On the night of June 2, more than 111 people were arrested for curfew violations following a march against police brutality, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. 

Earlier that Tuesday evening, approximately 700 people gathered in Roseland to remember Andy Lopez, who was shot and killed by a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy in 2013 when he was 13-years-old. The June 2 vigil, honoring what would have been Lopez’s 20th birthday, came amidst daily nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. 

Those arrested and held overnight at the Sonoma County Main Detention Facility included protesters, volunteer medics and bystanders, including people driving home and people watching from the sidewalk in front of their homes. Video revealed that many arresting officers were unmasked, violating the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Covid-19 protocols and the County’s Health Orders. Once transported from the scene of the arrest, adult arrestees were held for eight to 12 hours in conditions they describe as unsafe, unsanitary and inhumane.  

Though the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to the public that they have “robust hygiene protocols in place to protect everyone from the spread of Covid-19 as much as possible,” those arrested largely dispute that the protocols were followed. The volunteer groups H-PEACE (Health Professionals for Equality and Community Empowerment) and Mask Sonoma say that holding conditions, which included overcrowding in cells and lack of basic sanitation and hygiene, pose significant health risks to arrested individuals and the public in our current pandemic conditions which call for mask-wearing, physical distancing, and hand-hygiene to stem the spread of Covid-19. 

On June 1, the City of Santa Rosa declared a local state of emergency and implemented a curfew June 1 through June 4 from 8pm to 5am, citing incidents of violence, looting and vandalism in the previous days. In a June 1 curfew announcement, Santa Rosa City Manager Sean McGlynn said the curfew was meant to protect the community from those who meant to do harm. Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm called the curfew “a tool to facilitate peaceful protests without the disruption of violent and destructive criminal behavior.” All four arrestees who spoke to the Bohemian said that the June 2 protest remained non-violent.

Around this time, curfews were briefly implemented in cities and counties all over the US., though many were canceled after civil-rights advocates said they violated protesters’ rights to assemble and exercise free speech. The City of Santa Rosa did not lift its curfew early, but did allow it to expire on June 4. 

Members of H-PEACE and Mask Sonoma were arrested. These groups followed the march to provide medical assistance and masks to protesters. Two H-PEACE doctors, who wished to use the pseudonyms Michelle and Rachel, were arrested around 9:40pm. 

Michelle said, “About four male officers took the two of us down a darker street and did not have their body cameras on. I had to ask multiple times for them to turn their body cameras on and even then, some switched them off a few minutes later.” She said that the cameras have a red blinking light when they are recording.

Santa Rosa Police Lieutenant Jeneane Kucker said, “We are not aware of anyone asking officers to turn cameras on.” 

Michelle said the situation scared her.

Kate is a licensed social worker who was also arrested while volunteering with H-PEACE. She said, “I was searched by a male officer. He put his hand in my front pants pocket to check it—the same pocket five times. It felt really invasive.”

Most arrestees were booked into the detention facility after Michelle and Rachel arrived. Michelle and Rachel said that most women arrested appeared to be in their teens and 20s and most were people of color—Latina and black.  

Tess Wilson, 22, was driving with a friend near the protests when she realized that they were walled-in by riot police. Police placed them under arrest. Wilson said her wrists were zip-tied behind her back for at least three hours.

“They redid my zip-ties a few times,” she said. “I had to beg because my circulation was getting cut off. My hands were hurting a lot.”

Two days later, Wilson still felt numbness in both hands. 

Kate said she looked at the wrists of at least 20 women at the jail.

“They had red marks, bruises, cuts from how tight the zip ties were,” she said. “Their hands were still swollen hours later.”

At the detention facility, about 46 women were held, with most kept shoulder-to-shoulder in one holding cell. Ten women were held between two cells on the second floor. Arrestees report that hand sanitizer was not made available to them, which contradicts a protocol described by the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a media request for comment. 

In the main holding area, there were two bathrooms that had two bars of hand soap. Multiple people reported that someone vomited in one bathroom and it was not cleaned for more than five hours.

