Humboldt underbelly

I think it hit me while I was standing in the driveway on Ole Hanson Road near Indianola, camera in hand, staring up the hill at the deputies and the yellow crime tape.

[domino 21]

While drugs are certainly a factor, having a DA that is sofy on crime is an enabling event. During the Hallinan years in SF, crime went ballistic. With Mr Gallegos we seem to be experiencing escalating criminal behaviour. Coincidence?

[bhuston]

I couldn't agree more. Until we all pay attention to the whole community we will continue to suffer. Don't bury our heads in the sand of our own small family unit even though taking care of our family comes first. Pay attention to the "I know what's good for you" bureaucrats that like to pretend they have all the answers to all the problems, they just need more money.

[Umm]

It's worth noting that all of the victims mentioned weren't criminals. All were everyday people, and thus, yes, the worst can befall you too.

Will you get justice? Keep dreaming because you elected an activist DA who is soft, soft, soft on crime.

[Wonderz]

I do believe the problem is called Human Nature, and it's not a regional problem, nor is it new. I've always been interested in what motivates people to do wretched things to each other and have studied it a lot. The problem goes back as far as recorded history. Pretty sure it will always be with us, unfortunately.

[wegotiteasy]

everyplace has this stuff going on its not just here. The differance is you are talking about a handfull of bad things in the last 8 or 9 months when some places deal with more every day. Its all exponential. I would rather be here than in Pheonix for example. See how bs they have to deal with on a daily basis and its hotter than hell to boot.Bad shyts gonna happen. Deal with it.

[Mojo]

The whole of the United States is too soft.
Letting in all these foreigners, letting taking dope, selling dope, growing dope, child molesters and murderers, all murderers , car jacking, gangs exist.
All these people should be in prison , most for life or exterminated. The laws are too soft .....and why?
Too many damned Liberals.
And because things are so expensive and/or people are so lose with their money spending .......parents both have to work and the children are left alone, most of which are spoiled rotten with not guildence.
These judges that don't put people in jail for even first offences are too soft. They let them back out on the streets to continue their crimes.
Some people are so fustrated with our government that they are just plain angry with everything.

Until laws are more firm and criminals go to prison, most to stay there, until we have a good government that don't bleed us to death yet are criminals themselves..........and get by with it.........nothing is going to change. will get worse.

Good example........Ed Kennedy caused the death of a young woman, never did any prison time and now is confessing in his memours to cleanse his guilt so he can go to heaven.....he should be is prison right now.....money or no money.....ill or not.
This is the real American way.
You have enough money, you can do whatever you want and get by with it.
Obama wants to be a Dictator..........should I go on?
Life is on life to the very wealthy and they are taking more from the working man all the time.

[Joe Dime]

We have turned our backs on God his son and the teaching of the holy spirit thats is whats happened

[Mike MOGAN]

"mental health, drug treatment, gang intervention -- but we should know that those programs won't solve the problem"

it's the RED DIAPER DOPER BABBY LAWYERs & the ACLU MR. DRISCOLL
THAT'S YOUR UNDER-BELLY PROBLEM BUDDY

[Positive Vibrations]

I got news for you... people have been killing each other, as long as there have been people... this is nothing new. The fact that newspapers spend more time on murder, and crime in general, than the positive things that happen in the community, reflects more on the nature of journalism than society. All of the violence mentioned in the article is tragic, but let's not pretend it's worse here, than anywhere else.

Mojo, you should not go on, you should stop now, and step away from the haterade. How do liberals and Obama get mixed up in a thread about local crime? Drop the hate, and you'll feel a lot better.

[Lucky]

Have any of you ever dialed 911.........? 4 to 5 hours later, if they even show up, never deal with the situation. Can't blame it on one man. Have to blame it on the whole town. Too many over-educated idiots runnin this country!

[atio]

as far as Gall-Egos is concerned; he was not elected by anyone in this thread (except for Mr. Vibrations...). He was elected by the 100-plants-legalize it crowd. A bad omen for so-called democracy.

[FORMER Eurekan]

I agree it's a big problem, but I disagree that you can't blame drugs. Humboldt is so drug infested, I believe it to be the root cause of many of its problems, and its a big reason I left and the main reason I will never return. It's no place to raise a family.

[bigfoot]

trite sensational "journalism" hyping crime as a new phenomenon. how could it ever happen here? Jaded.

....and the same as all other pieces followed by the web trolls and local haters blah blah blah obama this, liberal that...

why does there have to be someone to blame? that is naive as this is a societal issue, not something unique to humboldt.

[Lois Wilson]

It's a family disease. Choose recovery.
http://www.ncwsa.org/district-01.html

[anon]

FORMER Eurekan wrote:

I agree it's a big problem, but I disagree that you can't blame drugs. Humboldt is so drug infested, I believe it to be the root cause of many of its problems, and its a big reason I left and the main reason I will never return. It's no place to raise a family.

Good move, there aren't drugs other places, your safe

[Jan OShea]

One of the best artricle I have read on the web-times-standards. I grew up in Humboldt County and it is sad to read the bad news, every day. I still have family and friends that lives in Humboldt and it scares me that the young ones are subjected to all the drugs, crimes and lack of respect for the law and the officers trying to do their job.l

[Mother]

It is sure SAD all the bad going on there and all over. Good story T-S.
Parents use to rule their kids. Now kids rule their parents. They never grow up, no matter how old they are. They kill their family, their best friends, just out of control. You can't put all the people in jail. They have no respect for the law.
The DA is a whimp, how big of a discision is it to decide which step to take?

[LOL]

That's not a dark underbelly. That's old-fashioned Humboldt county family values!

[raised in hell]

at thriteen i worked in front of the ritz as a hooker i got involed in street life at 40 i had to go back now after hearing stories that scare the shit out of me about people that i thought wee friends yet they have killed some of our towns famous people i have been warned not to go south east of fortuna. This place is breeding evil .Look at our history with the indians ,fort humbolt .ect...Don't turn our back when the police beat,stab,shoot,our people that could be part of your family we must stand up for LIFE....

[Marie Williams-Gasquet]

Our continuing failure as a nation to embrace and comprehend violence is manifest in the isolation we've mistakenly come to regard as individual freedom, property rights and the general antipathy promulgated by television and the all important "me" as opposed to the socialist leanings so universally discredited as being "Un-American". The notion of kicking in the teeth of every person on a rung lower than one's own personal "space" is universally accepted as the American Way of demonstrable wealth and its capitalist roots further the ripping of the underbelly Mr. Driscoll disdainfully discovers, camera in hand, off Ole Hanson Road. Man's inhumanity to man is a learned trait, passed along like racism or greed, from generation to generation. The irony of a war on crime would be amusing, were it not for the innocent bloodshed produced in any "war". Only when we as a nation take full stock of John Dunne's "No Man Is An 'I' Land" will there be any lessening of statistical violence or increased appreciation for Jefferson's caution that "Either we all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately". As the Love Generation careens off its path in its convertible BMW let us indeed consider John Driscoll's accusation of apathy and extend a helping hand to one another. Seldom bitten is that hand. But first it has to come out of your pocket.