• When the president of your country talks violently about women, what message does that send? That was one of the niggling questions that came out of the March 10 City Club of Eugene program on “Cruelty to Women, Here and Now.” Rachel Collins of Womenspace and Dr. Don Davies from the McKenzie River Men’s Center rolled out the cruel data: One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes; more than nine percent of our homeless are there because of domestic violence; globally, more deaths result from domestic violence than from wars. What to do about it? The answer was “get more involved” at every level, and we would add, resist messages of violence against women from the top down.
• Tomi Douglas, director of Eugene’s Cultural Services Division since 2013, announced her resignation on March 14, effective April 6. A sometimes-flamboyant thinker in the local arts scene, Douglas championed popular arts events like (sub)Urban Projections, a free music, lights and dance party in the lobby of the Hult Center, but drew fire from visual artists over the city’s declining support for the now-defunct Jacobs Gallery. She cited health reasons for her departure and is returning to Portland, where she previously worked for former Mayor Sam Adams. Stepping in as interim director is Benjamin Klipfel.
• The Eugene City Council voted March 8 to ban dogs downtown until November in an attempt to get rid of the homeless and we are flabbergasted — as apparently are the many angry Eugeneans commenting on social media. The council did not vote a proposed smoking ban into place. This leaves us with a lot of questions: What will it cost to put up signs and enforce the ban? And when you add that cost to what the city paid to install fences under the bridges in Washington Jefferson Park, you wonder again how Eugene might have used those resources towards a shelter for the homeless? Why are dogs considered more dangerous than cigarettes, which are proven to be much more lethal than dogs. When the city says that the dog ban near the UO campus was successful, is it taking into account the fact it pushed the unhoused folks on 13th Avenue downtown? When is the city going to take steps to help the unhoused instead of move them around and hope they somehow disappear?
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