Frustrations Over Trash Pickup, Parking Enforcement Come to a Head in Fort Bragg
A town hall meeting will be held today at 5:30 p.m.
The Fort Bragg Police arrested a local personality and business owner on Sunday after he dumped a load of debris on the steps of City Hall and nailed a board across the entrance.
According to a press release, Nicolas Kerttula, 27, was arrested on a felony charge of vandalism in excess of $400.
In an interview, Commander Jonathan McLaughlin said the public’s delayed response in reporting the incident may have contributed to the higher charge, which was based solely on the cost of cleanup and repair.
According to an eyewitness, the vandalism was viewed as a performance piece by passersby and patrons of Tall Guy, the popular brewery located across from City Hall on Franklin Street.
To the entertainment of local and visiting beer drinkers, Kerttula, who operates the Treasure Room consignment store on Franklin Street, returned to the scene repeatedly to add more trash to a growing debris pile. The “performance” reached its climax when Kerttula nailed a board across the entrance to the building.
In an interview with MendocinoCoast.News, Kerttula is quoted as saying that he didn’t deny what he’d done. According to MendocinoCoast.News, Kerttula said: “When I was taking the trash down to City Hall, I cut myself on something and the blood ran onto my hands. When the police came, I said, ‘Look — I meant for you to catch me red-handed.’”
When asked about his motivation, Kerttula reportedly told MendocinoCoast.News that he has repeatedly complained about broken glass and garbage being left to sit and felt those concerns went unanswered.
In an interview with Mendo Local, McLaughlin said Kerttula did not turn himself in and did not voluntarily admit to the crime when an officer approached him in an alley behind the store.
McLaughlin said the public is not obligated to report the crime, but doing so in this case could have allowed police to de-escalate the situation before it rose to the level of a misdemeanor or a felony.
He said police do not typically arrest a person for littering.
Particularly when an incident may involve a mental health crisis, McLaughlin said, “it’s always better to call early.” The goal of a 911 call would be to give a professionally trained responder the opportunity to de-escalate before a person causes harm to themselves or others.
Joe Wagner, a local business owner and volunteer at KNYO, the beloved community radio station on Franklin Street, said Kerttula, who is known as Phoenix, is well liked by the business community. Wagner said he hopes the court shows leniency and understanding. “If his store closes, it will be just another empty storefront on Franklin Street,” Wagner pointed out.
Without condoning the vandalism, Wagner acknowledged that there are multiple reasons why a business owner may feel frustrated with the City of Fort Bragg.
Indeed, at Monday’s council meeting, a resident and a councilmember both expressed frustration with the city’s unwillingness to enforce parking laws that would allow a licensed food truck owner to operate out of their permitted spot.
The Community Development Commission will hold a special meeting addressing the food truck issue tonight at Town Hall at 5:30 p.m.
Councilmember Lindy Peters noted that the food truck operator has gone through the required process to obtain a parking spot “and now they’re unable to use it.” Peters accused the city of “selective enforcement” and said the city has the tools to ensure the operator can access their spot. “And my understanding is there’s language within that general law that basically we’re under that would provide us the opportunity to do something about this, even though we don’t have, right now, parking enforcement going around marking tires.”