Roundup: 'The Things We Grow'
Roundup: 'The Things We Grow'
A veggie explosion, a lone traveler, news about the Boland family, and police logs
What a harvest!
It’s definitely harvest time in west county, and we thought this photo by Cyndy Shafer of south Sebastopol captured the season so well. “It’s our annual tradition of piling garden harvest on top of our boys for photos,” Cyndy wrote on Facebook. She calls it: “The things we grow.”
3 Mules visits Sebastopol and lodges a protest
John Sears, AKA Mule, looks like a man from a different age: A weathered old fellow, leading a heavily laden pack mule.
“It was like something out of the Gold Rush,” said Dale, who first spotted him by the library. Sears was on his way to city hall to drop off a protest letter
Sears travels from town to town, rarely staying more than a day in one place. He’s an eternal traveler, always passing through—and he doesn’t think the state law against overnight camping or squatting should apply to him, in part because he’s always on the move. (He may not have known that Sebastopol has its very own “no overnight camping” ordinance.)
Here’s the letter he dropped off at city hall:
To City, County, and State Representatives:
I am writing to you as part of the 3 Mules Journey, a sacred nomadic lifestyle we share with the thousands of spiritual beings who have traveled and served throughout the ages in this sacred place in which the 3 Mules now reside. We never stay on public land for more than a night, always less than 24 hours. We walk, never using an automobile, leading my pack mule behind me, carrying all my simple belongings: a small one-person tent, a sleeping bag, a one-burner camp stove, a cooking pot, food, clothes, and very little else.
We are supported by the spiritual energy that we gather from everybody and everything that surrounds us as we walk from town to town, city to city. The energy we gather then harbors and awaits to materialize into whatever we need as we pursue our journey. This is the way of this place for those who travel and live (non-motorized traveling) in service to it. The 3 Mules Journey spreads the message of living harmoniously with the earth. This way of life is a commitment to protecting the environment and living in tune with the Natural World, one step at a time.
Penal Code 647(e) Conundrum
We are deeply concerned that using California Penal Code 647(e) or any similar local code to criminalize a lone traveler such as the 3 Mules or anyone else traveling in a similar way and are not committing any of the abuses 647(e) was passed to prevent is a criminal act in and of itself.
I urge you to reconsider the enforcement of PC 647(e) against the lone traveler, whether traveling by horse, bicycle, foot, or any other means under their own power and speed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and to working together to bring PC 647(e) to a more accurate and clear condition on the issues it was meant to address.
Sincerely,
The Mules
You can find out more about John and his philosophy at his website, 3mules.com.
For the love of Maisie
Many people enjoyed our 2023 profile of Guerneville’s Shawn Boland (“West County’s surprise scatological social media phenom”). I’m afraid we have some bad news from Shawn about his daughter and recent Analy graduate, Maisie:
“On Thursday, August 29th, my daughter Maisie was a passenger in a vehicular roll over. She broke her upper spine at C5 & C6. She is paralyzed from the ribs down. She can move her forearms but not her fingers. She is alive though and suffered no brain damage at all. She is still herself, for which we are grateful, but she is paralyzed, in terrible pain and devastated. She is 18 and was at her first week of college at Chico State.”
In a follow-up Facebook post, Shawn reported that, “Her surgery yesterday went very well. She got back to the ICU and a mere few hours later was doing physical therapy where they sit her upright; she did it without a single complaint. She has an incision scar on her throat. The doctors said if she keeps it out of the sun, the scar may fade. Maisie said she didn’t want it to fade because ‘it looks cool.’ She is so my daughter and such a bad ass. She is improving every day in both body and mind.”
There is a GoFundMe page set up for Maisie’s recovery.
Correction
In my article, “Sebastopol City Council Recap, Part 2,” I said that Mayor Diana Rich suggested including areas outside Sebastopol’s Urban Growth Boundary in the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD). That was a misunderstanding on my part. She explains: “I did not suggest going beyond our urban growth boundary. Our city limits are currently more constrained than our urban growth boundary. I suggested we explore expansion of our city limits to include remaining portions within our urban growth boundary that are not yet within the city limits.”
The Sebastopol Community Talent Show is back
At a recent community meeting on the future of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, the audience suggestion that got the biggest applause was to bring back Sebastopol’s beloved talent show. So they did! It’s scheduled for October 12, but we’re telling you now so you’ll have plenty of time to practice and sign up.
Sebastopol Police Logs, Aug. 26-Sept. 1
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
8:44 a.m. Assault on a person (misdemeanor) at Corline Court and Gravenstein Highway South. Charges unfounded.
2:35 p.m. Touching someone intimately against their will, for sexual arousal (misdemeanor), at South Main and Burnett streets. Pending further investigation.
6:47 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol (misdemeanor) at McKinley Street and Petaluma Avenue. Suspect arrested.
TUESDAY
6:38 p.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol (misdemeanor) at Sebastopol and Petaluma avenues. Suspect arrested.
WEDNESDAY
5:04 p.m. Violation of probation (felony), driving without a license, and driving the wrong way at Bodega Avenue and High Street. Referred to adult probation.
THURSDAY
8:12 a.m. Possession of a narcotic or controlled substance for sale (felony) at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Pending further investigation.
5:47 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at Sebastopol and Petaluma avenues. Pending further investigation.
9:14 p.m. Failure to appear in court after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at Bodega Highway and Watertrough Road. Suspect arrested.
11:15 p.m. Failure to appear in court after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Suspect arrested.
FRIDAY
2:53 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol, contempt of court, and resisting a public officer (misdemeanors) at Petaluma and Walker avenues. Suspect arrested.
6:17 p.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08% (misdemeanors) at Gravenstein Highway South and Fellers Lane. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
4:27 p.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol and resisting a public officer (misdemeanors) at Sebastopol Avenue and Morris Street. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 159 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
Quote of the Week
You can be the unofficial artist in residence of anything!
— Amy Stewart, The Self-appointed Artist in Residency, Explained