Rachel said, “There was no trash can, so we had to throw sanitary products on the floor.” 

Michelle added, “Every hour, staff would sign a sheet saying they’d serviced the bathroom, but no effort was actually made.” 

Kate said, “I asked an officer for a Clorox wipe. I said ‘I would like to wipe down the areas people are touching.’ The officer told me, ‘Those are not for you.’”

Miles Sarvis-Wilburn, of Mask Sonoma, said unmasked police officers interfacing with the public has been an ongoing concern in Santa Rosa throughout the Covid-19 epidemic. 

As of June 7, there have been 642 positive Covid-19 cases in Sonoma County, which is approximately 0.12 percent of the population. As of May 25—the last time a public update was provided—there have been nine confirmed Covid-19 cases among employees of the Santa Rosa Police Department—8.1 percent of their staff.

“Covid-19 caseload among SRPD is drastically higher than the general population,” Sarvis-Wilburn said. 

In a statement sent to the Bohemian regarding mask use, Santa Rosa Police Chief Ray Navarro said, “During the night, it came to my attention that some of our SRPD officers were failing to wear their department-issued face coverings … as is required Department protocol and aligns with Sonoma County’s Public Health Order to help stem the spread of Covid-19. As the Chief, I take full responsibility for this lapse in procedure. I have taken immediate action to rectify this.” 

Fourteen juveniles were among those arrested.

Chief Probation Officer David Koch said, “About eight youth were brought to Juvenile Hall on curfew violations. Six of these youth were released that morning or during the day…”

The Bohemian has not spoken to juveniles arrested about their experience at Juvenile Hall. 

In a press release, H-PEACE and Mask Sonoma call on law enforcement to, “initiate outreach for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and assessment for isolation and quarantine in individuals who have been exposed to unsafe law enforcement practices, including follow up mental health support.” They also call on an investigation into the detention practices that preceded the events of June 2.  

The release also calls on law enforcement and public officials, “to institutionalize anti-racist practices … . The public needs to know how law enforcement is protecting them in both the overlapping public health crises of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the long-standing epidemic of institutionalized violence against black and brown people.”

By Chelsea Kurnick

Returning back to school this year—50 years old, an Afro-Latina, a disabled student—I chose to dive into the community headfirst. I did not wish to allow my adversity to define my experience but to influence how I chose to engage with other students, faculty, and staff at Santa Rosa Junior College. I began joining various clubs, meeting students, planning events, and through time, began to understand that there was a real need for black and brown students to be more active, present and supported on campus. I joined various racial-affinity groups, social groups, and more. I ended the first semester with a 4.0 GPA and was appointed Vice President of Clubs of Petaluma.

Once the Pandemic had begun its onslaught of altering my communities and what we knew as normal, I believed nothing could get worse. That’s when the Black Lives Matter movement re-emerged in the wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Tony Mcdade and George Floyd. 

Immediately, the Black Student Union, various community leaders and I began planning a community event that promoted the leadership and presence of black voices and protested against police brutality and injustice. We came up with a series of demands, a program that will ensure Santa Rosa Junior College promotes racial equity and inclusion. 

We will no longer be silent. These are our demands. 

1. We DEMAND FREE tuition for Black and Indigenous students.
2. We DEMAND Black Scholarships. 
3. We DEMAND an Office for Black Student Development starting FALL 2020. 
4. We DEMAND a more racially-diverse faculty and staff.
5. We DEMAND the hiring of a Black Counselor, specifically, Dianna L Grayer.
6. We DEMAND a Black/Ethnic Studies Department be implemented.
7. We DEMAND Proper Comprehensive Racial Awareness training to all Staff, Faculty and Administration.  
8. We DEMAND SRJC Create a Strategic Plan that will increase Retention Rates for marginalized students.
9. We DEMAND the IMMEDIATE Removal of Don Edgar from the Board of Trustees. ANYONE in Leadership, Staff, Faculty or Administration who has been accused of Embellzelment, Bribaries, Discrimination, Bullying, Stigmatizing or Harassing should be removed from their positions IMMEDIATELY.
10. We DEMAND that Campus Security shows fair and equal treatment regarding events that are hosted by the BSU.
11. We DEMAND that Summer Classes not have Due Dates or Deadlines.
12. We DEMAND that Dr. Chong come to our BSU meeting once a semester to keep us posted on the progress of our DEMANDS.  
13. WE DEMAND THE JOBS OF THE FACULTY, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS THAT SUPPORT US NOT BE THREATENED DUE TO THEIR SUPPORT OF BLACK STUDENT UNION STUDENTS.

