On the July 1st, 2020 News Now newscast, our very own Avi Critz wrote up a report and even spoke to Mayor Blake Inscore with a simple question: what does defunding the police mean, and what does it mean for us here?
Now, there’s a lot to unpack. Avi Critz succinctly summarizes what Defunding the Police means in metropolitan areas, in the areas where police budgets are immense and where we have seen the highest demand for defunding, especially in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, and many others.
As Avi Critz brings up, however, these tend to happen in much larger metropolitan areas where the police don’t live in or understand the neighborhoods they patrol. That’s quite different from our small town where we know quite well who our police officers are—and Avi would know, having had a college math class with our very own Sheriff Apperson.
Regardless of where you stand and your depth of understanding on what defunding the police entails, we strongly recommending watching this report. What does it mean? Where does the defunded money go, and how could it help us? Where does the budget for our officers go? What are other programs that could take over problems law enforcement can’t working with? Here’s what Avi Critz and Mayor Blake Inscore have to say.
Last Wednesday’s News Now is the second to be created under the management of Redwood Voice’s Persephone Rose—yours truly, the one writing this very article. As we’ve started to create content at an alarmingly quick pace compared to what we’ve produced before with far higher quality than we’ve seen in the past, I will begin employing a new posting system that covers all of our social media domains whenever new content is created in order to achieve the widest reach. That will include, after being posted to our YouTube Channel or right here on our website, going to our Facebook Page, Instagram, & Twitter. And of course, if you would like to know when we post videos the very second we post them, we recommend subscribing to our channel!
Part of this entails advertising KFUG Community Radio’s News Now, a co-production between KFUG, the Wild Rivers Outpost, and Redwood Voice.
The July 15th, 2020 airing of News Now features the following stories:
02:10 – The COVID-19 Update you’ve come to expect from your favorite bi-weekly newscast, including the reclosure of California and what that applies to. Even though we’re not on the list of 29 monitored counties, we will still be affected. Here’s what you need to know.
04:00 – DNUSD Considerations regarding plans for how to make this school year work in the midst of the pandemic.
08:50 – A Redwood Voice Original Segment: Black Lives STILL Matter, even if you’re not seeing it a lot in mainstream media. Here’s what you can do to support the movement. Redwood Voice is also interested in amplifying Black voices in our community.
14:08 – The Nick & Lisa Rail Fund seeds $100 million for a new performing arts center.
16:22 – Yurok Tribe Press Release: Governor Gavin Newsom names Yurok education director Jim McQuillen to the State Board of Education.
19:55 – Yurok Tribe Press Release: Using COVID-19 federal relief dollars for an emergency operations center.
22:11 – A Redwood Voice Original Segment: Roger Gitlin recently made a Facebook post quoting and supporting a speech that incited hate, according to the Redwood Voice team and many members of the community. This RV Segment is to hold accountability to him, and further to act as a sneak preview of a longer form story in the future.
31:48 – A Redwood Voice Original Segment: Avi Critz speaks out to remember Naya Rivera, and tells his personal experience about how it has led to his realization of the effects of constant media barrage, and how we should all step back every once and while to take care of ourselves.
36:48 – The Redwood Voicecast #2 is out. Persephone breaks down what happened. Maybe it’ll intrigue you into taking a listen?
Redwood Voice stands unquestionably and unflinchingly in support with the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests. We also recognize our team, though small, is a fully white crew and therefore come from positions of privilege. As such, when we show our support, we will make sure to keep ourselves out of the narrative—we’ve all seen white folks, even celebrities and organizations, attending protests and taking selfies for “internet clout” or “bonus points” and the like. Not to mention those who use their privilege to assume that they have a say in the matter, and that they can berate or antagonize these people fighting for their lives. The fact that there are so many White people who rally against and talk down on the movement, believing they have control or a say in it, is itself a demonstration of their privilege.
Just needed to denounce those really quick. Pretending those are not things going on just means that they’re happening unchecked.
For these reasons, this page will be a list of resources in order to connect our community in the fights for Black lives all across our nation. This article will be updated when updates and new information are available, and will be listing organizations, bonds, and fundraisers that you can donate and support in order to support protesters, as well as other means of support if applicable. Also, you can click the images to go the websites/applicable links for the organization.
