Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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35 • No place to go. No barrio, tortillas, a place to feel supported. • You need physical space, a place where you can go and feel safe. • Just not a lot of brown faces in Eugene and in its institutions. • Moving from Arizona, experienced culture shock in awareness of lack of brown faces here. • You need to find your community to have safe space to be Latino, be yourself. • I have experienced more problems in Eugene than in Arizona, more comfortable because my people were there; the Latino community is not connected here. Community can provide a safe space to be. Differences Within Latino Community • Other Latinos may try to pull you down. • Must mind who you align yourself with in the community. • White power structure uses people of color; no one person speaks for Latinos, need forums instead. Needs of Latino Community • Latinos not taught how to work the system; it sucks not being able to navigate systems. • Need cultural centers for community members, not just on the campus; they can provide resources. • Community needs a center to gather; Latinos are spread out. • Few Latino cultural events occur. • People don’t understand they have rights. • Need information and community services in their native language. • Hard to find ways around because of lack of Spanish language signage. • Need to hold police and others accountable for their behavior in order to change it. • Power centers need to be diversified. • Police training and curricula need to be examined. • With systemic racism, specific policies are needed to tear down racism. • Eugene needs to become a sanctuary city that protects and cares for Latino immigrants. • Need to follow up on this focus group and report out, so folks know what was done with their input. • Ethnic studies should be mandatory. • Cultural competency is important. Learning how to engage community is important. September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1