Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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? To be held publicly accountable for progress in remedying human rights problems by timetables, benchmarks, and appropriate measures; ? To provide education to all people about their human rights and how they can seek redress for rights violations. He wanted to encourage the City to apply those goals when considering the investigation of the May 30 use of force, which he believed to be illegal. th Joel Durr , 602 East 8 Avenue, said he was a student at the University of Oregon. He reiterated the sentiments of his peers. He was proud of two of his friends, one of whom was arrested, for organizing the event on May 30. He stated that they worked very hard to educate people regarding the use of pesticides. He averred that there was something wrong when a peaceful demonstration was contained by the use of force, which he believed to be possibly lethal. He felt his friend had been tasered multiple times and had done nothing wrong to deserve it. He opined that the police had “dropped the ball” by using a possibly lethal tool as a means to gain compliance when it was supposed to be used as an alternative to lethal force. He wished to underscore the need for accountability, adding that the City could choose to use the event as a point to move on and make progress. He hoped that the investigation would be independent and unbiased. Anand Keathley , 389 North Polk Street, said he was a homeowner, a business owner, and a medical professional. He was not at the event on May 30, but he was concerned that the community and the EPD in particular were not ready for the economic stresses coming due to the high gas prices and the economic recession. He stated that medical professionals had pushed for mental health treatment equity. He advocated this equity for the police officers. He felt the stress for EPD officers was such that it was critically important that they were not overworked. He also felt officers needed mental health evaluations frequently so that they could get the rest and help they needed. He averred that officers needed better instructions regarding when Tasers should be allowed to be used. He read a portion of the language regarding Tasers into the record which he considered to be vague. He wanted to know the official definition of pain compliance and how it would differ from torture. He wondered how the world would perceive the recent events, given that the Olympics was bringing the world to Eugene and the City would be “talking about it.” th Shannon Wilson , 3920 East 17 Avenue, said he attended the anti-pesticide rally and had seen the young man who was ultimately tasered while being arrested using a crosswalk at all times “performing theater by spraying water on plants and the sidewalk.” He had seen no evidence of anyone blocking traffic. He alleged that the EPD account was “full of lies.” He declared that this was a “clear case of police brutality.” He felt that police were “striking fear” into citizens who were exercising their rights to freedom of speech and their right to peacefully assemble. He wondered if the EPD was being run by the Office of Homeland Security. He opined that Tasers should be removed from the EPD “weapons arsenal” and the officers involved in the incident should be punished. He believed that the EPD had not demonstrated that officers could handle these weapons. He hoped the auditor would have the tools and power necessary to hold the police department accountable. He predicted that the EPD would “suffer lawsuits” if this did not occur. Zachary Vishanoff , somewhere on Patterson Street, was angry that the focus was on Tasers. He recalled the incident in which he had been hit by a beanbag fired by an EPD officer during a different demonstration. He was unhappy that the shooter had “walked free.” He wanted the council to ask for justice for “all the former victims” of Eugene police. He felt that the Taser was a media-generated problem as it had arisen from the death of a young man in 2006. He related that his experience had changed his life. He commented that he did not blame the police because the community would get the police it asked for. He said the community also got the media they asked for. He blamed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 9, 2008 Page 5 Regular Meeting