Arcata community meeting discusses student safety

ARCATA – A community meeting Wednesday evening focused not just on community safety but more specifically on student safety and how to make sure the city of Arcata as well at Humboldt State University is a welcoming, safe, and racially equitable community.

The meeting at Arcata City Hall was designed to be an open discussion prompted by the community wanting answers concerning the Josiah Lawson case, as well as a plan for how to keep students safe. During the meeting updates on Lawsons case were given and his mother, Charmaine Lawson, spoke by phone. City manager, Karen Diemer, said the meetings are scheduled monthly and the one of their purposes is to get specific questions that they’ll be able to discuss at future meetings. Lieutenant Bart Silvers was present and stated that the case is still very active however they have no new leads within the past 60 days or have a current person of interest.

Tomorrow there will be a community meeting put on by Arcata business owners and facilitated by City Council members, which will be at the Jam in Arcata on the corner of 9^th and H street and will be covering plaza safety.