We don’t want to be pacified. It’s time for a change.
Delashay Carmona Benson is a re-entry college student at Santa Rosa Junior College where she advocates for inclusivity, diversity and equity.

North Bay Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson are among dozens of democratic Congressmembers to co-sponsor federal legislation aimed at reforming law-enforcement agencies across the country.

Introduced on Monday, June 8, the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is the Democrats’ response to the daily protests across the nation.

The list of changes proposed in the legislation includes a countrywide ban on chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock warrants. The bill would also require state and local law enforcement “to use existing federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras” and create a National Police Misconduct Registry intended to prevent officers with a history of violence or problematic behavior from transferring to a new department.

All of this sounds good, but it may not match the urgency many people on the street want. Even if the police-reform legislation passes, meaningful law-enforcement agency reform will require ongoing oversight and a change in officers’ mindsets, not just new rules.

Rules, as Americans have witnessed over and over again, can be broken or blatantly ignored when a law-enforcement agency lacks a culture of accountability.

PG&E Plans Move to Oakland

As the Pacific Gas and Electric Company awaits word on whether its bankruptcy exit plan will be approved before June 30, the utility announced plans to move its corporate headquarters from downtown San Francisco to Oakland beginning in 2022.

“Oakland is the perfect fit for us for a host of reasons,” a PG&E executive said in a statement on June 8. “It is a thriving hub of industry and innovation in our state, and we look forward to establishing our headquarters and contributing to life there.”

The bigger issue question still remains: How will PG&E fare once it successfully exits bankruptcy court—an outcome that looks likely in the next few weeks—while the state heads into yet another fire season?

Nobody knows, but adding another round of widespread power shutoffs or wildfires—PG&E-induced or not—to an ongoing pandemic and protests against police brutality could make the next six months even more eventful. 

Our unhelpful advice? Buckle up and buy some extra batteries.

The journey for the modern maker from concept to customer is not an easy one, especially for small artisan producers and brands trying to find an audience for their products and services in a crowded online marketplace.

Jimmy Brower was one such creative, a North Oakland retail professional who left the corporate world to pursue his own desert-inspired lifestyle brand, West Perro, in 2016. Through the brand, Brower creates and sells sun hats, jewelry and other items in his online shop. In figuring out how to sustain and survive as a self-employed creative in an expensive Bay Area, Brower knew he had to create a community.

“I would find myself participating in craft shows and markets, and my network broadened,” he says. “All these things that are a benefit in the small business world; but the things I saw that were lacking in these larger fairs and markets was accessibility, affordability and diversity.”

In 2018, Brower founded Head West Marketplace to provide a diverse array of local purveyors a pop-up platform with which to share and sell their products and services in a physical space akin to a farmers’ market, only this one features art and crafts instead of fruits and vegetables.

“I wanted to build something that was affordable for new or emerging artists, or small businesses, or makers, or shop owners,” Brower says. “And I wanted to make it accessible to people in their own community, their own neighborhood.”

The first few months of Head West Marketplace in 2018 happened 10 blocks from Brower’s house, at Bay Street Shopping Center in Emeryville. He and the artisan crafters and makers who participated in those early markets saw immediate results.

“People were coming up to me that had not been exposed to small business in the form of sole entrepreneurs just working out of their households,” he says. “There were a lot of conversations happening about the value of time and materials and ultimately the value of products and services when it’s coming from a human being versus a corporation.”

