Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout200608 WS MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session June 8, 2020 Page 1 MINUTES 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 Tem 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.