I am a street outreach worker in Eugene. I just read your article about the state law that Eugene has not been following (“City of Eugene Ignores State Law on Camping,” Eugene Weekly, June 15).
I cackle at “Eugene officials say they don’t follow state law because they fund ongoing outreach services to unhoused people whether or not they have received a notice to pack up and move their camp,” because all outreach teams in Eugene are extremely underfunded. We are hanging on by a thread. The city gives us the bare minimum. We get the short end of the stick, while officials claim they praise us and fund us adequately. Yeah, right.
I have never once heard a client tell me that cops gave them a full 72 hours to move — only ever within the hour (after giving a 24-hour notice), and I have never heard of a cop giving a homeless person a list of resources.
If the city wants to stop seeing homeless people, stop building new parks they can’t safely camp at and house our community members already. We clearly have the money. So do something like I do on a daily basis already.
Sierra Carpenito
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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