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NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kitty Piercy, Mayor of the City of Eugene, do hereby proclaim Monday, January 9, 2012, as "University of Oregon Appreciation Day" and encourage all citizens to recognize and honor the accomplishments and contributions of the University of Oregon staff, faculty, students, athletes, and supporters. 2. ACTION: Election of City Council Officers for 2012 Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Brown, moved to elect George Brown as President of the City Council for 2012. Roll call vote: The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. Councilor Brown, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to elect Pat Farr as President of the City Council for 2012. Roll call vote: The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Ernie Short asked the council to support the many workers employed by the United States Postal Service and to oppose the closure of the Gateway mail processing facility, which would result in reduced community service. He asked the council to communicate with the manager of the Portland district and shared a sample letter. Mr. Short also shared a commentary from Gary Jarvis from a recent edition of The Register -Guard and a factsheet. Gary Jenkins, 96939 Prairie Road, reiterated past testimony about his family's encounter with the police, which resulted in the arrests of his wife and son, and asked the council to become involved. Dennis Gabrielson, 300 South 10 Avenue, Creswell, criticized Mayor Piercy for what he perceived to be procedural errors made at past council meetings. Bob Brown, 1728 Ferry Street, suggested Occupy Eugene reflected unmet needs and people's need to feel safe. He hoped the community's leaders could come together to address those issues but feared the community would remain divided and people's expressions would become more desperate and violent. Jean Stacey, 944 West 12 Alley, expressed sympathy to Mr. Jenkins on behalf of all present. She said the community needed to consider what some police were doing and hoped the City looked into that in the future. The actions of the police had a great impact on the homeless. She advocated for consideration of tent cities to house the homeless and help them toward self - sufficiency. She cited the Share Wheel in Seattle and Dignity Village in Portland as examples to follow. Joe Tyndall 361 West Broadway, said that Rick Youngblood became the 112 homeless person in Eugene - Springfield to die prematurely from natural causes in 2011. His tragic death was used to force the closure of Occupy Eugene, which was making inroads toward solving homelessness. He said no MINUTES— Eugene City Council January 9, 2012 Page 2 Regular Meeting