Eugene Weekly

Across most of the country, Oct. 10 is Columbus Day — celebrating Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of America. But in Eugene and some other cities, including Seattle and Berkeley, we now celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  There is currently a push for Springfield to recognize the holiday, which turns what was a celebration of colonialism into a chance to celebrate indigenous resistance, to explore how indigenous peoples in the Americas have been oppressed and wiped out, and to organize against current injustices. Continue reading →

On Friday, Sept. 23, dozens of gun-rights advocates rallied at the Oregon State Capitol, bringing with them not just an arsenal of guns but also an effigy of Gov. Kate Brown that was hung and burned on the steps of the Capitol.  The open-carry protesters took issue with Brown’s Executive Order 16-12, which strengthens existing gun laws, as well as her intentions to bring forth legislation in 2017 to close several Oregon gun ownership loopholes. Continue reading →

Nathan Anderson is looking back at me through the visitor’s window at the Lane County Jail. He’s wearing inmate scrubs and has old, shiny scars up his left forearm. He holds a note up to the glass.  “PTSD, depression, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder,” the note reads.  I hold up my response to the glass: “When you were on the streets of Eugene, what were your daily symptoms?” Continue reading →