Saturday, October 31, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND GO DUCKS

MAYOR--

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND GO DUCKS............

We wish you a Happy Halloween knowing full well that we must all know how to enjoy times even in the face of not so good times!!! GO DUCKS!!!!!!!

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City
______________________________

On a more serious note Mayor:

How do you respond to the local business owner and investor who says:

"I used to enjoy visiting the Oregon Pinot Noir Club that was located next to Lucky's. Bob finally had enough and moved to Portland. He is enjoying it up there and business is good. I will never locate my firm in downtown, I used to be downtown many years ago and will never again."

(Signed by a current business owner, investor and tax payer in Eugene)

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Friday, October 30, 2009

Privacy Concerns

Mayor,

Thanks for your reply to the below reader comment in which you say, "I would be glad to respond to this person. Have him/her send me an e-mail. " We will let one of our readers answer you. However, please remember: emails sent to you are public information from private addresses and thus make one vulnerable to retaliation, not by you but by others. So please consider the concern one of our readers expressed in response to a criticism of anonymous involvement:

"...why don't you go ahead and post your name, address, and phone number, and then criticize the criminals that roam our streets accosting innocent residents and destroying our property. Then, tell us what happens to you. And while you're at it, criticize the government to whom you have to beg for permission to improve your property, then see how helpful they are when you need a permit. I can totally understand why the agents of change at Eugene Advocates want to protect their privacy and safety. What difference does it make who they are anyway? They are not asking us to rely on their credibility in reporting what anyone with open eyes can see and experience first hand."

Downtown Employee

Downtown employee who sypathizes with homeowners:

"Well, we had another one sleeping in our bushes this morning. It was all I could do to rouse the guy. I said, "Hey, I'm sorry, but youcan't be camping out in our bushes. It freaks out our clients and makes our employees feel unsafe." He cleared out, but the cardboard is still laid out next to the building for the next night or the next "tenant"...oh, and he left underwear hanging on a branch of one of the bushes. Lovely.

We're just around the corner and down the street from White Bird ... we never know what kind of characters are going to be parading past our windows or down our alley, what kind of frame of mind they'll be in. Sometimes people are obviously drunk or high, sometimes it's pretty obvious that they're mentally unstable. This is not conducive to a good working environment for the businesses that work right off West 11th or anywhere else downtown.

Good grief, I can't even *begin* to imagine how the homeowners must feel, knowing it will be nearly impossible to sell their homes."

(Signed by a business employee in the downtown area/constituent of the Mayor)___________________________________________________
We are reminded of the slogan " The Mayor for all of Eugene." This person deserves a response from their Mayor.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Help!!!

Mayor,

EugeneAdvocates have acknowledged along with several quotes from your constituents that the downtown challenge has long been aproblem addressed by yours and other administrations. You indicate that your Council and you have been "...deployment of additionalofficers(two officers 4 days a week), strategic intervention(help us understand what this means), more downtown activities(whichwe acknowledge your thought that if you bring more folks downtown then crime will decline), helping with development downtown(which we acknowledge), working with the DA and the Chief, working on areas of concern, targeting funds, etc." We continue toacknowledge those exercises but question how you or the Council measure the success of those efforts. The citizens in downtowncontinue to see crime and laws broken daily in the downtown area. It is hard to make the stretch to say any of these efforts havebeen successful. We all want success. We have suggested solutions which have not been implemented so we can only guess thatyou and the Council must have your own suggested solutions. We have been asking for a list of those to no avail. We acknowledgeonce again everyone's concern for the downtown problem and our crime rate growth but see no measurable success or immediatesolutions. Yes, it is a big problem but we don't seem to be doing anything measurable to help ourselves.

The idea that the EugeneAdvocates is campaign motivated is total nonsense. The Mayor's election is 3+years away. Why would webe doing this if our motive was political? Why do we not identify ourselves? Simply put we are tax paying citizens some of which livein the downtown area and want to see it fixed. We really want the focus to be on cleaning up downtown. We have not concentratedon the problems but have attempted to help by providing solutions. We are not taking "cheap shots." We are trying to help getbeyond the rhetoric and get the problems on the way to solutions. For you to shut off dialog with your constituents does not help nowor in 3 years. We want to help by giving a legacy for you and your Council by cleaning up Eugene downtown. Please help in thatendeavor with action and not more rhetoric. Now for a word from a constituent in the University area.

