Being mandated to wear a mask is not an infringement on personal liberty. This is a public health and community wellbeing issue.
If you would want an example of a contemporary trampling of personal liberties, look no further than being a person of color in America. Objective illustrations of this injustice include stop and frisk, racial profiling, present day incarceration rates of Black males in the United States, gerrymandering, voter suppression, public education, and police brutality/homicide towards people of color.
You wear a seat belt when driving, use condoms to prevent STDs, wear a helmet when you ride a bike, let someone pump your gas in Oregon, and follow traffic laws to avoid hurting yourself or others. Most people find these measures sensible. There is no better example of white privilege than refusing to wear a mask in public, but then turn around and demand a Covid-19 test all while people of color throughout the United States are far less likely to have a testing site available near where they live and are infected at a rate five times that of their white counterparts.
Wear a mask and fight against a real threat to personal liberty: racism.
Matthew Payne, physician assistant
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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