Merlin Wayne “Sonny” Tripp
January 17, 1929-August 1, 2021

A man with a kind gentle spirit, he could knock a bull down and then come in with a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. The Schwanns drivers knew they couldn’t come unless they learned to yodel – they did their best.

Merlin was born and raised in Somes Bar. He spent most of his young life there. He attended Junction Elementary School and from there he went to the Sherman Indian Institute in Riverside. After three years he returned home. The next thing you know he went into the US Navy for four years where he was a lifeguard for the officer’s wives and families. He got a lot of practice and became a strong swimmer on the Salmon River while growing up. It was while he was in the Navy that he met his first wife, Violet, the mother of their four children. 

Merlin always worked. He did a lot of road work from Highway 96 to Southern Humboldt. He later worked for and retired from the US Forest Service. Merlin always loved good food, no matter where he worked or lived everyone knew he “could often be found in the chow lines.” While at Dillion Creek Campground some people would come from Southern California to visit with him – what they didn’t know was that Merlin was like Yogi Bear going from camp to camp filling his pic-a-nic basket.

He moved to Eureka for a while then back to Orleans; there, he married his third wife Janice Cooper Tripp. They had been friends for several years and were married February 14 at Weitchpec Assembly of God. They traveled as much as they could. Their favorite place to visit was Gill’s by the Bay – especially during crab season. Merlin battled with his health following a stroke in 2017. Merlin loved the Lord Jesus, wherever there was a camp or tent meeting, he and Janice were there. They traveled to Washington and other places to be with their Shaker friends.

Merlin was the last of his generation, he was predeceased by his grandparents, parents, siblings and other family members and friends. He has many, many friends. He is survived by his loving wife Janice (“Wifey”, “Honeygirl”), his daughters Terry Tripp (Mike) and families, Marlene “Sunday” Wilson (Preston) and families, Trudy Brock and her family, and by his son Merlin Wayne “Chip” Tripp Jr. and his family. There will be a celebration of life at a later time.

Thank you so much to all of those that have held us up in prayer and encouragement – we can’t thank you enough.

God bless you.

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Despite currently being in hospice care, 76-year-old Brian Tripp — a celebrated Karuk artist, poet and cultural leader —  made his way to Opera Alley in Old Town Eureka on Thursday night to attend the dedication ceremony for a mural he helped design and paint more than 20 years ago. 

“With what I’m going through now, I’m just so happy to be here today,” Tripp said to a group of at least 50 people — many who were Tripp’s friends and family members — masked and gathered in the alley next to the Clarke Museum. “I used to come to this museum when I was around and walk through it and see the baskets on the walls. I mean, this place has been an inspiration to me for I don’t know how long.”

The mural, entitled “The Sun Set Twice on the People That Day” — a line in a poem written by Tripp about the 1860 massacre of the Wiyot people on their sacred island, Tuluwat — was originally painted on wood panels by Tripp, his son Jasper Tripp, and several other Native artists and was installed on the side of the Eureka Theater in the year 2000. In 2019 the mural was removed for exterior maintenance to the theater and, after spending a couple of years in storage, is again up for display at its new home on the side of the Clarke Museum.

Alme Allen, Pimm Tripp-Allen and Danielle Brisco working during the festival | Photo: Andrew Goff

Inspired by Tripp’s poem, the mural uses bright colors and bold imagery to convey the story of the island and its significance to the Wiyot people, the relationship local tribes hold with the land and Humboldt Bay, and the struggles — both past and present — endured by Indigenous people.

“Out on an Island in the middle of the bay, the sun set twice on the people that day,” Tripp recited from his poem during the event. “The world they were making, someone else was taking, saying ‘Eureka, I found it,’ claiming it’s mine to own.”

Throughout last week a group of local artists, led by Alme Allen — who helped design and paint the mural in 2000 — were restoring the piece as a part of this year’s Eureka Street Art Festival. In his current condition, Tripp couldn’t help with the restoration, but he was able to sign his work on Thursday. Dipping his finger in red paint, Tripp used it to print his and his son’s initials on the piece.

