The sign of the Redwood Peace & Justice Center in Arcata, Calif.

Story and Photo by Katie Block

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The aftermath of the Sept.11 attacks left many people angry, desperate to seek answers, and trying to make sense of a world that in a moment had been turned upside down.

Typically, people reacting to tragedy find resolve in one of two ways — by getting angry and retaliatory, or finding a silver lining and using the event to make a positive change. A small group of people in Humboldt County saw the latter and as a result, combined their motivation and resources to form the Redwood Peace and Justice Center, a local forum for peace.

Betsy Roberts, Dave Meserve, Melanie Williams and other peace-minded community members used the events of 9/11 as a catalyst to promote an idea.

“In the wake of the attacks, a clearinghouse now was needed for a variety of groups to come together,” said Williams, who teaches government and politics at Humboldt State University.

Roberts and Meserve, members of the Redwood Peace Coalition, along with other community leaders, merged their assets to create an environment where community members could resource books, videos, computers, petitions, and hold meetings in a central and safe setting. The underlying motivation of this vision was to provide Arcata with peaceful sanctuary for pacifistic change to be promoted.

“The idea of a peace and justice center is not new,” said Williams. “The idea just emerged at the right time for this town to have a single entity that puts a social-justice perspective on many issues.”

The dream became a reality when on Nov. 9, 2001, at Arts Arcata!, the doors of the Redwood Peace and Justice Center were opened for the first time.

Welcoming a crowd of hundreds, Williams gave an inaugural speech outlining peace and justice in Humboldt County and reminded people of violence in our past.

“I wanted people to be aware of our history,” she said. “We have an enormous debt to pay due to our inherent history.”

Williams delineated the chronology of the area, beginning with the presence of local Japanese internment camps of WWII, to the student anti-war protests in the ’60s. She recalled how student opposition shut down Humboldt State University for a period of time.

“We have a tainted history that we need to make up for,” she said. “This is a new era of efforts. We are the physical manifestation of that conscience.”

The grand opening won attention from the community and the center has since become a central meeting place for a variety of local organizations. Earth First, the Green Party, Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and Vets for Peace are just a few of the groups who reciprocate support with the center.

“The Peace and Justice Center is not only partially financially supported by these groups but it also serves as a place for different groups to ‘bump’ into each other,” said Roberts. “People come here and realize how many other people are out there doing the same thing they are.”

The “synergistic effect” of the Redwood Peace and Justice Center has also brought in national entities such as the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, commonly known as the CCCO, which now has an office at the center.

A nationwide program for veterans, the CCCO, around since 1948, informs people involved in the military of their legal rights as conscientious objectors and resisters to war. The GI rights hot line is a network of “non-profit, non-governmental organizations who provide information to service members about military discharges, grievance and complaint procedures, and other civil rights.”

Originally having four call-in centers around the nation to receive inquiries about veterans’ rights, the CCCO decided to add another location after a surge of calls cluttered the phone lines after 9/11. That branch is now housed in the peace and justice center and is manned by local trained volunteers.

In addition to the GI hot line, the center has a plethora of alternative literature and local artwork for sale, all going to support the center. Visiting the peace and justice center, I was welcomed by an HSU student intern. The inside of the building, located at the bottom of H Street in Arcata, has a cozy atmosphere with a variety of resources available to visitors. Andy, the intern, showed me the lending library of books and videos and explained how encompassing the center’s resources are.

“People can come here to learn how to promote their organization or learn how to get started,” he said. “Literature and computer programs are available to the public, as well as people who can show them how to use it.”

Word of mouth about the peace and justice center has gotten out into the community, and it hopes to expand more in the future. It’s a lesson to all that within every situation emerges a burgeoning opportunity for change, and a chance to bring the community together.