CC Minutes - 10/26/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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kinds of behavior no one wanted to see in the downtown area. He asked the council to review the pictures and to come up with some immediate solutions. He averred that public safety was the cornerstone of an economically viable downtown. He declared that unless they did something about it, no one with any money was going to come downtown and stay. He said the kinds of things that one sees in the downtown area scared the public away. He added that he himself felt scared away. He opined that to look at other kinds of issues without engaging in public safety was “kind of disingenuous.” He said all they had to do was to walk the streets and they would see what was going on. He suggested that the council and the Mayor had to face up to the situation. He listed some of the issues that were plaguing the downtown, which included graffiti, public urination, and public indecency. He believed that there were laws on the books that could be enforced and urged the council to do what was needed to fix the public safety problem downtown. Carol Berg-Caldwell , 2510 Augusta Street, Councilor Zelenka’s ward, thanked the Mayor and council for the time and attention given to appointments to boards, committees, and commissions. She urged them to reappoint Mr. Brissenden to the CRB. She related that she had attended many CRB and Police Commission meetings to gain more understanding of police and community relations. She averred that police and the community were not separate. She asserted that Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson’s work on the CRB was driven by “the desire to restore shattered trust” and “to build bridges.” She quoted Mr. Brissenden’s application, which said he believed the goal should be that citizens and police see no distinctions between them other than occupation. She likened the division between the police and the community to a “blue wall.” She believed that Mr. Brissenden’s “words and service” call on the community to “take down the wall.” She asked the council to reward Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson and not to “punish them.” She averred that in doing so, the council would reward a community that had clearly supported external police oversight. She implored the council to reappoint Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson, so that they could “continue their good work.” David Oaks , 2000 City View Street, Ward 8 – Councilor Pryor’s ward, stated that he directed Mind Freedom International. He was present to thank the council for passing Resolution 4989, a resolution affirming the City’s commitment to human rights and choice in mental health care, in its Consent Calendar. He also thanked Holly LeMasurier, Human Rights Analyst for the City, and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) staff for making sure that the resolution had been completed and submitted for approval. He commended Mayor Piercy for being “extremely supportive” and noted that former HRC chair, Carmen Urbina, had been a “key person” in moving the resolution forward. He said two public forums and a conference had been held, with the latter co-sponsored by the City. He had been doing this work for 33 years and had not seen this type of resolution passed by other cities, because it was not just about mental health, it was a resolution that declared that there should be a range of choices available to people, including more non-drug choices. He considered the resolution unique, adding that he felt it would influence other cities and Lane County. He also wished to share that there was now a statewide coalition of mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor groups called OCSC, standing for Oregon Mental Health Consumer/Psychiatric Survivor Coalition. He reiterated his thanks to the council and Mayor for passing the resolution. th Samantha Chirillo , 3930 West 17 Avenue, spoke on behalf of the Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA) Steering Committee. She implored the council to “support real police oversight” by reappointing CRB members Brissenden and Wilkinson. She opined that they were the only members of the CRB who “recognized the need” for adjudication for the public impact case. She conveyed the committee’s demand for a revision of the taser policy to allow use only in place of the use of deadly force and to equip every taser with a camera. She believed that a taser MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 26, 2009 Page 2 Regular Meeting