Soon, a plaque displaying Tripp’s poem will be hung next to the mural, something that Allen explained the City did not wish to allow when the mural was first painted 21 years ago.

“This time that has not been a problem,” Allen said to the crowd during the ceremony. “So I credit the city for that — that there has been a change. There has been a change in the way that things are addressed. Real history is being acknowledged. This is one of the ways that art can heal.”

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“The Sun Set Twice” is not the only mural worked on during this year’s festival that focuses on racist episodes of Humboldt’s past. Just a few blocks away from the Clarke Museum — in the alley between Fourth and Fifth Streets and E and F Streets — another piece of artwork shines a spotlight on Eureka’s all-but-forgotten historic Chinatown and the Chinese expulsion from Humboldt in 1885.

“Fowl” by David Kim in “Chinatown” Alley | Photo: Andrew Goff

The mural, entitled “Fowl”, was designed and painted by artist Dave Kim, with help from his apprentice Cate Be, as a part of the Eureka Chinatown Project — a project started by the Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders (HAPI) in an effort to raise awareness of the history of and discrimination toward Chinese people in Humboldt County.

During a press event at the mural on Thursday night — held just one hour before the dedication ceremony for Tripp’s mural — the artists, representatives from the City and from HAPI shared words on the mural’s significance and the origin of the Eureka Chinatown Project.

“Like many of you, I was surprised to learn that there was a Chinatown here in Eureka,”  project coordinator Brieanne Mirjah said to the small gathering of people on Thursday evening. “I was even more shocked to not see any signs or recognition of it in our town. So for me, as a Chinese American and a brand new mother, I knew this was something our town direly needed.”

Prior to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 — which prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers — Eureka, like many cities, had a robust Chinese population and culture. After 1882, anti-Asian sentiment began to rise and in 1885, after living in the area for decades, Chinese families were  forced to leave their Eureka homes. Chinese immigrants were not legally allowed back in Eureka until the 1950s in the U.S. for decades.

“Sadly the discrimination Chinese people experienced in the 1880s still continues today, as we are called disease-ridden and the cause of COVID-19, foul and culturally unfit for the country and blamed for stealing jobs,” Mirjah said.

Kim working on the portrait of Ben Chin | Photo: Andrew Goff

With a backdrop of a picture of Eureka’s historical Chinatown, Kim’s mural centers around an image of a mandarin duck — which is native to China and represents young love and happiness, Kim explained to the crowd on Thursday. The title “Fowl” is a play on words, not only referring to the duck, but also to the fact that many people accused the Chinese of being foul. Due to poor city planning, sewage would pool in Eureka’s old Chinatown, creating unsanitary living conditions. Chinese people were often blamed for the stench and unsanitary environment.

The mural also includes an image of Ben Chin, who was the first Chinese immigrant to legally return to Eureka in 1955. Chin’s widow, Mary Chin; son, Don Chin; and niece, Jenny DePew, attended Thursday’s event to see the mural and pay respect to their relative.

The addition of the mural is only the first step in the Eureka Chinatown Project’s efforts to bring attention to the history of Chinese people in our area. Other projects include naming the alley to the Toisanese word for “Chinatown” to honor the Chinese people that had lived there, adding information about the area’s history to the city’s informational kiosks and wayfinding signs and the installation of a memorial statue monument near the alley.

“It’s been incredible to watch the projects come together and to watch the mural go up, but even more inspiring to witness the community come together for this cause, despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Mirjah said during Thursday’s event. “This project has bought together a diverse group of community members — we have Chinese and Asian Americans, allies, historians and educators — all who see the silences and gaps in our history and want to dig deeper. Everyone of us is here to create change that makes a long-lasting impact on our community.”

CORRECTION: This article originally stated that Chinese immigrants were not legally allowed to return to Eureka until the 1950s. Although the Chinese who had already immigrated to the U.S. were legally allowed in Eureka following the expulsion, they did not return immediately due to the fear of hostility from the locals.

This article has also been changed to reflect that the alley name has not yet been decided and that the memorial will be a monument, not a statue.

The Outpost regrets the errors.