At this point in time, the Minnesota Freedom Fund is actually recommending that you do not donate to them—they have become positively over-saturated with support, and they are turning people to other means of support, meaning they are still a good hub for information. The fund, which has been used to bail out protesters who are arrested for exercising their first amendment right, is asking people to donate to the family of George Floyd and local organizations that are Black & BIPOC led.
From their Twitter account:
You can support Floyd’s family and the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund at their GoFundMe Page here.
Black Visions Collective is a Minnesota-based aimed at teaching transformative justice principles, dedicated to amplifying Black autonomy and leadership in communities. You can donate to them here, and learn more about them on their website. Their Twitter also provides important updates, including important information regarding protests.
So despite those protests a bunch of privileged, gun-toting white guys did a few weeks ago to protest COVID-19 closures since they felt it breached their rights (Remember those guys? Remember how very little was done and how peaceful and negotiable things were?) claiming their first amendment rights were being infringed on (they weren’t, by the way), it’s actually happening now with a complete turn around of how it’s being handled. That’s right, the first amendment right these people were claiming are being breached is actually happening now (and I don’t know about you, but I’ve not heard them speak up on it.)
In lieu of this, numerous bail funds have been created in most cities where a major protest has taken place. You can find them below:
BAY AREA Anti-Repression Committee Bail Fund: Donate and learn more here.
CHICAGO Community Bond Fund: Donate here, learn more here.
COLORADO Freedom Fund: Donate and learn more here.
FLORIDA Justice Center: Donate here, learn more here.
FORT WAYNE Legal & Medical Fees For Protesters: GoFundMe Page here.
JACKSONVILLE, Florida Community Support Fund: GoFundMe Page here.
LOS ANGELES – Peoples City Council Freedom Fund: This GoFundMe is going towards several resources such as bail funds, but additionally medical bills and transportation costs for protesters, and direct support to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.
LOUISVILLE Community Bail Fund: Donate and learn more here.
MADISON Uprising #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd: GoFundMe Page here.
MASSACHUSETTS Bail Fund: (Different from Massachusetts Freedom Fund) Donate here, learn more here.
MONTGOMERY Bail Out: Donate here, learn more here.
NASHVILLE Community Bail Fund: Donate here, learn more here.
NORTH CAROLINA Community Bail Fund of Durham: Donate here, learn more here.
PENNSYLVANIA (Dauphin County) Bail Fund: Donate here, learn more here.
PHILADELPHIA Bail Fund: Donate and learn more here.
26 Ways to Support Black Liberation Without Protesting
Below is an article from Beyond The Streets that we thought would be helpful. If you want to lend your support even further than donations and spreading resources, you can follow these to become more active.
Our Daily Bread Ministries announced their need for a new GENERAC Generator in order to keep the the shelter warm and operational during bad storms. More specifically, they announced their need for the generator back on December 18th, 2019, and at the time of writing this have only received $675 of their $9,000 goal.
The GoFundMe fundraiser has only received a total of 3 donations. The most recent was 21 days ago, the second most recent 4 months ago, and the third from 5 months ago (the last 2 donations being the same person). The fundraiser has clearly not gained the traction it needs. The GoFundMe page was organized by Rachel Justice, who made the following post to describe the fundraiser:
Want to join me in making a difference? I’m raising money to benefit Our Daily Bread Ministries, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.
We are raising funds for a GENERAC generator to power our building when the power is out. As you know, we have serious storms here in Crescent City, CA. When the power is out, it is difficult to continue to feed and house people, and impossible to keep them warm. Our building gets cold, fast. We have many people depending on us for truly life saving services especially in our horrific storms. Feeding and sheltering the masses by candlelight is inefficient and dangerous.
We are working with Randy at High Voltage Electric who will do the installation on this machine that can power our entire 7,000 square foot building. The cost for the generator and installation will be around 8,500-9,000.
More information about Our Daily Bread Ministries: Feed the body, soul and spirit with free 1.) hot meals and emergency food for the hungry[,] 2.) clothing and bedding and life recovery drug, alcohol and spiritual counseling 3 ) clothing, bedding (blankets, sleeping bags and tents) and hygiene products
Rachel Justice; text has been lightly edited to correct typos and can be compared to the original post on the fundraiser.
The image provided in the GoFundMe post of the GENERAC Generator.
Additionally, if you are unaware of the services of Our Daily Bread Ministries provides and how it operates, there exists an Ancient video depicting an inside look of the shelter. (I say ancient, despite it being a little over a year old, likely because it is one of my very early works and it’s interesting to see it compared to my newer works.)
