Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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no place to park her truck or use a bathroom. She planned to return to the encampment to work with the youth and offer them good adult examples. She asked the council to give Occupy Eugene time so it could do good things in the community. She said “the parks are for the people.” Roman Lunsford , 590 Tyler Street, thanked the council for cooperating with Occupy Eugene. He said his experience at the encampment had been amazing. He had participated to support the 99 percent and subsequently witnessed an amazing level of cooperation and engagement between very different people. He attended the meeting to demonstrate there was no stereotypical Occupier. He suggested that his demands were also the council’s demands given their status as members of the 99 percent. Alley Valkyrie , 1760 Olive Street, supported the proposed camping ban exemption. She was proud to be part of a community where such an action was contemplated as she thought it spoke to the community’s values. She was concerned about those who had to camp out of necessity and were frequently cited by police. She asked what such an exemption said about the community’s values when it was considered for a political event but not for the chronically homeless. David Hazen , 4349 Shadow Wood Drive, expressed support for the proposed exemption. He commended City Manager Ruiz and Chief Kerns for their willingness to work toward a win-win solution. He advocated for continuing the conversation and suggested that beyond the exemption the City also consider funding “wet beds” for addicted people who were still using. Sarita Lief , 174 West K Street, Springfield, expressed her gratitude for all those at the Occupy Eugene encampment as she believed their work would make the Egan Warming Center unnecessary. She thought the encampment had considerable community support. She believed history was being made in Eugene. Cimmaron Gillespie , 1648 Alder Street, supported the camping ban exemption. He believed Occupy Eugene was both a movement and a political demonstration that should be protected. He said the local protest had been joined by many diverse individuals, including those with mental illness and addictions. He was participating because he believed in Jesus’ admonition that “what you do to the least of my brethren you do also to me.” He said the encampment was helping meet the basic needs of the homeless, who needed a place to stay. Mika Hutchison , 2555 Laurel Hill Road, supported Occupy Eugene’s right to peaceful assembly but did not think that camping in a park was a right. She said the park was for general recreation purposes and not for camping. She asked who would pay the insurance to cover the encampment. She did not want her tax dollars going for that purpose. Ms. Hutchison had visited the encampment and observed the damage to the grass, trash, and beer cans on the ground. People were openly smoking pot. She said Occupy Eugene did not have to camp to protest. John Monroe , no address given, said that Occupy Eugene was not about politics as generally understood but rather about politics in the original sense of the word in that people were living together and creating rules on the spot. He said that people were coming to the park and they brought their problems and addictions with them. They lacked institutions to help them but now had a place to camp and volunteers to support them. Mr. Monroe said that Occupy Eugene was encouraging communication between people of all political persuasions and was not a left-right issue. The movement had been supported and encouraged by the police and the participants communicated with the police to ensure they could do their job. He encouraged the council to participate in Occupy Eugene. Fergus McLean , 38574 Dexter Road, Dexter, representing We the People, invited the council and viewing audience to a teach-in and forum on Occupy Eugene in context on November 9 at Harris Hall. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 24, 2011 Page 6 Regular Meeting