There is a nasty class war going on in Eugene and most of the rest of the country, although locally no one wants to talk about it outside of Facebook pages devoted to the homeless and renters, who are half of Eugene residents. It’s our local elephant in the room.
On one side we have the rich business people and middle-class homeowners, on the other side working-class renters and the homeless. Homeowners, and the neighborhood associations they dominate, have a long history of keeping us out of “their” neighborhoods, including all kinds of rentals and homeless shelters. For working-class people, they’re the enemy.
So after reading the July 25 opinion piece “Long Day’s Journey From Darkness to Light” — what a bizarre title — by Jacqueline McClure and Julie Hulme, I have no sympathy for the position of Greenway Guardians and neighborhood associations against Homes For Good’s plan to sell land they say is legally unsuitable for public subsidized housing and use the proceeds to further their work. It all smells like NIMBY to me.
For once I’m glad that a local government agency doesn’t have to answer to their opponents or go through any kind of public process before they take action. That’s how the NIMBYs stop anything from happening.
We are in a housing crisis. I would like to cram large apartment buildings into every neighborhood in Eugene. It’s time to move.
Lynn Porter
Homeless Action
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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