“KFUG takes an inside look at Our Daily Bread Ministries, a homeless shelter with much to offer for people facing homelessness that often goes overlooked.” An incredibly early work by Persephone Rose (yours truly.)
This article, before being posted, was first premiered as information written by Persephone Rose for the KFUG Community Radio production News Now. You can listen to this story and many others on the latest airing of News Now. You can listen to News Now every other Wednesday at 5:00pm on 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
The 2nd Street Art Gallery & Gift Shop needs your help in order to keep going!
Redwood Voice has been closely following and reporting on the fundraiser on our co-production with KFUG Community Radio (an easy task considering we are the same crew) and the Wild Rivers Outpost, News Now: a radio news-broadcast every other Wednesday at 5pm.
The gallery created a GoFundMe page on April 28th, organized by Dawn Sibille Phillips, which can be found here. The description for the fundraiser is as follows:
Please help us save our 2nd Street Art Gallery and Gift Shop!
First, I would like to say the California Redwoods Art Association (2nd Street Gallery and Gift Shop) has had a lot of support throughout the years. I would like to thank each and every one of you that has been a part of growing this Non-Profit organization.
For those of you that don’t know anything about our organization, members volunteer to host the gallery and gift shop. They schedule guests coming into the classes being taught in the gallery classroom. As volunteers to the public, our hosts are vital assets to our business to the appropriate function with the Non-Profit. Our hosting volunteer positions are very special, involving interactions, not just with visitors, but being at the front desk answering phones from people interested in classes, sales or memberships to the gallery, as well as greeting guests as they come in from all over the world. Our organization is run daily by volunteers, including our officers and board members.
With all that said, we are uncertain when we will be back open for business due to the pandemic with Covid-19 (Coronavirus). All of our events being cancelled and the Gallery being closed is affecting our fate of serving the community with art. We are trying our best to come up with money to ensure our circumstances by opening up the books and collecting any money that’s owed. As a Non-Profit Organization, we are reaching out to the community to fulfill the funds necessary to survive for another two months or necessary time to resume regular hours of service at the 2nd Street Gallery and Gift Shop. We would greatly appreciate any amount donated to help us during these unprecedented times. Thank you in advance for any type of donation. We will be posting updates as soon as things change or we can resume business.
– Dawn Sibille Philips
At the moment of writing this, the gallery has managed to raise $1,525 of their $4,000 goal. The most recent donation was 11 days ago. Updates have been given on the page expressing thanks, it is vital that the fundraiser does not lose traction. In a post on April 30th, only 2 days after the start of the fundraiser, a post announced April’s rent is covered and that the rest would be going to May’s rent when it is received.
Over the coming weeks, though, there have been additional ways you can support the gallery!
Fran Uecker, owner of Firefly Soy Candles, is donating half of all proceeds from her soy wax melts to the gallery, as the gallery explains in the post below! So when you try supporting a local business, you could be supporting TWO simultaneously! (You can find Firefly Soy Candles here.)
Original Facebook post from the 2nd Street Art Gallery, posted May 8th, 2020.
This article, before being posted, was first premiered as information written by Persephone Rose for the KFUG Community Radio production News Now. You can listen to this story and many others on the latest airing of News Now. You can listen to News Now every other Wednesday at 5:00pm on 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. If it’s shown us anything, it’s that we must prioritize and support the businesses following genuine safety measures. To those businesses who are pursuing this route who have not yet been informed, we hope this information finds you well! (If you somehow missed out on what transpired this weekend, it is succinctly summarized in this Facebook post by KFUG Station Manager Paul Critz.)
If you are a business looking to re-open, the information on how to begin the process has been released. By following these steps, you’ll be up for consideration in opening back up—so long as you follow these precautions.
First, where can you find this information? On Del Norte County’s official website (co.del-norte.ca.us/), the Public Health section of the website has a tab dedicated to all local information on COVID-19 (as you would probably expect). It has recently added a Roadmap to Recovery. It describes each of the 4 Stages of the state order’s 4 Stage plan in simple detail and how that applies to our personal lives, especially business owners who are hoping to re-open. Currently, we are entering Stage 2, which describes the following: “Gradually reopening retail (curbside only), manufacturing, and logistics. Later, relax retail restrictions, adapt and reopen schools, child care, offices and limited hospitality, and personal services.” The extended plan and the important details behind exists as a 7 page PDF file to this section of the website, created on May 15th, 2020. You can view and download the PDF by clicking here.
