CC Minutes - 08/11/08 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Joe Collins , Eugene, criticized Chief Lehner’s withholding of a citizen complaint file from the Police Auditor and the District Attorney’s support of that action. He said the people of Eugene were concerned about trust issues with the Police Department. He acknowledged that there were good officers, but the department needed civilian oversight to avoid problems of the past. He objected to purchase of the Amazon Headwaters, which he said was supported by a minority of the community, and the granting of tax breaks for developments, which he said cost the City hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said the council was pro development and redevelopment and homeowners were expected to pay the developers’ share of taxes. He noted that there would be a ballot measure requesting $35 million to improve streets and asked how much the City had budgeted and spent on streets in the last five or six years and what percentage of that amount had been spent on repairs. Claire Syrett , Adams Street, Eugene, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon, spoke to the downtown public safety zone. She acknowledged that the proposed ordinance had been revised to address some of the concerns the ACLU had raised, but the ACLU was still opposed to exclusion zones on principle and had specific concerns about the proposal before the council. She said the ACLU opposed allowing an exclusion order to be issued through a civil procedure in which the court was not required to provide the defendant with legal representation; restrictions on a person’s movement should only be imposed by a judge in the context of a criminal case. She said the way in which variances were allowed for individual cases appeared to be constitutionally suspect and was concerned that the police would enforce the ordinance in a discriminatory manner on low income people and people of color. She cited examples from Cincinnati and Portland related to exclusion zones. She urged the council to adopt an approach to solving chronic problems in the downtown area that involved all stakeholders in seeking fair, effective and constitutional solutions. Liora Sponko , Lincoln Street, Eugene, chair of the WOW Hall board of directors, stated that the WOW Hall opposed the ordinance to exclude accused or convicted community members from downtown Eugene as it violated citizen’s rights and did not address neighborhood issues. She said it was the City’s collective responsibility to provide community spaces for everyone to enjoy. She said the ordinance did not address any of the fundamental problems of crime or homelessness. She said part of the WOW Hall’s mission was to be accessible to people of all ages and income levels and the ordinance would deny people that access and discourage patrons for fear of being accused and excluded because of age, appearance or other discriminat- ing factors. She asserted that the ordinance targeted low income and impoverished populations who did not have access to essential services. She said the City should provide more services and support to those populations instead of excluding them from downtown. Charles Dalton , Timberline Drive, Eugene, president emeritus of the Eugene/Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), spoke to the Police Auditor and Civilian Review Board (CRB). He said problems with the Police Department had existed for a long time and lack of trust was a factor. He said there was a critical need for transparency within the department in order to build trust with the community and it was necessary to have an independent Police Auditor and CRB that did not report to the City Manager. He submitted written comments that included recommenda- tions to the council. Tim Mueller , Arthur Street, Eugene, said he served on the Police Commission but was speaking as a private citizen. He was disappointed that the commission had not been asked to provide input on the exclusion zone ordinance. He cited statistics for 2007 which indicated a reduction in downtown crime and an increase in crime at Valley River Center. He expressed sympathy for Betty Snowden and others who experienced harassment downtown and appreciated the revisions to the proposed ordinance. He said those MINUTES—Eugene City Council August 11, 2008 Page 3 Regular Meeting