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Brian Keith Mason , 1458 Moss Street, #102, a member of the Eugene Human Rights Commission (HRC), said that based on recent events, he believed the actions of the commission were at odds with its charter responsibility. A majority of commissioners were seeking to dismiss another commissioner and he had become convinced there was no basis for that action. He thought a conflict of personalities existed, and that one member’s passion for process was mistaken for racism. Mr. Mason believed that his fellow commissioners had chosen the route of least resistance and had decided to condemn a member without hearing a report on the incident. He objected to that as he believed that the commissioners should be a watchdog for all citizens, color blind, tolerant, gender-neutral, and must show courage of character by refusing to perpetuate bias in any form. Mr. Mason wanted to protect the voices of dissent in the ranks of the HRC. He asked the council to reject the commission’s request that it dismiss the individual in question and that it direct the HRC to resolve its internal dispute. Ruth Duemler , 1745 Fircrest Drive, Eugene, supported the Eugene Police Department’s use of tasers but also supported putting a measure on the ballot to limit that use. She had collected signatures for the measure and had never found it so easy to collect signatures. Everyone she knew regretted what had happened in regard to the use of tasers in Eugene. Laurie Stern , 1320 Lincoln Street, a Western Environmental Law Center intern, discussed how the State’s new gray water goals could assist Eugene to meet its sustainability goals. Joann Ernst , 1295 Buck Street, expressed appreciation for the work of the Police Commission on the taser policy but did not feel it was sufficient. She asserted she saw “confused looks on some of the councilors’ faces” during the work session because of the wordy policy, which she thought was open to misinterpretation by the Police Department. She believed that allowing the department to use tasers on those displaying active resistance would lead to continuing abuse. Speaking to Mayor Piercy’s earlier comments during the work session that the community had supported the use of tasers following the death of Ryan Salisbury, Ms. Ernst recalled that the community advocated for tasers as an alternative to deadly force. She had collected 60 signatures for Mr. Prince’s petition in just a few days. Most people were supportive of designating tasers as deadly force in the same way as guns. She thought that made sense. Ms. Ernst challenged the council to put Mr. Prince’s petition on the ballot to see what the public had to say about tasers. Robert Roth , Eugene, discussed his belief that the Police Department’s perception of tasers was “entirely too casual.” He said tasers killed people sometimes but it was not possible to know who would die from the effects of the taser until someone was killed. He criticized the Police Commission for failing to approach the issue by considering what sort of standard was appropriate for the use of the taser; instead, the commission started from the viewpoint that the taser was less lethal and merely ratcheted down the deadly force standard by eliminating the word “immediate.” The taser sometimes represented deadly force and had ramifications that were not well-understood, which was why Amnesty International had urged a moratorium on its use. Mr. Roth believed the council should take responsibility for the policy and hold a public hearing. He believed the most appropriate approach was a moratorium pending adoption of the policy, and that the most appropriate policy would limit taser use to deadly force situations. Kathy Ging , 2878 Harris Street, urged the council to place a measure limiting taser use on the ballot. She noted the many lawsuits filed by victims of tasers and their relatives. She said that many community MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2010 Page 3 Regular Meeting