Even the students of the University district recognize our mutual problem as indicated by the attached students comments. It iscritically important that we fix the downtown safety matter so that this is not inherited by our young people as they pursue theireducation. What is yours and the Councils specific plan and specific timetable for the implementation of this plan that will yield asafer Eugene that can be reported to the University folks?

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

To the Eugene Advocates:

Thank you for what you are doing! I wanted to take the chance to giveyou all a students perspective on all of this. Since moving here 3years ago I have had my car stolen, broken into twice (once in asecured parking garage), I am not the only one either my friends havehad their bikes stolen on and cars broken into on multiple occasionsas well.

However this issue is extending far beyond petty crimes, this town isquickly becoming an unsafe place to attend school, we are all to oftenaccosted by vagrants begging for money as soon once we step foot offof campus. Weekends that traditionally allow us an opportunity tounwind are beginning to lose their appeal. The "Downtown" bars;establishments such as 6th street bar and grill, the rock and rodeo,and joggers which used to be mainstays on my weekend adventures are nolonger frequented due to the fear of being bugged or constantlybothered on the poorly lit streets. Even visits to the well litBroadway and Olive Bars Jamesons, Horse Head, Starlight Lounge andDavis's (The very place that hosted the mayors victory celebration in2008): are coming few and far between due to increased violence in thearea and the constant nuisance of loitering individuals asking for asmoke or money. They have also become aggressive; to the point thatyou are better off waiting for a cab inside the bar. House Partieswhich is a tradition of the American College experience offer the sameissues, since school began just under a month ago, I have been to twoparties where homeless individuals have come in uninvited, helpingthemselves to food and beverage, and intimidating guests. Threats ofhaving police called on them are no longer an effective way of dealingtrespassers, they know just as well we all do that the police are overworked, understaffed and will only respond in a quick manner if thereis a fight or violent crime in progress. Emotions such as caution andpity are too quickly turning into fear and anger for myself and manyothers. Fear of being mugged, or having our property stolen and angerthat while we may not be the most perfect patrons to our community, wedo not deserve this.

I am well aware that as a student I do not have a right to party, Ialso acknowledge the fact that on Fridays and Saturdays the UniversityCommunity accounts for a lot of the polices attention. I do however,have the right to be safe.

(Signed by a student at the University of Oregon, voter and a patron of local businesses)

KVAL Reports on Eugene Advocates

Good morning all. We have received the following from a citizen of Eugene to share with all of us. The Mayor appears to have disconnected her constituents from further conversation on the downtown matter and we will have to wait for the results of the work session. We continue hopeful that the Council will arrive at a definite and specific action plan instead of more of the same. In the meantime if you have comments please forward to us and we will circulate. Thanks for your concern on the downtown condition.

Please click on: http://downtowneugene.kval.com/content/eugene-advocates-clean-city

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Where Would You Rather Shop?

on any given day........




WHERE YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY WORRY AND FEED THE METER?? OR... WHERE THERE IS FREE PARKING

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Mayor Stops Talking

Mayor Piercy's Response:

If you refuse to see that we are working on this issue for our community through deployment of additional officers, strategic intervention, more activities downtown, helping with development downtown, working with the DA and the Chief, working on areas of concern, targeting funds, etc. - then what is the point of continued conversation? You do not identify yourselves and you refuse to recognize any of the actions council or anyone else has taken. Sounds like campaign rhetoric, hyperbole and cheap shots to me... We on the other hand don’t just take cheap shots, we work on the issue with the council and community partners to address the issues. We are taxpayers and voters in Eugene. I now see no reason to continue to talk. Talk amongst yourselves.

Another Day

Good morning Mayor.

