CC Minutes - 01/10/05 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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David Thor Johnson, 4986 Hunters Glen Drive, wished to be counted for the effort to preserve the acreage near his house, the 38-acre parcel that was the subject of earlier testimony. He also wished to commend all those present for participating in democracy and speaking their views. Mr. Johnson noted that the area had deep ravines from which water flowed to the headwaters of Amazon Creek. He thought development of this property could cause flood plain hazards for the people who resided below the land. He opined the land was not worth building on, but was definitely worth saving. He invited everyone to visit the property, which he felt demonstrated "nature as God intended it." He asked why anyone would want to build houses there and suggested that they build in Springfield. Peggy Soomil, 5185 Nectar Way, said her house and property bordered the edge of the property that was currently being considered for development. She testified that on a nice day there were always pedestrians walking through the woods on the property, in addition to a variety of animals and insects. She called the property "exquisite," adding that it was only a 15-minute drive from the downtown area. She advocated for preserving the property rather than developing it. She pointed out that traffic congestion would be compounded by any dramatic increase in residents in the area. Hope Marston, PO 51434, Eugene, welcomed the new mayor and new councilors. She felt glad that Eugene was a community that recognized hate literature when it came into the City. She thought the City of Eugene had done a good job when white supremacists distributed hate literature. However, she suggested that Eugene had a long way to go in recognizing racial profiling and other more subtle forms of racism. She averred that the dominant culture was never faced with subtle racism because it was never faced with being followed in a store or potentially being denied the opportunity to rent an apartment or house based on skin color. She asserted that the police felt vindicated because the racial profiling allegation brought by Cortez Johnson had been deemed unsubstantiated. She asserted that Eugene had a "real problem," and in the Police Department it was a problem of abuse of power. She cited, as an example of such abuse, the recent actions of one officer taken to prevent homeless people from panhandling. Ms. Marston urged the council to have some sort of impact on the City Manager so he would take the issue of racial profiling seriously and make a public statement about it. Additionally, she recommended he imbue the Police Department with the fact that the City had a real problem. She underscored that just because the allegations were found to be unsubstantiated by an internal investigation did not mean they truly were unsubstantiated. She believed Mr. Jordan was racially profiled and she believed a lot of other people in the community were subject to this sort of abuse as well. She advocated for the formation of an external review board. She underscored the necessity of diversity in the community and asked that steps be taken not to "drive out good people." Elizabeth Twombly, 5015 Nectar Way, submitted pictures of the property neighbors were advocating for the City to purchase and preserve. She recalled hearing years earlier that the property would be very difficult to develop. She noted that the City's appraisal had suggested that the property could only be divided into seven lots. She echoed the neighborhood's concerns regarding the City's "handling of the property" and regarding potential erosion. She said it would be a shame to lose the resource. Henry Luvert, 2036 South Shasta Loop, welcomed Mayor Piercy. He expressed hope that the City Council would support Mayor Piercy in her endeavor to form an external review process. He noted that profiling was difficult to prove because one had to prove intent. He said unless the officer indicated his or her intent, it was virtually impossible to substantiate. He suggested that all an officer had to say was that he MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 10, 2005 Page 4 Regular Session