This is a moment of reckoning in Eugene. We must move beyond empty slogans and gestures, and towards lifting up, resourcing and supporting demands from Black-led organizations calling for defunding the police, investing in Black community health, education, businesses and housing. Only then can we transform safety and provide justice for all communities.
Unfortunately, the city of Eugene just manipulated a huge perpetual boost of money for cops and military equipment with last year’s tax on working people. Very bad timing on their part, but with new blood on the council soon, it’s not too late to redirect a larger share of that tax money away from the militarism in our town! If the cops were only responding to actual crimes and not harassing the homeless and people of color, someone else could help people having mental health crises and handing out parking tickets with less loss of life.
It’s time to find a new approach to policing and foreign policy that doesn’t lead with violence. It’s time to build community-based alternatives, prioritize peace-building and diplomacy, and build a society that meets all human needs. Ending the war on Blacks and other people of color includes defunding and reallocating the work of the police.
And this work to dismantle the violence-first institution of policing is intimately tied with dismantling violence-first institutions of militarism as well — to build a world of justice and safety, for everyone, everywhere.
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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