CCMinutes - 05/10/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Bruce Miller, PO Box 50968, Eugene, generally criticized the City's efforts in downtown. He called for mayor, council, and staff changes and praised the efforts of the City of Corvallis in its downtown. He called for more ~people" persons in downtown. Brian Michaels, representing the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, noted his submission of correspondence between the City and his organization. By and large, he commended the revised ordinance but he believed the exclusion element of the ordinance should be deleted. Mr. Michaels disagreed that the area around the Broadway Plaza was a park. He thought the streets and byways of the community should be free for all citizens to pass. He did not think action taken in the interests of the merchants was not necessary as no one was open late at night and there were few merchants in the area. Mr. Michaels believed that as a result of the curfew on the Broadway Plaza, people would be targeted for standing on the streets between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. M. Brooks Robert Shaw asked the council to eliminate the curfew at the Broadway Plaza. She found it ironic that there was a curfew in the plaza that housed the memorial to author Ken Kesey, a great individual. She thought the curfew would create an undesirable class of people. All should have access to public areas at all time. She asked the council to consider removing all City curfews, starting with this one. Bob Cassidy, 1401 East 27th Avenue, expressed appreciation to Chief Lehner for his work. He joined in the remarks of previous speakers regarding the need to remove the curfew at Broadway Plaza, which he thought unreasonable and deserving of further examination. Majeska Seese-Green, 549 Van Buren Street, represented the Whitaker Community Council's Police Issues Committee, which had been involved in the community coalition. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work through issues with the chief and the department. She agreed with other speakers about the curfew at Broadway Plaza. She said the curfew related to the issue of profiling as one could imagine who the curfew would be enforced against, suggesting that a person's age, appearance, and socio-economic class would be factors. Ms. Seese-Green asked the curfew be removed from the ordinance. Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. He called for council questions and comments. Mr. Kelly thanked those testifying and thanked the community coalition, Police Department staff, and Chief Lehner for their work. He said it appeared from the language in the ordinance that it would be illegal to stand on the Broadway Plaza at midnight but it would be legal to stand at the comer of Willamette Street and Broadway at the same time. He asked what the police perceived as the public safety difference between those hanging out on the plaza as opposed to those ~hanging out" on the comer. Ms. Taylor was pleased by many of the changes being proposed and encouraged that Chief Lehner was working to make the ordinance more reasonable. She supported the elimination of the curfew and asked that a motion be prepared to that effect when the council took action on the ordinance. She also indicated opposition to the fines included in the ordinance but thought that concern might be addressed by the removal of the curfew. Mr. Pap~ did not interpret the prohibition on being in the area in question as a curfew. City Attorney Glenn Klein indicated he would address that issue in the staff response. Mr. Pap~ referred to Section 3.344(2)(a)(1) of the ordinance, which was related to the items to be sold in downtown, and asked if the City had a standard for what could be sold. Mr. Klein indicated he would also answer that as part of the staff response.