Consuming comestibles from ganja ice cream to hash lollipops — or even hash itself — more than 1,000 people gathered at Redwood Park on Sunday to celebrate “420” — a reference commonly used when referring to marijuana culture.
Along with the sizable crowd, 10 police officers were visible patrolling the scene.
In a place where hundreds of people were illegally smoking marijuana, it seemed like it might be difficult to enforce the law, but Sgt. David Brown of the Arcata Police Department said it doesn’t stop the officers from doing their job.
“The number of people doing something doesn’t negate a law,” said Brown. “Just as any other day, we have a job to enforce the laws.”
Jason Robo, president of the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the gathering is a nonviolent holiday and thought the police presence was overdone.
“I think a vigilant public is perfectly capable of keeping care of itself,” he said. “The biggest aggression for someone smoking pot is going to be ripping open a bag of Frito Lay chips.”
APD Capt. Tom Chapman said that for the most part, there wasn’t too much police activity at the park. A few arrests for drug possession, a few parking citations — that was about it, he said.
Parking next to the park was filled for four blocks away, as folks young and old and from a variety of different backgrounds made their way to the spectacle.
It was something to see, with loud, persistent bongo music louder and camp tents set up alongside beach blankets.
Right around 4:20 p.m., a section of the crowd began to go wild.
A cloud of smoke rose above the heads of a small group, as its members began to smoke a joint that was at least a foot long and as wide as a hearty burrito.
“I’m here for the scene, man. It’s a wild scene,” said one man as he stood among a group of his friends.
Of the three entrances to the park, one was closed off as of Friday — the 14th Street entrance where a gate was installed by the city of Arcata.
Brown said he wasn’t sure why the gate was put up, but that it could be because the park has had significant damage done to it after hours by campers.
Rumors were swirling that the gate was put up before Sunday on purpose to keep cars out of the parking lot during the 420 gathering.
“I would maybe ask why they would think it would be unreasonable the city didn’t want that going on in the park,” Brown said.
Robo saw the day as a way to celebrate the marijuana culture and set aside negative connotations associated with it.
“Cannabis is a salvation for many of the problems we have in this country and it’s been demonized,” Robo said. “We need to shatter those impressions.”
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What an example to demonstrate for your children. I find it hard to understand, if it is illegal, you follow the rules to the best of your ability.
By openingly breaking the law, you don't think you set an example for your young to follow, but in other ways?
They sure as heck need to get this marijuana issue under control. It is too bad the Federal government would not just accept it, tax it and put more controls as they do with alcohol and cigarettes - Of course, many growers would not like this.
I saw a video of the event a few minutes ago. It looked like about a thousand "stoners" standing up in a big flat field, talking to each other as clouds of smoke drifted skyward. In other words, it looked like a bigger version of the pot parties we've seen so often over the years. A boring waste of time where the participants end up stupider when the party is over than they were when they arrived.
YOU CAN BET THE FREAK FLAGS WERE FLYING HIGH THAT DAY. BONGOS, BUMS, AND BEGGARS. BETCHA THERE WEREN'T MANY ACTUAL TAXPAYERS THERE THAT DAY. OK, NOW SOME ONE OF YOU FOOLS REPLY ABOUT HOW HARD YOU WORK AT YOUR NONPROFIT ECO MUCKRAKER SUBSIDISED JOBS --- HERE THEY COME.
JEEZ, AND YOU WONDER WHY PEOPLE WON'T EVEN SHOP IN ARCATA.
Imagine one thousand people who never grew up.
Imagine one thousand people who are probably living on the fringe of society.
Imagine one thousand welfare recipients.
Imagine one thousand dogs tied to the fence in a vacant lot so that the owners may go "420".
Imagine one thousand people who cried and lit candles when Jerry garcia died.
Imagine the amount of good that one thousand hard working taxpayers could do in that one day "wasted" at one of our public parks.
Brett Davies wasn't on duty or there would have been busts.
And yet everyone here thinks the military is a bad thing......
Jason Robo is an idiot! His ignorant comment about how “a vigilant public is perfectly capable of keeping care of itself” shows exactly how smoking marijuana can affect one’s clear judgment. Jason is just on the band-wagon where he believes that an anarchical society is the ultimate answer to today’s problems. His implied belief system focuses around smoking and possessing as much weed as humanly possible, while doing so illegally, to personify himself as some sort of modern day Robin Hood.