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This year’s Eureka Street Art festival featured many unique works of art that have helped beautify the city’s downtown area, but these two pieces are especially significant, not only because they each bring attention to horrific events of our past, but also signify the progress that we have made as a city and a community.

In the two decades since “The Sun Set Twice” mural was first painted, the City of Eureka returned the land of Tuluwat to its rightful owners, the Wiyot people. Twenty years ago, the City did not want the message of Tripp’s poem to be included with the mural. Today, the City welcomes Tripp’s words. Until recently, the City contained no public acknowledgment of the Chinese community that was once here, or the fact that it was forced out.

Some of these may be small victories that certainly do not make up for the atrocities of the past, but they do show the shift in how we reckon the horrifying parts of history — rather than sweep them under the rug, we acknowledge them, so that we can move forward and try to heal.

Of course we still have so far to go, so much more work needs to be done to address the past, and to address the racism that persists today. The work may never be done. But, as Tripp wrote in his poem about Tuluwat, “we must give it our best.”

Although Tripp’s words were specific to the massacre at Tuluwat and the struggles of the Wiyot, the poem also conveys a message that can be appreciated by all — to not give up, to accept the past, take on the challenges of the present and maintain hope for the future.

We know it’s not over
We know it’s not done
For us, we know the fight has just begun

Meanwhile we must take time to regroup
We must take time to rest
We know daylights coming
And we have to give it our best

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PREVIOUSLY:

• ‘Eureka Chinatown Project’ Will Rename, Add Mural to Downtown Alley to Teach Community About the History of Chinese Americans in Humboldt
• ‘The Sun Set Twice on the People That Day’: Mural by Native Artists Brian Tripp and Alme Allen to Be Restored at Its New Home Outside the Clarke Museum

UPDATE 6:40 p.m.: The missing child has been located, according to the EPD, and is safe and sound and has been removed from the missing persons system.

In keeping with longstanding Outpost policy on missing juveniles, the original post has been removed.

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Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting had a relatively thin agenda, and Kent Sawatzky, the county’s most insatiable public commenter, was absent, which combined to make for one of the shortest meetings of the year.

After summarily dispatching with the consent calendar via unanimous approval, the board moved quickly down the agenda, starting with Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson bringing forth a draft letter to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Wilson spoke briefly about the importance of redistricting — that decennial chore of redrawing local, state and (some) national political boundaries to reflect the latest Census numbers — and he encouraged locals to participate in that process. 

More specifically, Wilson’s draft letter advocates for maintaining the rough shapes of the North Coast’s existing Senate, Assembly and Congressional districts, all of which include Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino counties along with some of Sonoma County while the latter two also include Marin County. 

“Our area shares a similar economic base that unites our region,” the letter says. “Working lands are important to our economy, with timber, ranching, dairy, cannabis, and wine as large parts of our economy. Particularly on cannabis, Humboldt shares a cultural legacy together with Mendocino and Trinity Counties as part of the ‘Emerald Triangle’ and together our three counties are trying to adjust and adapt to new cannabis regulations.”

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn questioned whether representatives of the other counties in this union have been asked whether they, too, would like to remain together. He noted that Trinity County is right next to Shasta and said its residents resent being thought of as a mini-Humboldt.

Wilson said the letter is only intended to speak for Humboldt, and the other counties can speak for themselves. 

Bohn suggested reaching out to the other counties and submitting a joint letter or unified statement. 

After some discussion and public comment, the board settled on adding one sentence to the letter stating, “We look forward to discussing this issue with our neighboring counties.” With that addition, the letter was approved unanimously.

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Later in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a new Water Quality Improvement Grant Program. The goal of the program, as the name suggests, is to improve water quality — specifically in watersheds that have been negatively impacted by cannabis activities.

The formation of this program was part of a settlement agreement between the county and local environmental group Friends of the Eel River (FOER), which in 2018 filed a lawsuit against the Board of Supervisors for making changes to the Cannabis Cultivation Land Use Ordinance that failed to adequately protect native fish and waterways.

Here, in brief, is how the program will work: Applicants, including road maintenance associations and licensed cannabis professionals, can apply for money from the county’s new “Mitigation and Remediation Fund” to finance sediment reduction projects on roads serving cannabis grow sites.

