02/22/1988 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Crystal Shope, 860 River Loop No.1, spoke for cruisers and against the ordinance. She said the main problem she saw with closing liThe Gut" was increasing drug use by teenagers in the Eugene-Springfield area. Ms. Shope said many activities had been closed recently, such as drive-ins, and she did not think the ordinance was a good idea. Brad Perkins, 1590 Mill or 37 West 13th Avenue, spoke in opposition to the ordinance. Mr. Perkins expressed his support for the youth commission and its four-part planning process. He said he thought the group had put in a lot of effort to try and resolve the issue. He also said he supported the youth who had been seeking an alternative such as shifting the location to West 11th. He said he was not sure why problems continued at that location, since the area was mostly non-residential. Mr. Perkins said he did not think the community could solve a social issue by changing the face of the problem, because causes went much deeper than that. He said he hoped the council would review and consider the recommendations from the youth commission. Donnie R. Hedlind, 2285 West 29th Avenue, spoke for cruising. Mr. Hedlind said he had helped to initiate the move to West 11th Avenue, and he thought it had worked well, except for problems with littering. He said that if litter could be controlled, he thought that location would work well. He also said he had talked to many young people who stated that because they had nothing to do, they partied, and if they had someplace to go and something to do, they wouldn't party all the time. e Nancy J. Reynolds, 1858 University, submitted written comments in opposition to the ordinance: lilt is repressive and anti-youth; we're sending the wrong message to our young people." Mayor Obie closed the public hearing. Mr. Mason responded to testimony. He said it was not the intent of the Police Division to send the message that youth were not liked or wanted. He said criminal conduct was not required for problems to occur, but complaints now included noise, air pollution, and traffic congestion, which were not acceptable to residents and businesses in the area. He noted that a disproportionate number of officers had been assigned to liThe Gut" and said such concentrated deployment was not an effective tactic Tor serving the entire community. Mr. Mason said the issue of unintentional violations would require the assistance and support of citizens in the area. He said it was not the intent or the policy of the police division that enforcement occur in a random or haphazard manner, and areas would be designated by the police chief based on the number of complaints and problems in an area. He said officers did enforce alcohol laws on South Willamette Street. He also said the move to West 11th Avenue had caused significant problems, such as litter and requiring early closures, for business owners, and the Department of Public Safety was concerned about mixed speeds and traffic congestion in that area. e Ms. Ehrman asked whether the issue of cruising was being addressed by the Cops-in-the-Schools program. Ms. Wooten also asked about the involvement MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 11