In response to Jeff Salata’s letter “Where Did Eugene Go?” (EW 11/23), I’m sorry to say the answer seems to be, Hell.
There is no generational blame for the depreciation of the once charming Eugene. As a third generation Oregonian, I can say it’s been in decline for more than 50 years. There seem to be no standards for healthy enforcements so the city functions safely. Policy makers, especially our governor, are complacent and lack the steadfast grit to keep all of Oregon thriving, yet weirdly wonderful like it once was.
Few people show respect anymore, especially college students and often the homeless. Many, not all, homeless people litter, steal and are violent. Many college students also litter, including tossing furniture and garbage to the curb for someone else to clean up, and drive recklessly — especially on Game Day.
Eugene lacks all kinds of quality leadership. Leadership of our state and city government, our college with a blind eye to how they are impacting the rest of the city, including overpriced tuition and housing that only out of state wealth can afford, self-serving events like The Worlds and student accountability, our city planners making an absolute mess with affordable housing and homelessness, as well as the overpopulation issues creating a driving nightmare.
It’s overwhelming to know where to start, but if we are going to restore Eugene we need to rise from these hellish ashes and come together somehow.
Bella James
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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