Community reacts to APD arrest of former student

Michael Steelman’s recent arrest is sparking up conversations of police brutality 

Additional reporting and photo by Ben Hernandez

Community members have started to speak out on social media platforms and at the Arcata City Council meetings in response to the Oct. 8 video of Michael Steelman’s arrest, also known as ‘Big Mike’. Steelman, who was barbecuing on the Arcata Plaza, was arrested, despite the situation being a non-emergency.

The Justice for Josiah Lawson Instagram account, run by Charmaine Lawson, posted a video of Steelman’s arrest on Oct. 8 and later took it down. El Leñador reached out to Lawson, but she declined to comment. 

The primary source of the video has not yet been determined. El Leñador attempted to get a hold of Steelman, but no contact was made. 

According to the Arcata police department press release, Steelman was charged with;

• PC 69 – Obstruct/resist officer (Felony)
• 148(A)1 PC – Obstruct/resist officer (Misdemeanor)
• 148.9(A) PC – False Identification to a Police Officer

The California Penal Code §69 prohibits the use of threats or violence to keep officers from doing their job. It is similar to resisting arrest under California Penal Code §148(a)(1). However, PC §69 requires violence or a threat of violence from the person who the officer/s is interacting with. 

California Penal Code §148.9(a) means the person being arrested has not given their real name in an attempt to evade the court or proper processing during arrest, which is considered a misdemeanor. 

El Leñador contacted the Arcata Police Department (APD) and supervising officer on duty, Sergeant Brian Hoffman. Hoffman said that the APD has no further comments other than what was already in the Oct. 9 press release. 

El Leñador requested the police report, body camera footage, and other information relating to arrests on the plaza. For all requested information denied by the APD, refer to the infographic.

Community Members Perspectives

Kaylon Coleman, President of the Black Student Union, was unsettled by the video. Coleman explained the importance of community and how that can have an impact on Black students’ experiences at Cal Poly Humboldt.

“When I see Mike out there getting manhandled by the police, you can only think, ‘If that happened to him, it might happen to me too.’” Coleman said. “I feel that’s really why community is important out here and finding your community and those who make you feel seen and heard and appreciated and stuff like that, cause it’s hard. It’s hard out here to be a black student.”

It is unknown whether a 911 call was made that prompted the police to investigate the plaza.  

A rumor has been circulating that someone from JuJuBee’s, a children’s clothing store on the plaza, called the police on Steelman. However, Megan Bierwirth, the owner of JuJuBee’s rejected this rumor. 

“Nobody at JuJuBee’s called the police that day for any reason whatsoever,” said Bierwirth.

APD denied El Leñador’s request to release the police report, it cannot be confirmed if a call was made.

Arcata City Meeting Oct. 16 community member statements

About 11 community members expressed that they were upset that people of color are used as an image of equity and their frustration that their concerns are not being taken seriously when it comes to police brutality. The first person to speak on the issue was Gregory Bonagura, a local healthcare worker. 

“I see brutal police, you know, the APD beat a man who is simply trying to cook food and feed hungry people. I, myself have eaten in that plaza free food, I have served free food in that plaza,” Bonagura said. 

Bonagura was not surprised that the police are not disclosing information about what happened on Oct. 8 during Steelman’s arrest. 

“What’s taken on the plaza is deeply uncalled for, and it’s just inhumane at this point,” said Stephanie Thomas, a community member. 

Thomas believes there is too much policing on the plaza and that police presence has now escalated to what she describes as, “a brutal attack of a Cal Poly Humboldt student.” Although, it has been verified that Steelman is no longer a student at Cal Poly Humboldt. 

“We want to see the decrease of policing in the Arcata Plaza,” Thomas said. 

Dr. Kintay Johnson, co-chair of the Equity of Arcata Board and member of the NAACP expressed that people should feel safe enough to walk around Arcata, regardless of how they look. 

“I am here on my behalf as a concerned citizen, not speaking on behalf of any organization tonight. However, in my capacity as your co-chair of Equity of Arcata Board I am deeply concerned by the incidents that I have been witnessing on the plaza. I hope that our next Equity of Arcata meeting that we are addressing, not only the incident of over policing on the plaza, the use of over force, excessive force to arrest somebody for barbecuing,” said Johnson.

Johnson has declined to give a comment directly to El Leñador. 

Speakers at the conference said they want the officers to be fined, investigated or fired for creating more trauma in the community. Another community member shared a confrontation they had with APD officer K. Burke, that also ended in a confrontation and arrest. APD officer Burke was one of the officers seen on video arresting Steelman.

City council member Sarah Schaefer responded to community members saying, “The business owners have come to us, they want us to get people off the plaza, to clean up the plaza. To get dogs off the plaza, to get people to stop drinking, to stop smoking.” 

Schafer also stated at the city council meeting on Oct.16 that the body camera footage will soon be available for public records. El Leñador made a request for the video but was denied. Arcata City Manager, Merrit Perry will be the one to make that decision soon.

Interview with Arcata City Manager on Oct. 29

Perry has been city manager since August and was previously the Fortuna city manager for six years. Part of Perry’s responsibility is to oversee the Arcata City Police Department. He reports directly to the city council. Perry shared that previously there had not been much policing and enforcement of the municipal codes in the Plaza but now there is. 

“There’s been a lot of discussion about the body camera footage being released, we have thought a lot about that. Obviously, we think there could be some public good, provide some transparency but then there could also be some unintended consequences. The primary one I can think of is that it might not put Mr. Steelman in the best light and he may not want to be the center of attention,” said Perry. 

Perry did review the body camera footage in which there was a conversation between a police sergeant and Steelman about the violation of the municipal code, having an open fire and selling food without a permit. The sergeant talked to Steelman for about 10 minutes. Names of the sergeant and officers on the police report were requested but not released to El Leñador.

He said it’s not an easy call to release the body cam footage when the city does not have an obligation to do so in this circumstance.

Perry said he could not confirm that there was a call placed on Oct. 8 to the plaza but did confirm there is a routine patrol car that passes multiple times a day and it’s possible an officer saw the smoke of Steelman’s BBQ on the plaza. Part of the reason the routine policing can be done in Arcata is because APD is now fully staffed. 

“It’s important to create an atmosphere where businesses are successful. If you have an atmosphere where there is drinking and using drugs in a space where you also want to have the community feel safe, then that can be a real challenge,” said Perry. 

Humboldt County does not have any mental health or social workers to handle non-emergency situations. Perry said that Measure H could possibly help fund an alternate group of people to respond to non-emergency situations in Arcata if the proposition passes.

“This enforcement on the plaza isn’t targeted towards homeless people, it’s not targeted towards people of color, it’s not targeted towards any group at all,” Perry said. “It’s really just trying to uphold the laws and the required municipal codes. There’s no extraordinary effort.”

Since the arrest of Steelman in the plaza, community members have openly disagreed with APDs handling of the situation.

Arcata City Meeting Nov. 6

On Nov. 6, community members gathered at Arcata City Hall for the first City Council meeting of the month. One of the topics brought up was the arrest of Steelman, specifically issues regarding police brutality on the plaza.

“I’m devastated man, I can’t say it enough, I mean for somebody to be violently arrested in the way that Mike was,” said Leonard Perry, a community member who spoke out at the meeting. “Nobody’s been poisoned by Mike’s food but there was somebody that was hurt, and it wasn’t by Mike. It was the police who hurt Mike.”