Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Diane Thurlow , Ward 3, said any additional expenses created by the Occupy Eugene camp cost should be borne by the City Councilors who voted to support the camp. She did not want to pay for the camp. She believed the campers were breaking the law. She said it was the council’s job to take care of the homeless and she advised the council to “deal with it.” Becky Lemler , Elmira, suggested the money spent to police the Occupy Eugene camp could have been used to feed the homeless. She objected that Occupy Eugene had been allowed to disregard laws and occupy public property at public expense. She suggested that Occupy Eugene’s original message was lost when it allowed illegal activity at the camp and harbored minor runaways, felons, and sex offenders. She understood there were reports that people at the camp were preparing weapons to use to fight the police if asked to disband. Ms. Lemler feared Eugene would become a magnet for protestors from other communities that had closed their Occupy camps and called for the camp to be ended before they converged on the community and caused more problems. Jonathan Schwartz , Ward 7, said Occupy Eugene wished to be accountable and work with the City toward solutions. He did not think that closing the camp was the right thing to do and suggested that the camp be allowed to continue until the spring. He believed that if the City worked with Occupy Eugene they would find a mutual solution. He referred the council to his written communication. Ruth Duemler , Ward 3, hoped the council extended the exemption as she did not think winter was the right time to move the camp. She shared her positive experience attending Occupy Eugene rallies, saying they were attended by a diverse group of people, were well-organized, and the results well-communicated to other participants. It had been an amazing experience. She hoped all councilors could visit the site. David Ivan Piccioni , Ward 1, said Occupy Eugene was a means of expression for the poor and disenfranchised. He believed it would be undemocratic to prevent those populations from exerting political power through protest and organizing. Jerry Smith, Ward 2, spoke of the work that Occupy Eugene did with the homeless at no cost to the taxpayer. He spoke of the injustices he perceived in the economic system and said Occupy Eugene was trying to bring economic and social justice to the country. He asked the council to allow the camp to continue. He maintained the community supported the camp. Mr. Smith believed it would be tantamount to terrorism to tear down the tents in the middle of winter. Thomas Price , Ward 8, asked the council to extend the camping ban exemption for Occupy Eugene. He spoke of the economic hardships many residents were experiencing. He had been to the Occupy Eugene camp and knew it was a good thing. Shaun Haskins , Springfield, shared his view of the origins of Occupy Eugene, which he found in economic inequality, leaving the wealthy the de facto policy makers. Carol Berg Caldwell , Ward 3, suggested that if the Occupy Eugene camp was closed the City would incur costs in other areas. She spoke of the plight and despair of the homeless and suggested that the costs of the camp were “chump change” when compared with the benefits the homeless were receiving from the camp. She asked that the council allow a reasonable extension that gave services time to coalesce around a broader community effort. Michelle Townsend , homeless, submitted a petition with 1,700 signatures to the mayor and council in support of continuing the Occupy Eugene camp. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2011 Page 2 Regular Meeting