• Are you a student living in Union on Broadway? Do you rent a place in Crescent Village? The U.S. Department of Justice announced Jan. 7 that Greystar Real Estate Partners, which manages those apartments, was one of six of the nation’s largest landlords added to its antitrust lawsuit against RealPage. The DOJ is suing the property management software company and landlords for allegedly sharing “sensitive information about rental prices and using algorithms to coordinate to keep the price of rent high.” Not a great look in these housing-challenged days. The Register-Guard laid out the 11 Greystar managed properties in its Jan. 10 issue.
• Mayor Kaarin Knudson delivered her first State of the City address Jan. 13, and at minimum, it is clear that she has heard and is articulating Eugene’s crying need for affordable housing. The new mayor noted the lack of affordable housing is the “root cause of our homelessness crisis,” and she intends to make affordable housing a top priority with a goal of 1,000 new units in the next five years, 200 of which would be in the downtown core. Knudson also committed to providing shelter and supporting programs to assist those struggling with housing instability.
• Are you reading this in print right now? Yeah, you know who you are! We love print, too (and being free, no paywalls). How many pages the Weekly prints is determined by how many ads we have, so one, tell the advertisers you love them (or if you don’t love, then tell them you saw them in EW) and two, go online for the extras we didn’t squish into our pages! This week, read arts writer Will Kennedy’s interview with comedian Steph Tolev who performs at Olsen Run Comedy Club Jan. 16 and 17. She requests you Google her before buying a ticket to find out she uses words like “pussy” when she’s not talking about her cat. Also check out Will on Eugene spaghetti Western and lounge music band Minor Mirage’s album release Jan. 17 at Art House on EugeneWeekly.com.
• Inauguration Day is looming, but there are a couple of opportunities to publicly express your distaste for the convicted-felon-turned-president-elect Donald Trump this weekend. The People’s March to Defend Our Rights and Our Future on Jan. 18 takes you from Alton Baker Park to downtown and back again. Be sure to bring your own signs, carpool when possible and register ahead of time at Action.WomensMarch.com/Events. The We Fight Back rally and march kicks off at the Wayne Lyman Morse United States Courthouse (405 East 8th Avenue) on Jan. 19. Sponsored by the Party for Socialism and Liberation Eugene, the Pacific Green Party of Oregon Eugene Greens Chapter, Extinction Rebellion Eugene and Eugene-Springfield Democratic Socialists of America, the protest to make your voice heard starts at 1 pm. Visit WeFightBack.info for more details. For MLK events, check out the What’s Happening Calendar this issue.
• At 9 am, Jan. 17, at the Lane County Courthouse, four experts will appear for a “choice of evils” hearing that will assert the A15 protesters who blocked I-5 April 15, 2024, had no choice but to take “bold action in order to prevent a worse harm from happening: genocide,” according to a press release. Salem Younes, a Palestinian American student, and K. Anton, a Lebanese American activist, are taking the stand in a joint trial for charges of disorderly conduct in relation to the global coordinated A15 protest against the Israel-Palestine War. This is the 16th of 20 jury trials for activists that were arrested during this action.
• That cold snap you’re feeling is real — and it’s even more real for unhoused and unsheltered folks in this community. The National Weather Service is predicting overnight lows in the mid to upper 20s through at least Jan. 20, and that means the Egan Warming Centers will activate. From the transportation hub at First Christian Church to facilities in Eugene and Springfield, the Egan Warming Centers offer food and shelter for the unhoused in the community during cold spells. The warming centers can always use volunteers. For more information about volunteering and when the centers will activate, go to EganWarmingCenters.org. And Eugene Weekly continues to collect warm clothing and other essentials for the homeless, 11 am to 4 pm weekdays at 1251 Lincoln Street.