While the pop-up space in Emeryville could accommodate 20 booths of local purveyors, Head West Marketplace quickly grew beyond that capacity and expanded its market at different venues, moving between Hangar One Distillery in Alameda and the Temescal District on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland.

“I started to see doors open for all shapes and sizes of makers in the Bay Area,” Brower says. “These individuals needed an outlet from out behind their computer screen to physically connect with people, whether it be their already existing customer base, their followers on social media or just their family and friends to test out their ideas and creations. “

Brower also found that customers were coming to these marketplaces from the North Bay, the South Bay and the far East Bay. In 2019, Head West Marketplace doubled from two venues to four, adding pop-up markets at 1717 Fourth Street in Berkeley and at the Barlow in Sebastopol.

While Brower is still the one-man operation behind Head West, he acknowledges he does not do it alone, and he says he’s blessed to work with partners at these community-minded venues to create space for the makers and creators.

“It’s a passion,” he says. “It’s a passion for seeing people’s dreams grow into physical realities.”

All of this rests, in some way, in Brower’s childhood, growing up in a small town in Illinois, with a mother who worked graveyards shifts at a hospital, a father who worked with his hands as a welder and a stepfather who would come home covered in soot from his job in a coal mine.

“Being inspired by that type of blue-collar hard work helped me to infuse that into what I’m doing today,” he says.

Today looks very different from the 2020 that Brower envisioned for Head West Marketplace, which was poised to hold an outdoor market nearly every weekend at one of its four venues beginning in March and running through the holidays.

“I led with this mentality of, ‘2020 is the year to see things clearly,’” he laughs. “I started hearing those things being echoed, that this was THE year of things happening. And things are happening, absolutely, important things are happening. But if I put myself in the silo of small business and those stay-at-home makers and crafters and designers, it’s been very difficult.”

Head West did host its first market of the year on March 7 at the Barlow Center in Sebastopol.

“I was elated,” Brower says, of the event that drew 3,000 people. “There was so much success, so much optimism and so much positivity with that bellwether marketplace.”

Less than a week later, most of the Bay Area issued a stay-at-home order to stop the spread of Covid-19. Brower was disheartened to have to cancel his Head West markets, ultimately through June.

Yet, Brower says he’s also seen uplifting news in that time. He’s networked with other like-minded market organizers up and down the coast, inspiring him to continue to support makers and purveyors with online resources and exposure.

To that end, Head West Marketplace has assembled a comprehensive resource guide for Bay Area small businesses dealing with the Covid-19 fallout. These resources include grant and loan opportunities, and Brower’s informed opinion on options for staying afloat during these dire economic times.

“I’m one of those business-minded people that says loans are for growth, not for crisis, and there were a lot of predatory lenders trying to capitalize on panicked individuals,” he says. “I built the online resources in the mindset that it is about making sure you survive after this moment, what that looks like in terms of personal finance and income, and what it means for your business revenue.”

In addition to providing resources for business owners, Head West is also sharing a list of Bay Area–and-beyond makers and designers who have pivoted to creating customizable and artistic face coverings during the ongoing pandemic.

Beyond supporting the shop-local scene, recent events in the U.S. have prompted Brower to join the growing chorus of “Black Lives Matter,” and when Head West returns to public events, Brower is making commitments to support Black makers and businesses, highlighting many planned actions listed on the Head West website such as providing no-cost booth-space scholarships at every marketplace for Black-identified participants.

Brower is also assembling a resource and support directory for Black empowerment in the Bay Area on Head West’s site, with contact information for dozens of organizations including the local NAACP chapter, defense funds, lawyers’ guilds and more.

“I see myself on this rollercoaster—I don’t know how I got on it, but I look around and I see everyone I know sitting on it with me, we’re all experiencing the same thing but we’re all having different emotions because it’s affecting us on an individual level,” Brower says. “We don’t know when it’s going to end, but when it does end we are going to get off the ride together, as one.”

headwestmarketplace.com