It opens describing the county’s plan as being that which takes into account orders from the state and needs to be fulfilled.
In order for a business to begin re-opening, it must do all of the following:
Perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan.
Train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen for symptoms and stay home if they have them.
Implement individual control measures and screenings.
Implement disinfecting protocols.
Implement physical distancing guidelines.
After these 5 tasks have been completed, businesses must then submit a COVID-19 Operations Plan to Del Norte County Public Health in order to reopen. (You can find the form here.)
It is necessary for this form to be completed in order to be considered eligible for reopening. The Economic Resiliency Branch of the EOC is available to assist businesses in completing their COVID-19 Operations Plan. Completed plans may be submitted for approval electronically to: DNR2R@co.del-norte.ca.us or mailed to: Del Norte County Public Health 400 L Street Crescent City, CA 95531.
When the correct sector is open and a business has submitted a COVID-19 Operations Plan to Public Health for review and approval, that business is “Ready to Reopen.” They may self-certify their location and reopen with pending approval of the COVID-19 operations plan. They should print the Self-Certification Window Placard (the link can be found on this same webpage) and place it in a window or where it can be easily viewed by the public.
Any and all other information about the reopening process can be found on this page of the website.
This article, before being posted, was first premiered as information written by Persephone Rose for the KFUG Community Radio production News Now. You can listen to this story and many others on the latest airing of News Now. You can listen to News Now every other Wednesday at 5:00pm on 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
Since the Del Norte Unified School District has placed schools under closure amidst these days of distancing from COVID-19, some of you may be a bit confused to see school buses still quite active throughout the mornings. While these buses aren’t being used to pick up students, they’re still being used to help them in these confusing times.
Thursday morning, March 19th, I had the interesting experience of tagging along with Crescent City Bureau Chief Jessica Cejnar for a school bus ride along in the midst of their recently established meal delivery program. You can find her incredibly well-written article about the experience here!
We rode Bus 22, driven by Reese Trimm. Starting only last week after the closure of schools, the buses have been used to deliver meals to youth all across Del Norte County. They include breakfast and lunch, but sometimes they provide even more food: case in point, the Monday after the following weekend (the one coming up) is a Professional Development day, which would mean the buses will not be running its meal delivery route. So, they encouraged each and every parent and student on Thursday to bring a bag or backpack the next day, so that they could provide double the amount of meals to make up for Monday’s absence. This program is determined to not let children go without food!
On the first day, Reese Trimm, who keeps track of how many kids are receiving food, said that her route delivered meals to 162 kids; the next day, 111; the day after, 146; and, on our ride along, in the span of roughly 2 hours from just one bus, Bus 22’s team delivered meals to 186 kids, totaling at 372 meals.
Paige Swan, Crescent Elk Middle School’s principal, also joined us for this ride with the specific goal to hand out ungraded enrichment worksheets to students from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. These would help keep students occupied in an educational manner so that the closure of schools did not impact their progress too heavily. Paige Swan also informed us that the following week, similar worksheets would be created for high school and preschool students.
As this process goes on, changes are being made further and further to encourage the use of this program and assist in making it more accessible. DNUSD Transportation Director Derrick Campbell spoke to us about an app called “Here Comes the Bus” that would allow parents to track the progress of the buses on their routes, in order to ensure added safety and convenience. Update: the district has established their code for the app! If you’re interested in using it, download the app and input 86992 to track buses in real time!
Below, you can find the video to this ride along:
This experience is just one example of how our community has banded together in this time of worry and panic, in our distancing and closures amidst COVID-19. We are hoping this is only the beginning of many projects documenting these kinds of events. If you have any information or would like us to highlight other organizations taking actions like these to help in these times, please comment below and we’ll follow up with you!
The statewide push for accountability with law enforcement in their relations with communities of color has come to Del Norte County and Tribal Lands. Local organizing network, True North, have been collecting prayer cards signed by citizens urging Governor Brown to pass Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act, a data collecting bill making it mandatory for law enforcement to track and report the race of persons they make contact with.
Redwood Voice reporters followed some of the leaders and organizers of True North as they made their trek through our region on their way to the State Capitol.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
