Resolution No. 5317 - Laserfiche WebLink

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relocation to incarceration camps with deplorable living conditions. Over this past year, the President of the United States has insisted on referring to the virus that causes Covid-19 as the “China virus” which has resulted in Americans of Asian descent being subjected to verbal assaults and intimidation by others. The State of Oregon has a history of enacting racist policies that have left lasting harm on communities of color, including entering the Union as a “whites-only” state in 1859, refusing to ratify the 14th and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution, and enacting black exclusion laws.The City of Eugene had de facto enforcement of its status as a ‘Sundown Town,’ an extended presence of the Ku Klux Klan, whites-only housing covenants, and unequal access to government services, all of which led to gentrification and decimation and demolition of historic communities of color. I. We have seen an on-going surge of white nationalist activity and hostility here, in our home, conjuring painful memories of our City's past and causing harm to current residents. Today, members of white supremacy groups are gathering at our state’s and nation’s capitols bearing symbols of hate and intimidation including nooses, signs and clothing with valorizations of Nazi war crimes, and waving the Confederate battle flag. These individuals have carried and wielded weapons including automatic rifles, knives, bats and pepper spray which they have used against law enforcement officers who were carrying out their duties to protect. Video evidence shows members of these groups savagely beating a Capitol police officer with poles on which they had mounted the American flag. Members of these groups have engaged in acts of sedition by violently entering these capitol buildings where elected legislators were conducting the American people’s business. They did so in order to interfere with the legitimate functioning of our th government. On January 6 they stormedthe U.S. capitol to stop the longstanding process of the peaceful transfer of political power from one presidential administration to another, and instead install their illegitimate chosen leader as the de facto ruler of the United States. At least five people died as result these actions. J. The trauma inflicted on Black people, people of color, Muslim and Jewish people, religious minorities, the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups by white supremacists results in generational and psychological harm affecting health, educational, economic and social outcomes. K. The City of Eugene has a longstanding history and commitment of celebrating and supporting people of all races, national origins, immigration and refugee statuses, religions, gender, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, ages, and economic statuses. The City Council has adopted Ordinances and Resolutions that demonstrate this commitment, including: 1. Human Rights Municipal Code provisions, EC 4.613 - 4.655 (adopted in 1971, with the most recent amendment adopted in 2014 which made it unlawful to discriminate based on gender (Ord. 20523)). 2. Resolution 5073 (adopted 2012) in Support of a Statement of Principles for Immigrant Integration. 3. Resolution 5142 (adopted in 2015) Declaring the Urgency of the Housing and Homelessness Crisis. Resolution -- Page 2 of 3