CC Minutes - 05/11/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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he had decided to install a commercial security system to forestall entry of persons with criminal intent. Charles Gray, 256 North Grand Street, stated that he was co-chair of the Eugene-Springfield Homeless Action Coalition and that he favored extension of the sunset date of the ordinance. He said his organization believed having a place to sleep was a fundamental human right and that the current ordinance was a first step in recognizing such a right. He reported that the ordinance enabled 200 persons to have a legal place to sleep each night, providing them dignity and self- esteem. He said sleeping in a car was not a positive experience, but that it was better than sleeping in a car and getting arrested for doing so. Ted Crysman, 750 Commercial Street, stated that he had been employed at a business in an industrially zoned area of Eugene since 1989. He said he believed the ordinance created negative impacts on wetlands and wildlife in the area of his employment. He reported that the trash dumpster of his business was regularly filled with waste from persons sleeping in the area, that trucks were hindered in seeking to make deliveries, that car body parts and spare tires had been abandoned, and that employees had been approached in a menacing way by a person using a car to sleep in. Penny Anderson, 4055 Royal Avenue, expressed appreciation to the City Council and Council Committee on Homelessness and Youth for their work in developing and adopting the ordinance. She said it provided a sense of safety for persons sleeping in cars and avoided their being criminalized. She described the types of persons sleeping in cars and asked that the sunset of the ordinance be extended. She said she hoped the ordinance would be evaluated fairly. Dominic Perallez, 341 East 12th Avenue, said that he was living on the streets of Eugene with his wife and had parked in areas described by previously testifying property owners. He said he was aware of wildlife which continued to use the area. He described those who slept in cars as not "down and out," but only "down for the moment." He said he did not believe that middle-of- the-night arousal by police was conducive to preparing for a job search or bettering one's life the next day. He said he believed those who slept in cars could police themselves. Jean Miksch, 180 North Polk Street, said that she was a resident of the Whiteaker Neighborhood and introduced her infant daughter. She described her experience of inviting homeless persons to camp on her property as positive and encouraged renewal of the ordinance. Nancy Crabtree stated that she was homeless in Eugene, as a result of a domestic violence situation. She said that she believed the ordinance was a positive gesture on the part of the City. She encouraged businesses to express their concerns regarding the use of streets for sleeping to those who were doing so. She said she believed it would result in better mutual understanding. Shelli Deedon, 1071 Bethesda Street, said that she was an employee in an industrially zoned area. She said that she had become fearful of homeless persons sleeping in cars near the entrance of her building when she had been approached to call police about a violence situation. She reported that the large number of cars with sleeping people parked on the street near her employment prevented her and others from being able to park there. MINUTES--City Council May 11, 1998 Page 6