Actually marijuana is really not the issue, for him and the rest of the megalomaniac associates of the so called “National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws,” marijuana is just a front to push their anti-government agenda. They are always spouting out the most common excuse for the legalization of marijuana: “It can be used for medicinal purposes.” No, this is a ruse to cover the fact that they all “want to get rich quick” by selling the product. I have only met two people who actually possess a Proposition 215 Medical Marijuana recommendation where they only “grow and use” only that amount of marijuana personally needed. Come on…who actually needs 99 full grown marijuana plants for their own personal use? Maybe an elephant who suffers from severe gout!
God forbid marijuana becomes legal! Governmental sanctions and control would take place, as it did on alcohol after the Prohibition of the 1920’s. If that happens, poor Mr. Robo and his followers will have no cause to fight for, other than the fact that the Feds will tax the crap out of the manufacturers.
If marijuana really does have a place in modern medicine, then please let it become legal and controlled. I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with seedy activists pursuing their 15 minutes of fame by routinely seeking media attention through anti-establishment protests and sub-cultural made up holidays such as “420,” only to press the issue that “we all need to be free from oppression.” Last time I checked, we live in the United States, which is a county founded on freedom of oppression. If they all “feel oppressed,” by all means, please feel free to leave!
Marijuana will be legal in the near future.
Get over it.
They are also seriously considering lowering the drinking age back to 18.
Both GREAT ideas.
Deal with it.
Why not legalize everything for everybody? And make the government pay for it! Free dope for fourteen-year-olds! Drivers licenses for illegal aliens! Release all prisoners, violent and white-collar criminals as well! Rules are for schmoes! Nya Nya, the principal can go to Hell, he never WAS my PAL!!!
Anyone know why there is no rebuttal to the above comments? It's the math question at the bottom of the comment form -------------
Th marijuana culture in Arcata and Humboldt county is infamous. While it may bother many hard working citizens that so many people are involved in cultivation and consumption of cannabis, it brings money into the area, attracts tourists and frankly, marijuana is California's number one cash crop. Plus, those who smoke or consume cannabis are usually fairly peaceful, thanks to the affects of the drug, and don't cause too many problems. If 1000 people want to peacefully assemble in a park and smoke a joint, so be it.
Let them do it where the law permits it. Wherever that may be. It ain't here.
Thank you 10:53 AM. I completely agree.
I'm a Business Major at HSU who attended this... I went home after and hit the books and got As on two tests today, and then went to work afterwards.
1,000 non tax payers in a park...? Everyone I was there with went to school and had at least 1 job. Get over your stereotypes because they aren't correct. It may make you feel better about yourself to think they are correct, but they aren't.
No one is asking for your approval, but at least know what the hell you are talking about.
I vote we make dope-smoking students pay back their student loans right now. Do you know what the hell I'm talking about?
Anon - 4:04 makes a good point. many of those in attendance probably do go to school and have jobs. The problem is, this is not the crowd society sees downtown.
I wonder how many of these people bashing pot use get trashed on alcohol and beat their loved ones. Oops, was that a stereotype?
The best part of 420 was the Arcata Plaza. For one day, the bums and beggers weren't around. Women could actually walk past the bars without getting harassed and solicited for change and cigarettes. But why was Don's Donuts closed? I wasn't aware they took 420 off...
I called in to the Arcata PD that a guy was smoking a huge joint at the marsh parking lot in his SUV. the cops stopped him driving back to Samoa Blvd. after the cop let the guy go I asked the cop what happened. the cop said the guy had a 215 card so the cop informed the guy that he couldn't smoke the stuff in his car at the marsh. that's it. he didn't arrest the guy for possession (215 card), he didn't bust the guy for possibly being under the influence (215 card). so the cop sends the guy high on pot on his merry way driving through the streets of Arcata. that's just nuts!
smoke pot, get hurt or make a mistake at work. then be personally liable. go ahead keep smoking pot.
Yes, people smoke pot, they also drink alcohol, take prescribed ant-depressants, go to church and ask forgiveness after beating or raping their wives and kids,they fly half away around the world to kill somebody over oil instead of re-developing electric cars, we have millionaire hypocrits running our country that never give even a dime to the homeless sign carrier on the corner,we have mass school shooters mixed with religous cultists that swear 400 wives is not too many for one man,we have people in space but can't cure aids or cancer, we have illegals poisoning our streams with meth labs, and a neverending supply of over opinionated hypocrits that enjoy taxpayer paid "politicians only" golf courses as opposed to habitats for humanity whom can't find land to build on.All these people live here and it really is true that if you aren't part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. If people put all the negative energy they emit, into doing just one positive thing, the world will change. But don't count on it.
