11/20/1989 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e many more Asians and Hispanics in the area in the 1990s. Mr. Rikhoff said there are over 10,000 people who are members of a minority group in Eugene which is about eight percent of the total population. He said about 700 of these people are involved with the University. Mr. Griffin said that Oregon is becoming a retirement center for the Northwest, but needs to improve racial relations in the state before it will be a truly good place for people of all races to retire to. Mr. Boles asked Ms. Dunn how she would suggest dealing with the issue she had raised, that of a deep and broad social agenda, but with decreasing funds to administer it. Ms. Dunn suggested priorities may have to change. Ms. Schue said it was difficult to decide what issues were less important than others. Ms. Barnhart said the City has spent a great deal of money on economic development, which may not have been money well spent. She said that although she enjoys attending events at the Hult Center, she would like to see some of the money spent on the Hult diverted to other arts groups and social service projects. In addition, she suggested less money should be spent on parking garages. Mr. Bennett said he had been on the minority side of the vote on Sacred Heart. He said this issue was very complex and that Sacred Heart is IIhere to stay. II He said the council must be very careful how it views the hospital and its provision of health services to the community. He suggested that womenls rights organizations should not take a stand against the hospital. e Mr. Bennett said he did not see the connection between the initiative and referendum issue and human rights. He said the issue has two sides, but one of them is not human rights. In response to a question from Mr. Green, Ms. Dunn said Public Safety officers are allowed to remain with women who are victims of domestic violence and have returned home for their belongings for only 20 minutes. She said this is not usually enough time considering that the women have been forced to flee their homes initially. Ms. Ehrman pointed out that the department is going to begin using non-sworn officers for some jobs and asked if they could be used in this instance. Ms. Dunn said that a visit home for the victim of domestic violence had the potential to become violent and that an armed and uniformed officer might be required. Mr. Rikhoff said that in his work with Women space and the Rape Crisis Network he had learned that abusers often act out in private and are not violent in public. He suggested that anyone who accompanies a woman home after she has experienced domestic violence should be official-looking, but not necessarily a police officer. Ms. Bascom said it had been very encouraging to hear the presidents talk about this year's accomplishments for the human rights commissions. She said their efforts reflected well on the council. She said it was interesting how e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 20, 1989 Page 8 Dinner/Work Session -~