Funds up for grabs in the program’s first year include $1.1 million from the county’s general fund. Moving forward, funding will come from a percentage of fines and penalties the county collects via cannabis civil enforcement actions, with more money potentially coming from grants or other sources to be determined.

The county’s staff report notes, “[G]rants will be awarded for improvements to public and private roads for the specific purpose of protecting water quality in streams, creeks, and rivers. At least eighty percent (80%) of funds will be used for physical road improvements.”

In a press release issued today, Friends of the Eel River Executive Director Alicia Hamann said, “We absolutely want to encourage cannabis cultivators to take advantage of this program. Everything we do to help keep dirt out of the creeks and water in the streams helps protect our salmon and steelhead from the terrible crisis they are facing.”

During his staff report, Michael Richardson, a supervising planner with the county, said priority will be given to projects aimed at improving water quality is Redwood Creek and Sprowl Creek. Other priority waters are located in the Van Duzen, South Fork Eel and Mattole watersheds.

Applications will be due by October 31 each year through 2024 and considered at public hearings. As FOER’s press release notes, Richardson is the primary contact for this program. He can be reached at mrichardson@co.humboldt.ca.us or (707) 268-3723.

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Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal made an appearance at the meeting to present the most recent data for his office’s interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as mandated by the Humboldt County Sanctuary Ordinance, a voter-approved measure that took effect in December 2018. 

According to the report, the county received a total of 16 administrative retainer requests from ICE from June 2020 through May 2021, only two of which had qualifying offenses, and 13 were released prior to receiving the requests. No one was turned over to ICE, the report states.

According to Honsal, even prior to implementation of the sanctuary ordinance the county didn’t hold anyone at the request of the federal agency, “so the ICE detainers actually mean nothing to us,” he said.

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The meeting ended on a poignant note as Board Chair Virginia Bass adjourned it in memory of her mom, Shirley Bass, who died last week. 

Bass was clearly emotional as she read some prepared remarks about her mom’s life, noting that she moved to Eureka at age 18 and worked for Lloyd Bridges, Sr., before meeting her future husband, “who just happened to own a restaurant.”

As any Eureka old-timer can tell you, her dad owned and operated O-H’s Townhouse, a beloved local steak joint that closed in 2008. 

“While his name was on the marquee,” Bass said today, her voice cracking, “truth be told, she was the glue that held it together. … She was smart, strong, shrewd and she was stubborn — traits I’m pretty certain she handed down to her children.”

The Monument Fire burning along Highway 299 in Trinity County between Burnt Ranch and Weaverville has grown to 119,280 acres and remains 10 percent contained.

Public Information Officer Nathan Judy with the U.S. Forest Service told the Outpost that spot fires advanced the blaze into the boundaries of Junction City last night as the fire pushed east. However, he said that firefighters are protecting the community by actively extinguishing those fires.

“The fire remained active throughout the night and significant growth occurred to the east and southeast flanks,” the fire’s incident management team stated today. “Crews were confronted with gusty, northwest winds that continued to transport firebrands ahead of the fire front which supported the increase to 119,280 acres.”

A team of 911 firefighters is actively working to contain the fire.

The Trinity County Office of Emergency Services is urging people to sign up with the CodeRed emergency alert system for the latest evacuation information.

American Red Cross evacuation shelters are set up at Shasta College at 1555 Old Oregon Trail, Building 1900 in Redding and at Trinity Valley Elementary School at 730 Highway 96 in Willow Creek.

A domestic animal shelter is in place at the Trinity County Animal Shelter at 563 Mountain View St. in Weaverville (530- 623-1370). Domestic and large animals can be taken to the emergency shelter at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds on Pine Creek Road in Willow Creek.

The Highway 299 closure has been extended from Hawkins Bar to Oregon Springs Road due to the fire’s progress toward Junction City.

It’s unclear at this time how many structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fire.

Firefighters estimate that the Monument Fire will be fully contained by September 1.

Brownfield

Humboldt County has a new Public Defender: Luke Brownfield.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in closed-session this morning to appoint Brownfield to the position, elevating the attorney to the top job in the office where he has worked since 2015.

