Our monthly meeting will be this Thursday, April 4 at 7 PM.
In Person:
3280 River Road (Messiah Lutheran Church)
Online – we are switching from Zoom to Google Meets.
meet.google.com/aeu-kfvd-bvi
Phone numbers
(US)+1 505-738-2695
PIN: 119 036 461#
Agenda
Housing and Homelessness
A presentation looking at the problem of homelessness, its root causes, and some of the temporary and permanent solutions that are occurring in our community
also
Board elections
Updates on community projects
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I just want to share my reflections of my first meeting – • Reflection on Santa Clara Neighborhood Association Meeting –
Last night was my first Neighborhood meeting and they had a hot topic – Housing and Homelessness – with Heather from Community Supported Shelters as one of the guest speakers. It was nice to hear how much more CSS is doing than when I was there – and – there seemed to be a crowd there of angry, disgruntled people not able to hear how many of the homeless are moving out of that status and into housing but wanted to focus their anger on all those who are sleeping on the street and committing crimes. One man was especially aggressively vocal to spew his opinions, that had nothing to do with the presentation, and refused to listen to anyone else. It felt like a mass shooting using emotional bullets instead of real bullets.
It was the same as what’s showing up on the national front – loud, aggressive, followers, trying to dictate how people are allowed to live in this country or even who can live in this country. Last night was my first time being in that energy and it was very frustrating because the guy wasn’t there for the beginning of the presentation and he wasn’t commenting on what CSS is doing to end homelessness, he was ranting about all those who are on the street outside of the safe spot camps that are doing drugs and committing crimes and lump summing them with those who are in the safes-spot communities doing what they can to change their circumstances. He didn’t know what he was talking about but talking like he did. He wasn’t listening to anyone else, and he didn’t hear anything that was said because he had an agenda to spew and didn’t seem to care that was not the place to be on his soap box. His concerns need to be said to the City Council, not at this presentation but he didn’t even have that awareness.
That was quite a ‘first meeting’ and left me asking the question – how does one address that kind of a situation? He wanted to be heard, whether that was the appropriate venue or not. He was disruptive and aggressive but wouldn’t stop talking. You can’t make him stop and yet he hijacked the meeting for his own agenda. A number of different people tried to intervene, and he just talked over them. Being respectful didn’t work and being aggressive back wouldn’t have worked. That was a living experience of what’s going on in our country and creates an opportunity to be in discussion as to how to address this the next time it comes up. I certainly don’t know how to find a win/win/win outcome in this situation but I would love to be in a conversation with others about what it might look like.
So my reply to this Patty is I was there too and I completely disagree. Yes he was loud and angry but we have to ask the question WHY? I have been to many Neighborhood meetings, City Council meetings over the past couple of years. The people in Ward 7 and the city are Not being heard!! At last resort several years ago we recalled the councilor in Ward 7 because she was not listening to us. We did not want EMX on River Road. We have enough of traffic problem now. Hundreds of petitions were turned in and at a meeting she said the she had not received any opposition. Our Ward 7 councilor came late to the meeting and left early so that there was no time to ask questions before or after. She also didn’t show up for the “question and answer” period earlier that week at the RR Neighborhood meeting. How are we suppose to voice our concerns and frustrations? The presentations had false information and inaccurate data.Although I do see some benefits and I don’t think they do enough to help the people out of their situations. These organizations add a few safe sleep sites but don’t offer a solution to the bigger issues. I’m not sure we are accomplishing anything but throwing money at the problem. This man is frustrated. I am frustrated, the community is frustrated!!! We don’t feel safe in our community, crimes are committed without any repercussions ,needles are found in parks, a man was killed on one of our buses .And you are angry that someone in our community wants our taxes to be spent on the things like police, protection, safety on our streets etc? In Oregon we are number 2 in the nation per capita spending, and we do not have police protection and safe streets . Our children are not being educated(we have one of the shortest school years in the nation). We are wasting money and not providing core services. That’s what he was upset about. Also To liken it to a mass shooting seemed little dramatic and insensitive to compare real life trauma. I agree that there should be a time limit on questions and that should be stated at the start of each meeting. It did appear that ” only people at the table got to ask questions” Kate does a great job monitoring meetings and I’m sure that there were be a few guidelines set for the next meetings moving forward.
“It was the same as what’s showing up on the national front – loud, aggressive, followers, trying to dictate how people are allowed to live in this country or even who can live in this country. Last night was my first time being in that energy and it was very frustrating because the guy wasn’t there for the beginning…”
Someone needs to comment on this. Ignoring the ridiculous Neo Nazi reference, if this is ‘the first time in that energy” for this poster, this person knows nothing of Ward 7 political sentiment. For many of us who frequently canvass the Ward, including Santa Clara and River Road, the fellow being referenced is demonstrative of resident’s frustration, anger, and profound distrust oof Eugene’s political-administrative apparatus. What he said regarding crime, filth, public sex, is repeated every time I’ve knocked on doors and had the privilege of people telling me what they think. No, those people are not neo nazis, fascists, MAGA, right wing loons, or anything else. Almost every one is a blue collar, middle class worker who’s struggling to survive, overburdened by fees, taxes, and inflation, and have been, in the case of Trainsong, ignored and abandoned. The fellow that Patti Zachary disparaged actually spoken to police, compiled examples and data, and spoke for many other Ward 7 residents.
You don’t have to agree with what the guy said, but you do need to realize that for many residents, the RRCO-SCCO are NOT doing the job of creating a broader dialogue. We will tell the RRCO-SCCO if they’re doing a proper job of representing us, not vice versa. If someone is expressing an opinion, or doing it in a way you find distasteful, Justice William Brennan, in the landmark First Amendment case, New York Times vs Sullivan, 1964, has this to say:
The Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Justice William Brennan, reviewed the matter “against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.”
NO ONE has an obligation to be nice to you in a meeting regarding public affairs, or care about your feelings. If a city chartered outfit, such as RRC);SCCO, if going to hold meeting with signs that have a Eugene city emblem, then you’ll have to deal with being uncomfortable….
Natalie and Charlie – you’re both right – I don’t know what’s been going on in Ward 7 as that was my first meeting – and let me just say I agreed with much of what that guy said, but that presentation was about what two organizations are doing to help get the people he was complaining about off the street and into housing. I am all for people rising up to remind public officials that they work for the people and for what the people want – that just didn’t seem like the place that would have much effect nor was the approach very effective.