This tiny Eureka alley, once the center of historic Chinatown, is now called Charlie Moon Way | File photo: Andrew Goff

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The alley between Fourth and Fifth and E and F Streets in Eureka shall henceforth be officially known as “Charlie Moon Way,” after the Eureka City Council unanimously approved the name during its Tuesday night meeting.

The name was chosen by members of the Eureka Chinatown Project — an effort of the Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islander is Solidarity (HAPI) to educate the community on the history of the Chinese people in the area and the atrocious Chinese expulsions of 1885 and 1906. Charlie Moon, a ranch worker, was one of the Chinese immigrants who resisted the expulsion and lived out his life in Humboldt and Trinity Counties.

Robin Praszker, environmental project manager for the City, began by giving some history on Moon and why his name was chosen. Though Moon has been historically referred to as “the last Chinese man in Humboldt,” he was not the only Chinese person who stayed during the expulsion.

“However, Charlie’s story and family are a bridge between the past and present and open the conversation to learn more about the others who resisted the expulsions and carried on Chinese culture and traditions in our area,” Praszker said.

The informational plaques that will be added to Eureka’s wayfinding signs | Screenshot from city staff presentation

The alley naming is just one component of the Eureka Chinatown Project, which has also included installation of a mural honoring another famous Chinese immigrant, Ben Chin. Members of the project have also been hosting walking tours through the historic Chinatown area, and soon two informational plaques outlining the history of the Chinese people in Humboldt will be placed on the City’s wayfinding signs on Fifth Street.

Project Coordinator Brianne Mirjah of HAPI thanked the council for its support on the project and the alley naming. “It is both inspiring and refreshing to see such support from the city’s leaders when historically Chinese residents of Eureka experienced quite the opposite,” she said.  “I believe we are truly on the right path to creating a more inclusive community.”

Mirjah also read a statement written by Jan Carr — a descendant of Moon’s employer, Thomas Bair. When a mob came to Bair’s ranch in 1885 to force Moon out, Bair is said to have defended his employee by wielding a shotgun.

“My entire life I’ve been proud to be a Bair descendant and that has everything to do with Charlie Moon and my great-great grandfather, Thomas Bair the First,” Mirjah read from Carr’s letter. “I know that the Bair family and the Moon descendants are so very proud of this important piece of history. Thank you for honoring Charlie in this wonderful way.”

Moon’s great-great granddaughter, Yolanda Latham also spoke during the meeting and thanked the Eureka Chinatown Project and the City Council for initiating this “tiny step” in acknowledging the atrocities of the past.

“I believe that memorializing the Chinese expulsion and my grandfather is an honor,  not only to my family and all our descendants, but a fundamental aspect of our local history that should be shared — a history that can be described as turbulent, violent and unforgiving,” Latham said. “But today is a good day to start unraveling the mystery of the Chinese Expulsion and share the details with the world and progress to a better tomorrow.”

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In other business, the council also discussed launching a search for an Independent Police Auditor to review policy and proceedings of the Eureka Police Department, including citizen complaints, internal affairs investigations, use of force incidents and officer-involved shootings.

During its Oct. 6 meeting, while discussing ways to expand the duties of the police department’s Citizen Accountability Board — formerly known as the Citizen Advisory Board — the council agreed that the city should hire an outside police auditor and directed staff to draft a request for proposals (RFP). Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery presented the first draft RFP to the council for review during Tuesday’s meeting.

Eureka City Council and staff discuss the RFP for an Independent Police Auditor| Screenshot from hybrid meeting

The council largely supported the draft and directed staff to move forward with finalizing the RFP, which will likely be reviewed and released at the council’s next meeting. The tentative deadline for proposals is set for Jan. 7, 2022. After that, city staff will review the proposals and make a recommendation and the council will select an auditor. The council also set the length of the contract at two years, with the possibility of extension.

The decision to hire an Independent Police Auditor comes in the wake of the EPD texting scandal, which made public a string of vile text messages sent among a group of EPD officers. In a recent interview with the Outpost, Slattery said that the investigation has concluded but that the city’s legal team is still reviewing the findings before any information can be released to the public.

Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson also recently, and unexpectedly, announced his retirement from the department, though Watson said that his decision was not related to the findings of the investigation. Watson plans to retire at the end of this month.

The council discussed the police chief vacancy during a closed session at the beginning of Tuesday night’s meeting, but City Attorney Bob Black reported that “no final actions were taken in closed session.”

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