Activist Alert 2-11-2016t

• The Eugene Police Commission meets at 5:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 11, at EPD Headquarters, 300 Country Club Road. Public comments top the meeting agenda. Contact person is Carter Hawley, 682-5852.

• The NAACP of Lane County is presenting “Community Conversations: Building Unity in our Community,” a series of five public meetings on race, privilege and equity. The next is from 5:30 to 8 pm Thursday, Feb. 11, at the EWEB Community Room, 500 E. 4th Ave. Additional meetings will be at the same time and place on the second Thursday of each month through May. Reservations at naacplanecounty.org or the Facebook page. Call 682-5619.

• The Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association Board meets at 6 pm Thursday, Feb. 11, at Morse Farm, 595 Crest Drive. Email vhariton@yahoo.com.

• The Cottage Grove Blackberry Pie Society will host a presentation by South Lane School District Superintendent Krista Parent on the district’s school bond proposal from 6:30 to 8 pm Thursday, Feb. 11 at the Healing Matrix, 632 E. Main Street, Cottage Grove. Call 521-2887 or email blackberrypie@gmail.com.

• “Media Portrayal of Immigrants” is the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Feb. 12, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette Street. Speakers will include Christopher Chavez, Ricardo Valencia and Aleah Kiley of the the UO School of Journalism and Communication, and Julie Weise of the UO College of Arts and Sciences. $5 for non-members.

• A rally to “Stop Climate Silence! Save Kesey Square!” will be at 4 pm Friday, Feb. 12, at Kesey Square downtown. Speakers will include David Oaks and Ron Unger of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment. Email davidwoaks@gmail.com for more information.

• A celebration of life for John Walsh, longtime “freedom fighter” for marijuana and hemp legalization, will be from 1 to 3 pm Saturday, Feb. 13 at Lorax Manner, 1648 Alder Street. He died Jan. 3 at age 60. He was often seen collecting signatures on the UO campus and was an advocate for Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. A service for Walsh was held in Portland Jan. 17.

• The Democratic Party of Lane County will be phone banking from 6 to 8 pm Tuesdays in February, supporting raising Oregon’s minimum wage. Call 337-6391 or email phil@oraflcio.org.

• Radical queer folk singer Evan Greer from Boston will perform two shows Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Wandering Goat. See our music listings this week.

• A free climate leadership program for youth ages 8 to 17 will be from 9 am to 5 pm Sunday, Feb. 14, at Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave. Plant for the Planet Academy is a nonprofit program that focuses on climate change and climate justice, including education and action. Youth have planted more than 14 billion trees worldwide. Register soon at climatechangerecovery.org or email human@peak.org.

• The new Coalition for Local, Alternative and Independent Media is meeting at 3 pm Thursday, Feb. 11, at Growers Market, 454 Willamette Street, to make signs in support of returning Alternative Radio to KLCC programming. The group is planning a peaceful protest outside the KLCC Microbrew Festival starting at 4:30 pm Friday, Feb. 12, at the Fairgrounds. An online petition can be found at change.org. Search for KLCC.

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!