An Inspiration
What an inspiring story about Cottage Grove teacher Kindra Roy (EW, 10/2). Although she had many challenging circumstances growing up, there were important adults in her life who mentored her and kept her from slipping through the cracks. And now she is doing the same for her students.
This story reminds me of a local nonprofit called Friends of the Children. Kids who are potentially at risk of failing are identified through school districts, Department of Human Services and other social service organizations. Friends of the Children pairs these kids up with a paid, trained mentor who meets with the child several times a week to offer support, help with homework and fun activities in the community. The children who participate in this program are identified when they are five or six years old and stay with the program for 12 years, no matter what. The statistics of success for this program are impressive. Check out the website at FriendsLaneCountyor.org.
Mary Mowday
Eugene
Call and Response
In response to Mark Reynolds’ question (EW, 10/2), “Why was the MK Event Center built in the neighborhood if parking was going to be a problem?,” the simple answer is that Eugene aims to be a city for people, not for automobiles. Eugene is a community that values clean air, healthy activity, low-carbon lifestyles, safe streets and friendly, walkable neighborhoods.
It is quite easy to reach Matthew Knight Arena by walking, or bicycling or on the EmX bus. Choose any of these options and you’ll never have to worry about a parking ticket.
Mark, we welcome you to Eugene. Your car? Not so much.
Sue Wolling
Eugene
Microcosms Aplenty
I’ve been watching videos of the Eugene City Council public meetings. I sometimes wonder if what I witness at these hearings is a microcosm of the entire city population. If so, then I conclude that most Eugene citizens share some common beliefs.
They are overwhelmingly left and despise President Donald Trump (OK, I already knew that). They want CAHOOTS funded. They strongly oppose enforcement of U.S. immigration law. They’re concerned about downtown crime but support defunding the police. You can be any gender you choose to be, and your choice must be accepted.
They wanted the council to ban a certain airline from serving the Eugene airport, notwithstanding that the council had no authority to do so. They firmly believe in DEI. They don’t think the city should be spending some $20 million on the new city hall.
They’re concerned about the burgeoning homeless population, but don’t think the police should enforce the drug violations that go along with it.
Most recently, they really don’t like the Flock surveillance cameras popping up all over. They’ve raised legitimate questions about the decision process, impact on privacy and the cost.
I’m a conservative and have very little in common politically with these folks. But I’m solidly on board with them on this latter issue! The cameras are a flagrant government overreach and should never have been authorized. Perhaps Eugene citizens could front an initiative to get rid of them — or elect people to office who will.
Jerry Ritter
Springfield
Question of the Day
For you men who are transgender phobic: Don’t look in the mirror with your shirt off. You gotta ask yourself — what are those nipples for?
Thomas Baxter
Dexter
Still talking Van de Graaff
When Peter Van de Graaff left KWAX, many people wanted to know why. EW posted a comment by him in Slant that suggested he may not have left voluntarily. Recently, EW readers have asked for some clarity on this change. Because KWAX is a publicly funded radio station, community members should be provided some honest details.
Would EW consider taking on this assignment? Perhaps a phone call to Van de Graaff and some interviews with KWAX staffers might clear things up.
What do you say, EW?
Lou Caton
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Where’s Our Moral Compass?
For the first time in my 74 years as an American citizen, I feel ashamed of my country. We have allowed a narcissistic, cruel psychopath to gain complete control of our government.
Each day, his fire hose of depravity spews against anyone who does not praise him or bow to his demands, casting a depressing shadow across the world. He has abused our military for acts of murder, and he uses the power of his office to grift, enrich himself and spread corruption at every step.
Now he is even resorting to fake AI-generated memes — cruel, racist and juvenile — to keep feeding his MAGA base, which cheers on his dangerous pranks as if they were worthy of leadership.
This is not the America I grew up believing in, nor the one I want to leave behind. We must decide if we are going to let this cruelty define us — or if we will stand up and reclaim the moral compass that once guided our nation.