2008 Woodie Awards
Endeavor closes its doors to out-of-town visitors
Brett Shiells
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Community
Hundreds of hippies and Rastafarians descended upon Arcata last week for the annual 4-20 festival in Redwood Park.
Unfortunately for them, harvest is in September and the deals they hoped for were nowhere to be found.
On top of that, poor and hungry travelers had to survive their stay without help from the Arcata Endeavor, closed for several days before and after the illicit gathering.
The Endeavor wants to distance itself from people pouring into town for the cannabis celebration, Board President Roger Herrick said, fearing it will be blamed for enabling the influx of stoned-out-of-their-mind visitors.
"Everybody knows it's the marijuana that they're coming here for," Herrick said. "You think people came 600 miles to Arcata to get three free meals a week?"
Herrick said he wants to save the Endeavor's clients, primarily low-income Arcata families and fixed-income seniors, from being grouped in the public consciousness with the pot-smoking revelers.
The director of the adjacent transit center agreed that the Endeavor has been a victim of mis-perceptions, but blamed the nonprofit for drawing poor people into town.
"The bottom line is [Executive Director John Shelter] is doing a fantastic job," Larry Pardi said, "but the better he does, the more people he will attract."
Pardi admitted that Humboldt's plethora of festivals, expansive forest, and proliferation of grow houses are also magnets for young travelers, but was unsure how much of the attraction has to do with the county's lax marijuana laws.
"Our responsibility is to provide a safe working environment to our employees, paying customers, and city staff," Pardi said. "If John wants to save all the transients and the rest of humanity, that's his prerogative."
Most complaints about public safety involving the Endeavor emanate from Pardi's office. He has filed so many that the police have stopped responding to calls from transit center staff. Still, no related worker's compensation claims have been filed.
Unfortunately for them, harvest is in September and the deals they hoped for were nowhere to be found.
On top of that, poor and hungry travelers had to survive their stay without help from the Arcata Endeavor, closed for several days before and after the illicit gathering.
The Endeavor wants to distance itself from people pouring into town for the cannabis celebration, Board President Roger Herrick said, fearing it will be blamed for enabling the influx of stoned-out-of-their-mind visitors.
"Everybody knows it's the marijuana that they're coming here for," Herrick said. "You think people came 600 miles to Arcata to get three free meals a week?"
Herrick said he wants to save the Endeavor's clients, primarily low-income Arcata families and fixed-income seniors, from being grouped in the public consciousness with the pot-smoking revelers.
The director of the adjacent transit center agreed that the Endeavor has been a victim of mis-perceptions, but blamed the nonprofit for drawing poor people into town.
"The bottom line is [Executive Director John Shelter] is doing a fantastic job," Larry Pardi said, "but the better he does, the more people he will attract."
Pardi admitted that Humboldt's plethora of festivals, expansive forest, and proliferation of grow houses are also magnets for young travelers, but was unsure how much of the attraction has to do with the county's lax marijuana laws.
"Our responsibility is to provide a safe working environment to our employees, paying customers, and city staff," Pardi said. "If John wants to save all the transients and the rest of humanity, that's his prerogative."
Most complaints about public safety involving the Endeavor emanate from Pardi's office. He has filed so many that the police have stopped responding to calls from transit center staff. Still, no related worker's compensation claims have been filed.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
brett shiells
posted 4/30/08 @ 5:06 PM PST
I want to make a correction - the lead sentence should have read, "Hundreds of hippies and trustafarians..."
Humboldt hana
posted 4/30/08 @ 7:24 PM PST
WOW is the bus station manager out of touch with who uses greyhound, and the bus system... MOSTLY POOR PEOPLE who can not afford a car! Families, seniors, disabled folk, college kids. (Continued…)
Roger
posted 4/30/08 @ 9:37 PM PST
The headline is kinda misleading... it makes it sound like the Endeavor was banning out-of-town visitors forever, but it was actually only during the 4/20 festival. (Continued…)
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