CC MInutes - 04/09/01 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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heard from others it was a "waste of time." Officers responding to a subsequent call for assistance responded professionally and she thanked them for a job well-done. Trish Binder, no address given, a member of the IPRP, asserted that people who spoke out against the police were retaliated against. She quoted from a letter to the editor that was critical of Mayor Torrey, printed in The Register-Cmard on April 7. Ms. Binder asked how the issue of racial profiling would be addressed when the police did not accurately report the race of those receiving citations. She criticized the police for requesting more funding. Libris Solar, 663 West 27th Avenue, member of the IPRP, urged citizens to exercise their freedoms and rights. He said that required citizens to define what behaviors for the police were acceptable. He described an encounter he experienced with the police during which the police demanded that people leave a celebration scene immediately without an opportunity for discussion. Police refused to allow women to call for a ride, and subsequently they had to walk home in cold weather and felt unsafe walking at such a late hour. He said that such treatment contributed to citizens' increased hostility toward the police. He urged people to file lawsuits when the police violated their rights and to employ witnesses and supporting documents in that effort. He also urged citizens to vote for an external review board because some people were not psychologically suited to be police officers and must be held accountable for their unjustified actions. Beverly Rowland, 1000 Clark Street, a member of the IPRP, discussed the work of the organization and its activities. She called for a more transparent review process of police actions independent of government oversight to address community policing problems. She hoped better community-police relations would result. Ms. Rowland said IPRP focused on community education and outreach and had sponsored several public forums. People came to the IPRP to report incidents of police misconduct. She said that over 4,600 Eugene voters had supported an external review project, and she thought with some modifications more Eugene voters would support such a process. Mike Clark, 2754 Cheryl Street, recent past president of the Eugene Active 20-30 Club, spoke on behalf of a proposed waiver of Alton Baker Park hours to allow the organization to hold a July 4 fire works demonstration. He described the organization, its charitable mission, the projects that supported that mission, and noted that the organization had conducted the fireworks event for 42 years, thanks to the community. Mr. Clark indicated the organization did not intend to use the fairgrounds in the future because it would cost money that would otherwise go to charity. The organization was not able to use the former venues for the event, and hoped to create a bigger community celebration that "piggybacked" on the council's focus on downtown and the river. John Lawrence, 1016 Ash Grove Loop, a member of the Eugene Active 20-30 Club, spoke in support of the waiver of park hours at Alton Baker Park and discussed the organization's plans to address the concerns raised by the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Advisory Committee, which included an on-site water truck, fire control technicians, and inspection of the area for the suitability of fireworks. A water main was located on the site. The fireworks vendor had inspected and approved the area. The organization had arranged for event parking to occur at Autzen Stadium. The Active 20-30 Club had worked with the City on traffic control issues, and the club would hire private security to patrol the park. The organization had also hired a professional events planner to address event logistics. Clean-up would be done by a hired organization the day following the event. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 9, 2001 Page 2 Regular Meeting