You evil weed smokers stay the hell away from my nephew Matt. If you try to get him to smoke that nasty ganja, I'll find out and come after you and kick your pot smoking butts. Got it? Good. Uncle Bobby.
Pot ain't no panacea.
No panacea at all.
Pot ain't gonna cure what ails ya.
No, pot's not a cure-all at all.
I wish you a better life than you have now.
I hope you find your way in life.
Don't use a crutch if you ain't crippled.
I can tell you, that won't end well.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/marimed/ read and inform yourself
I THINK I SAW THE D.A IN ONE OF THE PICS, YA MAYBE IT WAS THE BLUE SMOKE THAT GOT IN THE WAY
Time for mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients.
Nope. Nothing sad about the event OR pot smokers.
The posts I see here however, make me believe that many of you out there really need a hobby.
These folk were peaceful, enjoying the day.
Meanwhile alcohol killed another few dozen.
Bombs killed many more-I know, you dont care about them.....
Prescription 'legal' drugs? At least a few.
Never mind- lets continue villifying pot smokers-
while the 4th amendment just went away........
Most of these folks WILL get a job someday,
when will YOU get a life??
Bombs killed many more-I know, you dont care about them.....
Proof of this or are you full of pot brownies coming out the wrong end?
A thousand happy people, standing in a field, smoking marijuana, smiling, laughing, having a really good time. And accomplishing what, exactly?
I'd rather hang out with hard-working people, who earn money by doing honest work, accomplishing useful things for other people.
People who get stoned in the middle of the day? This demonstration doesn't engage my admiration.
Pardon me for making generalizations about the people in the Park. I just can't help myself.
Average number of alcohol-related deaths each year ... more than 80,000
Average number of cigarrette smoking-related deaths each year ... more than 200,000
Average number of hard drug-related deaths each year ... more than 10,000
Average number of marijuana smoking-related deaths each year ... 0
Do the math. Legalize it. I'm not asking you or your nephew Matt to smoke, just for the right to decide what I put into my own body.
Average number of people becoming too spaced out to care about rising to meet life's challenges, thanks to smoking marijuana: Statistics are not available. Estimates vary widely. Personal experience suggests the numbers are not inconsiderable.
Average number of people suffering from a marijuana-related loss of short-term memory on a long-term basis: Statistics are not available. Estimates vary widely. Personal experience suggests the numbers are not inconsiderable.
Hey 11:43...where did you get your stats from? Please tell me, because you are completely wrong about your "zero" marijuana deaths. If you got these stats from "Drug War Facts", note that the "zero" marijuana information came from a 1996 study! 14 years ago! Per the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), in 2006 alone there were 157 deaths were marijuana was the ONLY involved drug. Marijuana is just as bad, if not worse, than alcohol where it impairs judgment and reaction time. A DUI for alcohol is the same thing as a DUI for pot. When these “peaceful” 420 celebrators leave the park, get into their VW bus and drive down the street and run over a kid due to impairment, will you still continue to shout that marijuana doesn’t kill?
I AGREE WITH 11:02 AMS POST. I WONDER HOW MANY DEATHS LIKE ACCIDENTS OR SUICIDES CAUSED BY POT USE THERE ARE. GOTTA BE CLOSE TO THE 80000 CAUSED BY ALCOHOL CAUSE IT DIDNT SAY THE 80000 WAS FROM OD ON ALCOHOL.
A lot of things are okay in moderation, but people in our society go to extremes one way or another. The Prohibition was one example which may have taken care of alcoholism to some extent, but also fueled mobsters. Also certain reasonable amounts of wine or beer have been found to have some benefits. The 420 Festival however, seems to be just a mirroring of the mindless "obsession" by addicts prevalent in Arcata and Humboldt County. There are a significant number of teen - 30s whose whole life and daily activity revolves around either getting stoned or growing the best and largest killer weed, and not much else. Sure that 's not everyone, nor necessarily the majority, but just check it out, and walk the streets of Arcata and it IS significant. While all sorts of herbs and medications have their benefits, there can also be side effects after a given point, and addicts will stand completely in denial.
Arcata took its downer in 1991. Never been the same stable_fun town it was known for.