_{Thumbnail image courtesy of the Redheaded Blackbelt’s livestream of the Jan. 21st protest, taken as a screenshot and edited.}

Update, 1:23 p.m. March 7: An anonymous source reached out to inform us that the date for Raymond Evans’ arraignment has been pushed back, before clarifying the case is still being reviewed and the court date has not yet been set. Redwood Voice reached out to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office to verify, which confirmed that Evans’ court date is still pending. They gave no estimation for when it may be set.

Update, 1:30 p.m. March 20: Redwood Voice reached out to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office again to check on Maggie Rasch’s court date, and found that her case is also pending review. Evans’ court date is also still pending review.

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On the evening of March 1st, Redwood Voice received the following press release via email, from the Friends of Raymond and Maggie:

“Cal Poly Humboldt Orders Arrests of Activists, Seeks to Quietly Criminalize Dissent. Don’t Let Them!”

In their latest flailing attempt to supress any dissent, Cal Poly Humboldt and the University Police Department (UPD)  have leveled charges against community members Maggie Rasch and Raymond Evans, accusing the two activists of felony “conspiracy to commit a crime,” “vandalism,” and “unlawful use of a mask” just over a week after a January 21st protest. When Evans asked what vandalism he was accused of, the arresting officer Joseph Conlin stated that he witnessed Evans loading signs, drums, and a wagon into his pickup truck after the protest, and that this constituted criminal conspiracy. Is this a reasonable basis for a felony arrest warrant?

In the week prior to obtaining warrants, police twice appeared outside a local house at odd hours of the night, stalking and surveiling anyone they assumed to be associated with the residence. In the first instance, two UPD officers arrived outside the house around 10 PM, shined flashlights into cars parked on the street outside, and knowingly deadnamed Maggie (a trans woman). In the second instance, an Arcata Police cruiser and a Humboldt County Sheriffs vehicle were spotted around 10 PM staking out a street corner one block from the house. Upon leaving, one friend was tailed by the sheriff all the way home.

Continue reading Student Activists Accuse CPH of Suppressing Dissent After Harassment & Arrests →