Our city government is continuing to spend our tax dollars and human resources to harass and displace vulnerable residents during two simultaneous public health emergencies. This past Thursday morning, Sept. 10, during the COVID-19 pandemic and with raining ash and thick smoke throughout the city from historic wildfires nearby, Eugene police in N95 masks removed unhoused people sheltering in a Whiteaker public park. Instead of protecting and serving our unhoused residents by providing them with masks and safe places to shelter, our city confiscates their meager possessions, issues citations and orders them to move off the property or be arrested.
Nearly 9,700 people in Lane County are currently unhoused. The temporary fire shelters that were opened for displaced homeowners and renters will not hold everyone. Where will unhoused people go to find shelter? Where will they find masks? What will happen when COVID attacks their weakened lungs in the coming months? How many unsheltered people will die in the streets of Eugene this winter?
It disgusts me to see how inhumanely the city of Eugene and EPD are treating our community members. During an escalating pandemic, as out-of-state freshmen come from COVID hotspots to UO dorms and our air quality is literally off the charts, the city is consciously choosing to spend our resources to criminalize homelessness and endanger the lives of the most vulnerable in our community. It’s time to reallocate EPD’s hefty $67 million budget into opening adequate overnight shelters for our unhoused neighbors and allowing them to shelter in place on or in public land/parks/buildings. This is an issue of life and death.
Eowyn Soran
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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