HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.08.2020 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Virtual Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
June 8, 2020
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire
Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans
Mayor Vinis opened the June 8, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council.
1. WORK SESSION: Police Chief Briefing
City Manager Pro Tern Sarah Medary and Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner provided a briefing on
recent protests, reflection and review of actions taken, and commitment to reform and policy changes.
Council Discussion:
• Mayor Vinis - thanked staff and expressed appreciation for their work; spoke of the trauma
experienced by the Eugene Police officers and community members; supported the creation of
better policies and trainings.
• Councilor Syrett - thanked staff for the briefing; expressed appreciation for how the May 29
situation was handled; thanked the Black Lives Matter organizers and Eugene Police
Department officers for their conduct during the demonstrations.
• Councilor Evans - expressed appreciation to staff; spoke about trust in the community; talked
about his personal experiences with local police, the need for police reforms; spoke about local
oversight mechanisms and the need to investigate recent police actions.
• Councilor Semple - talked about the witnessed events of Friday night; expressed sympathy for
all involved, asked about alternatives to the use of chemical agents in crowd control; shared
view about what was witnessed at events on Sunday night.
• Councilor Clark - thanked staff for actions taken regarding events and curfew, including
communications with the Mayor and councilors' asked about the wellness of Police Department
employees and their families; expressed appreciation for the leadership of the local African -
American community; spoke of the events and the actions of the police.
• Councilor Pryor - thanked staff and talked about the need for self -reflection; supported efforts
to improve local policing and other institutions by tacking systematic issues.
• Councilor Zelenka - thanked staff and expressed support for their actions on Friday night;
regretted the removal of paper hearts at police headquarters by demonstrators; expressed
appreciation for the City Manager, Councilor Evans and BLM leadership; spoke about the need
for police reform.
• Councilor Syrett - thanked Councilor Yeh for responding to emails; discussed the use of tear
gas, crowd control policies and curfews; talked about the importance role of journalists, holding
police accountable; spoke about calls to defund police and address institutional racism;
recommended an article authored by a University of Oregon professor.
• Councilor Taylor - talked about the role of the police auditor, civilian review board and Police
Commission; sympathized with police employees, their families, and the injured journalist;
spoke of policy changes with council involvement.
• Councilor Evans - talked about police reforms, recruiting and desire for a diverse police force;
spoke of systemic racism and the need to build community relationships.
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Work Session
• Councilor Zelenka - talked about racism in Eugene and the opportunity for meaningful change;
spoke about the role of the Police Commission in making policy changes; discussed the
CAHOOTS model.
• Councilor Evans - talked about the context of current conditions, including COVID-19, the
murder of George Floyd and impending economic issues.
2. WORK SESSION: Homeless Service System Update
City Manager Pro Tern Sarah Medary, Assistant City Manager Kristie Hammitt, City Manager's Office
Director Brooke Freed and Homeless Systems Policy Manager Peter Chavannes provided an update
of the homeless service system, including programs and partnerships, implementation plan,
funding, new outreach teams and options.
Council Discussion:
• Councilor Syrett - asked about the status of the unhoused who were moved out the temporary
Lane County Fairgrounds facility; discussed updating the metrics used in the TAC report;
inquired about the status of the day center and the amount of housing units be developed;
expressed desire to move forward quickly.
• Councilor Pryor - discussed the stages of homelessness, and their connection to public safety
and community social services; talked about finding the funds needed to implement the TAC
report recommendations.
• Councilor Zelenka - spoke of the TAC report and asked about the timelines for the programs
listed in the implementation plan, including the creation of housing units, the Veterans Affairs
center and shelter plans.
• Mayor Vinis - discussed the transition of programs through time; spoke about the shelter and
identification of potential microsite locations.
The meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
,8,a L
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Carolyn Dimick-Kronberger)
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
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Work Session