May Day Is Calling. It Has Always Been Calling You.
Love is not something you wait to feel. It is something you do. May 1st is one of those moments.
There is a hurt that runs underneath the surface of life for workers today. The specific pain of being completely necessary to something that still does not see your humanity. They send kidnap vans before sunrise and a parent does not come home. They send bombs into a girls’ school and over 120 do not come home.
ICE raids, wage theft, union busting and war are not different problems. They are one system. Concentrated wealth at the top requires people at the bottom to stay afraid, stay divided, and wait for someone else to act.
May Day is millions of people stepping back from business as usual. No Work. No School. No Shopping. The stubborn, clear-eyed love that knows we only get somewhere if we move there together.
The billionaire class benefits from a terrorized workforce. They think a worker afraid of deportation cannot organize. The cruelty is structural and profitable, as long as we let it remain so.
Stay out of work on May 1st. Don’t spend. Close your doors. Pay your workers for the day if you are able. Talk to the business beside you. Say: I am closing. Will you close with me?
Your future and your neighbor’s future are not in competition. They are the same future.
Find your community at A Day Without an Immigrant at bit.ly/4mGuAO8.
We are the people. Come be in solidarity and in power.
Latiffe Amado Horton
Eugene
Eugene Needs to Play Zone Defense for Manufactured Home Parks
The story about Lakewood Vista (EW April 23) hit close to home. What’s happening there is not isolated. It’s a warning. A community of older adults, many on fixed incomes, could be displaced not because they did anything wrong, but because the land under their homes becomes more valuable for something else.
That should not be acceptable in Eugene.
The city has a straightforward defensive play: adopt a zoning overlay that keeps manufactured home parks zoned as parks. The idea is simple: once a park, always a park. Portland and Ashland have already done this.
A zoning overlay would take speculative redevelopment off the table and make clear that these properties are meant to remain housing. Without that protection, Eugene is leaving the lane wide open for large-scale displacement. When a park this size turns over, it is not a handful of households. It is hundreds of people losing their community all at once.
We know the play. Now Eugene needs to run it before another community is forced to scramble.
Kevin Cronin
Eugene
Please Honk for Protesters!
Please support the resistance audibly: Honk for protesters. Giving a thumbs up, a peace sign or waving and smiling is nice, but it’s not enough. Plus, we cannot tell if you are giving us a thumbs up or flipping us off! By honking your horn, you let everyone around you know that you support the resistance. Honk your horn loudly and clearly so that others can hear your support.
We need your help to keep going and to keep growing our numbers. Please learn about protest times and days by checking the Activist Alert section of Eugene Weekly. Consider joining us on the street or drive by and show your support. Honk your horns, long and loud.
Rogene Manas
Eugene
Support Heather Buch
Let’s support Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch in her reelection campaign for East Lane County commissioner in District 5! She works hard on behalf of us, her constituents.
I have a cabin in the Blue River area. Last year, I reached out to Buch about a street safety issue. She responded quickly. Her staff investigated and included Lane County Public Works staff in the process. She did all she could to resolve the issue.
After the Holiday Farm fire, Buch helped bring more than $25 million in state aid and millions more in federal aid to rebuild when it was direly needed.
I have observed Buch’s professionalism and thoughtfulness in Lane County commissioner meetings. Her commitment to public housing and health care demonstrates her compassion for all.
We all need Buch as our Lane County commissioner. Please vote!
Denise Jessup
Eugene
Vote for Val Hoyle
There are plenty of issues to worry about these days — a senseless war, the assault on human and civil rights by a president who is out of control, the loss of health care for our most vulnerable communities, and the selling of public lands for private profit.
But there is one thing we should not worry about. Rep. Val Hoyle has our backs. She is fighting for us on all of those issues. Nobody cares more or fights harder for working families, living wages and livable communities. During my time as mayor of Eugene, I relied on Hoyle, who never failed to deliver — to provide support, to show up and to advocate for our interests, particularly for our urgent need to address homelessness.
Her roots in this community are strong. She is of us and for us. Hoyle is tough, principled, honest and accessible. Let’s keep her in Congress fighting for us! Join me in voting for Val Hoyle in May.
Lucy Vinis
Former Eugene mayor
Eugene
Dear Republican Leaders
Release the fuckin’ files, you crazy bastards.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Michael Thessen
Eugene
From the Mayor of Eugene
As mayor and a resident of Ward 3, I want to share why John Barofsky has my support for City Council Ward 3.
It’s his experience, and his partnership in delivering meaningful progress for our community.
Barofsky is ready to hit the ground running — he has put in the work, delivered results, and proven himself as a volunteer on local boards for over 20 years. He’s served on Eugene’s Budget Committee, Planning Commission, Street Bond Advisory Committee, revenue committees and as president of the EWEB Board. I first got to know John when working to create Eugene’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund — his perspective made that policy stronger. It remains our city’s most innovative effort to fund affordable housing.
Barofsky is a long-time member of the local Democratic Party and Fairmount neighborhood. The business he co-founded, Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria, is a favorite neighborhood spot at East 19th. And his priorities on consequential issues — housing, safety and sustainability — align with the values of Ward 3 and the central work of City Council. I value his experience and his commitment to public service. We need John Barofsky on City Council.
Kaarin Knudson
Mayor of Eugene and Ward 3 resident
Support Jennifer Smith for Council!
As an advocate for renters, I see the struggles of low-income families in Eugene every day. People are doing everything in their power just to stay housed, clothed and fed. These vulnerable members of our community need a champion in their corner, and it’s clear that in this election, that champion is Jennifer Smith.
Smith has a proven track record of fighting for workers’ rights and supporting low-income families at the bargaining table and at the picket line. She is a proven progressive champion that has shown she will fight to make our city more affordable for working families — specifically for renters, who make up over half of the population in Eugene.
We need a councilor who is willing to listen and fight for the people, and not support big corporations. To my fellow Eugenians, I hope you’ll join me in supporting her by Election Day, May 19th.