I was introduced to Ms. Robin Brooks last summer, while "the Forty" or "the Field," a sprawling, decades-long established encampment near her separate campsite was being cleared by The People of New Directions with the help of the City of Arcata and APD. This process has been tumultuous, and for people living there, devastating to whatever security or semblance of stability that they had built up together. 

The process involved both clearing homeless residents and their camps, including whatever was left behind when they were asked to leave - from the private property at the foot of O Street. Ms. Robin was understandably reluctant at first to do any interview, let alone on camera. But, over the course of several visits over several months' time (from May 2025 to date) during the City's "trespass" sweep of the area, I worked to build trust with a woman who has lived largely on the fringes for roughly 20 years, in hopes of documenting her story. 

Faced with what amounts to an eviction in her mind, Robin agreed to share her thoughts with Humboldt Freelance Reporting (HFR), on camera. In our interview (linked at the end of this article), When asked what her one request would be if she ultimately had to leave her camp, Robin didn't hesitate. Following a recent verbal trespass warning from APD, she said simply, "please be gentle about it" — adding, "don't just... force me and take my stuff, and arrest me and put my dog in the pound...'" 

Ms. Robin cannot walk without crutches. Having lived on the margins for two decades — she carries grief alongside everything else, hidden by her positive disposition. Robin lost her husband while they were both homeless, she explains here; he died of a heart attack in the exact spot where this interview was conducted. 

Currently, a push to relocate the disabled elder into a temporary hotel room courtesy of Arcata House Partnership (AHP) is in the works. The duration of hers (or any) stay, however, is undetermined according to AHP. 

"In general, the Extreme Weather Shelter program operates on a night-by-night basis. Length of stay is not set for a specific period (such as a week or 30 days). Continued placement depends on adherence to program guidelines, appropriate behavior, and available funding. Because this is an emergency weather response program, extensions are determined based on those factors rather than a guaranteed timeframe." - AHP Operations & Resource Development 

According to multiple outreach workers and unhoused community members who spoke with HFR, mixed signals on the ground and lack of clear information given to unhoused community members - often coming directly from AHP's lead outreach coordinator Kevin Cox - have added to the confusion for those caught in the dragnet. We have seen this confusion and frustration play out in real time, while documenting the progress of the City's efforts. 

Ms. Robin has explained in recent days that initially, she was told the hotel stay was estimated to be roughly a week, but more recently she has been told the room would be allotted for roughly 30-40 days. The uncertainty on this point has created additional stress for an elderly woman who is already on the edge, as community members arrange for her most important possessions to be held in a storage unit paid for by community mutual aid donations and arranged by homelessness advocates. 

While the timeframe remains unclear for Ms. Robin's departure from her 10-yr established, deeply entrenched camp site on private property (where, to be clear, no "no trespassing" signs were posted until last week), she is fearful of losing her support network. She is afraid of losing her sense of security, of losing her pets. She is worried about being able to afford rent or payments that may be called for with her extremely limited income, and she is scared that she will lose her many belongings in the shuffle.  

Robin's situation is not unique. Across Arcata, dozens of unhoused residents face the same uncertainty — swept from one location to another, with no clear answer about what comes next. HFR will continue to follow Robin's story as the City's enforcement actions along the railroad corridor and the neighboring lots continue.

SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW with Robin Brooks of February 5, 2026:  https://youtu.be/rfP806lMig8 

NOTE: An earlier interview (off camera) is also posted at HFR on YouTube, centering more on her history living outdoors in the Forty, and her feelings about the nearby trespass sweeps and clean-up efforts related to those parcels and the camps located on them for - in some cases, well over a decade. That interview is here. 

To support this continued reporting, please consider donating to Humboldt Freelance Reporting: 

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• INTERNAL TEXTS REVEALED:  City Talks Shop with John Shelter of New Directions in Homeless Clean-up - FEBRUARY 24, 2026

• FULL INTERVIEW: Robin Brooks in Her Own Words - FEBRUARY 5, 2026 

• Robin Brooks interview clip -  FEBRUARY 5, 2026

• Brandy tells Lt. Scown what's up - FEBRUARY 5, 2026

• Observation of APD unaware of new state law SB 634, Outreach Worker threatened with Trespass - FEBRUARY 4, 2026

• After the Homeless Trespass Sweep at Warehouse, Before the Kinetics Lab Moves In - JANUARY 23, 2026

• Out with the Homeless, in with Kinetics! Kinetic Ken Beidleman in His Own Words - JANUARY 21, 2026

• Sunshine is Forced to Move Out with 4-hr Notice by Arcata Police After Tent Fire - JANUARY 21, 2026

• APD Lt. Altizer Explains the Police and Fire Response at Warehouse Trespass Sweep - JANUARY 21, 2026