insisted that even though some of the South Jetty residents were heavy users of alcohol and drugs, they would never harm anyone. "We all took responsibility for watching out for everyone. It was a family," she said.
Anderson admitted that some of the residents gave the South Jetty a bad name by not taking care of personal hygiene or the clean up of their encampments.
"Sure, some people used their camp sites as junkyards," she said. "But for the most part, people kept their homes looking good."
Anderson has been living in a housing project in Eureka for the past year. Like many former Jetty residents she and her son lived in various hotels after they were removed from the Jetty site. Anderson described that time as traumatic and scary.
"I was very physically and mentally sick at the time and had to have a lot of help making it through," she said. "Patricia (Casey) was a godsend. She was very patient with me and others that were freaking out because we didn't know what was going to happen to us. She really went to the wire for us 'Jettyites.'"
Anderson keeps a tidy, well-furnished apartment. She describes herself as the "mom" of her neighborhood.
"If one of the kids on the block gets hurt, my son brings them to me to patch up," she said. "I feel like helping and healing are my calling in this life."
She said she is still in contact with some of the former South Jetty residents. "They know where I am and they call from time to time to check on me and let me know how they are doing," Anderson said.
However, she does not know exactly what happened to many of her neighbors from the Jetty after they were removed. "Most of them have scattered," she said. "They live a lifestyle that doesn't go well with being boxed in."
Anderson said she worries about the friends she made on the South Jetty. "Out there I could watch over them and make sure they were all right. Out here I can't find them to see if there is anything they need," she said.
Anderson added she is still very bitter at the county for intervening in her way of life.
Susan Dunn
For years Susan Dunn has been an activist for homeless rights. She lives out of her bus and admits to being a rarity: a strongly religious, right-wing conservative who fights for the rights of the homeless.
Dunn originally became aware of the Jetty because of her involvement in an effort to bring religion to its residents. However, she and her daughters moved out to the Jetty permanently before she was to arrive with the church. The need for a protective community was one reason; the other was less personal.
"Well, I saw horrible things happening that were unconstitutional," Dunn said, asserting that the claims of people being sick and diseased were lies. Each resident who wanted to register for services had to wear identification wristbands. This scared her, she explained, and reminded her of Hitler.
Having worked for many years with homeless people in Santa Barbara, Dunn maintained that the Jetty was a truly unique experience. "It was wonderful. It was beautiful," Dunn said. "It was a social experiment in a setting that was like a frontier town."
For Dunn and others, the Jetty and its people were not homeless. They were a tight- knit family. "There were a lot of people that were against the system."
Dunn said that the "Jetty people" just wanted a chance to live their own lives.
Dunn, who now lives in "a remote location" in her bus, said that she is better for her experience. She said her faith was tested, and her eyes were opened. In the aftermath, she has devoted herself to protecting the constitutional rights of homeless and learning about militias and other "patriot groups," who she feels are fighting for the Constitution and "the system," which she still believes in.
She also has a web site that chronicles her view of the events at the Jetty. The site can be found at http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/7252.
"Everyone living on the planet wishes their life could matter," said Dunn. "And regardless of who you were or what you were, if you lived on the Jetty your life had value."
Conclusion
The events surrounding the residents of the South Jetty, the plan to relocate them and clean the land they lived on, are now a part of Humboldt County's history. The stories of each individual involved are more in depth than can be touched on in this article. For each person interviewed, however, the event was clearly a life changer. Each saw it as a symptom of bigger problems, and each remembered it differently.