Prior to joining the Public Defender’s Office, Brownfield spent four years working on the other side of the courtroom as a deputy district attorney and heading up the Child Abuse Services Team.

Brownfield will presumably try to bring a bit of stability back to an office that has seen considerable drama and upheaval in recent years. After longtime Public Defender Kevin Robinson retired in 2016, the Board of Supervisors appointed David Marcus to the job, a decision that was immediately controversial, with a number of defense attorneys saying the hiring process was unfair and Marcus was unqualified.

Not long after his hiring, all nine of the county’s deputy public defenders sent a letter to the board urging them to reconsider, and local attorney Patrik Griego filed a lawsuit alleging that Marcus didn’t meet the state’s minimum requirements for the position. A number of experienced attorneys in the office bailed before Marcus resigned after just nine months on the job.

Marcus was briefly followed by former conflict counsel attorney Kaleb Cockrum, who was appointed to a judgeship shortly thereafter. He was followed, in 2018, by Marek Reavis, who mysteriously — to the public, anyway — appeared to go AWOL last year. (Officially, he retired on July 4 of this year.)

One other bit of drama: Brownfield was listed as an accomplice in an incendiary lawsuit brought by former Deputy Public Defender Rory Kalin, whose suit accuses Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Gregory Elvine-Kreis of using anti-Semitic insults before drunkenly tossing him off a houseboat on Shasta Lake. Elvine-Kreis denies any wrongdoing, and Brownfield has backed him up. 

Through all this turmoil, Brownfield has been a steady presence in the Public Defender’s Office, serving as the assistant public defender for the past four years.

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Here’s a county press release with more information:

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today appointed Luke Brownfield as the new Public Defender. He replaces Marek Reavis, who retired on July 2. Brownfield was appointed as the Acting Public Defender effective July 4.

“With his experience and leadership, we are fortunate to have Luke as the new public defender for our community,” said 3rd District Supervisor and Vice Chair Mike Wilson. “We would also like to thank former Public Defender Marek Reavis, for his years of service to the community.”

Brownfield, a Humboldt County native, started his career as a defense attorney in Placer County where he served for 3 years. He then moved back to the North Coast, where he led the Child Abuse Services Team (CAST) for 5 years with the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Brownfield then left for the Public Defender’s Office where he has been for 6 years and served as the Assistant Public Defender for the last 4 years. 

“I am very grateful to the Board of Supervisors and the people of Humboldt County for this fantastic opportunity to serve our community,” said Brownfield. “The Public Defender’s Office holds a special place in my heart. Having worked in the office for the last 6 years, I am excited to lead a team of such exceptional attorneys and amazing staff. Having been born and raised in Humboldt, I have a great respect for the work that is done here by so many.”

Brownfield ensures the Public Defender’s office will continue to defend and protect the rights, liberties, and dignity of those accused of crimes who cannot afford to retain counsel. However, the office now has a unique opportunity to help the community by providing more than just criminal defense. 

“Rather than focusing solely on criminal representation and courtroom advocacy, I plan to address the broader social problems that underpin criminal behavior by addressing our clients’ underlying needs in addition to their criminal defense,” said Brownfield. “The types of problems that many public defense clients face – such as drug addiction, poverty, and homelessness – cannot be adequately addressed by a lawyer alone. Thus, engaging social workers within the public defense setting will provide great benefits to our clients and the County of Humboldt.”

The McFarland Fire burning along Highway 36 in trinity County has nearly doubled in size in the last 24 hours, booming from 51,909 to 97,407 acres.

The rapid growth has also caused the fire’s containment lines to shrink from 68 to 53 percent.

“Yesterday, significant fire growth with extreme fire behavior began at sunrise and continued well into the night,” the fire’s incident management team stated this morning. “Fire is established in the Wells Creek drainage and surrounding areas. Defensive actions were taken around ranches and private homes in the area of Pattymocus Butte and Ball Road.”

Firefighters are also facing worsening weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning has been issued across the North Coast’s interior today due to erratic winds and low relative humidity levels. 

Despite the worsening conditions, the amount of firefighters dispatched to the fire has been reduced from 662 to 653 crew members.