Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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33 LATINX Focus Group Themes Characteristics of Racism • Racism is highly systemic. • Builds on its own history. • Name-calling and milk shake thrown at me and my brother when I was 11. • White privilege prevails. • Not bad people; bad actions, because of their privilege to ignore. • Oregon and Eugene are progressive, but only on the surface. • Whites believe they know the experiences of people of color when they do not. • Latinos are seen as a threat when they complain about their treatment. • 1964 before people of color (POC) could move here. • Occupy needed representation from POC. • We deal with the same issues,” referring to all focus groups. Intersectionality • Intersectionality is important to understand as racism impacts people differently. • No Latino nights for gay Latinos or other people of color in white dominated clubs. • Gay Latinos are ignored by the white LGBTQ community; lack of diversity and racism unrecognized. • A lot of hetero-normative directed at you; you are going to feel out of place, uncomfortable. • Daily stories about mistreatment of people who are trans or gay and are also of color. • “I knew I would have to work twice as hard because I came from a low income family.” Institutional Expressions of Racism • A lot of systems set in place to benefit white people – segregation, slavery… • Housing access, loans from banks, ban the box… City of Eugene • City organization does not know how to engage with the Latino community; needs to diversify. • Reporting experiences of hate or bias does not help stop these incidents. • We have a very expensive, new skate park near where many Latinos live, but they don’t skate. Need multicultural centers built and events held. • Skinner Butte has KKK plaque celebrating “illuminated crosses.” Systemic white power structure(s). Across the Community Police • Latinos are profiled by whites, who call police about “suspicious” people – treated like criminals. • Latinos are followed by and stopped by police (profiling) when not doing anything wrong. • I do not feel safe on campus, especially when police are armed or could be in the future. • Seems less safe for Latinos in Eugene than decades ago, e.g., police behavior and public attitudes. • They flagged their lights, detained me 15-20 minutes, searched (I allowed) and found nothing, have to call more officers every time. • My voice is not valued; I’m treated as a criminal. Police are scared of POC. • May seem safe here to Latinos who have escaped much worse places, e.g., South LA. • “Police are afraid of us, a lot of officers want to get armed.” • Police do not listen, can feel threatened by efforts to explain or to disagree; scary when they’re armed. • How am I supposed to feel safe? Police must be held accountable. • No police of color. • What trainings are they getting? Cultural training? Who is giving that training? Businesses • Latinos are blamed when others start trouble or cause conflicts, e.g., at local bars. September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1