This is another day without action to fix the downtown problems. When will these "do nothing days" stop and be replaced by action. We do not need more lip service, more downtown parties, or any other exercises you have put the city thru. We need enforcement action. What is your WRITTEN plan of action Mayor? See below what one of your constituents thinks. This is from a tax payer and voter in Eugene.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City
____________________________

"Yes!...a voice of reason...cutting through all the 'garbage' literally. Aren't there lots of you who are tired of being lied to by bureaucrats? Doesn't the continual sewage of untruths drive you crazy? Whatever happened to, "We screwed up with our policies 40 years ago...we're paying a terrible price for those misjudgements...and here is EXACTLY how we're proceding to correct the problems. If we don't solve them by the next election cycle, we don't deserve the offices we have been given - simple as that!" Oh, yeah, wouldn't it be satisfying to hear an abject, no excuses apology for the grief that those misjudgements have caused? What's happened to us? You wonder why people are losing their civility when discussing these issues with officials? It's the LYING!...and it's the failure to take full RESPONSIBILITY!

Thank you, eugeneadvocates. Give us a voice...then stand back! The level of frustration is extraordinary at almost every level of local government."

(Signed by a tax payer and voter)

Last Two Responses from Mayor

I will continue to work with Alex Gardner and the committee that is being formed under the guidance of community leaders on the entire public safety system. I have been in constant contact with Alex as this has been developed and look forward to some fresh out of the box thinking. I will support and work with Chief Kerns as his task force looks at new ways to address downtown specific issues. I will work with council to continue to put strategies in place that move us forward. You have the right. You have done so. People are at work on this and have been for a very long time, well before this anonymous group weighed in. We are glad to have all the help we can get.

Kitty

Unpleasant Evening Downtown

Mayor:

The patrons who are frustrated are tax payers, voters, and clients of our local businesses. Do they not have the right to ask for a safe place to visit and enjoy our downtown? What is your Written Plan and timetable for that plan to be implemented?

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

____________________________

Madame Mayor -

Unfortunately, I can not be at the City Council meeting this evening. But I do want to share with you an example of why people do not want to come to/do business in downtown Eugene.

In summer of last year my wife, another couple, and I went downtown to try out a new Moroccan restaurant.

We parked the car and, on the way past Ken Kesey Square saw a large number of youth gathering. We went to the restaurant, which had garage door-type windown open to the pleasant summer evening. About 10 minutes later a loud, loud rock band began playing in Ken Kesey Square (I'll bet they didn't have a performance license). We could not hear ourselves think.

They closed the windows but still had to turn the house music up so loud that conversation was next to impossible.

On the way back to our car one of the vagrant youth that your govt. makes feel so welcome asked us for our doggy bag.

Will we go back to dinner downtown? Will the couple we were with? Will anyone we tell about this? No for sure for us and and our friends.

This is the kind of city that your administration allows (and, many would reasonably say, encourages). Bike paths? There's always money for those. Diversity programs? Ditto. Now we'll find money for a skateboard park. Boy, that'll keep those kids at home or in school, won't it?

Thank you for carefull considering solutions to (not excuses for) this serious problem.
(Signed by a Eugene resident and Eugene taxpayer and Eugene voter)

Monday, October 26, 2009

What Specific Plan for Correction?

Mayor:

It does not seem to be prudent to waste resources jury picking individual problems for solutions when there are so many problems to pick from. Why not have a specific plan that will address all and correct for all who either live in Eugene downtown, who work in downtown, own businesses in downtown, invest in downtown, who pay taxes, and who are voting members of our city. What is your specific plan, goals and timetables for implementation of a clean up and your timetable as to when you want to announce to the world that Eugene downtown is open for business without fear of public urination, defecation, panhandling, trespassing, menacing, riding bikes and skateboards on public sidewalks, dogs that do not have licenses or rabies tags, and the other laws that we have all witnessed being broken in downtown Eugene.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Mayor's Response to Office Mom

Mayor's response:

In clear conscience I will respond as I always try to do. I have read the message below because it was sent to me and I passed it on to the Chief and the city manager and asked for some thought to be given to the specific offenses that are most challenging to this woman. We have been able to help some specific businesses that have been particularly challenged.

Kitty

Office Mom Speaks Out

Mayor:

How do you respond in clear conscious to the following letter from one who works downtown daily.This person is not in the minority. The time to implement solutions and act is now. More lip service is not necessary.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

----------------------------------------------

Mayor Piercy & City Council Members:

I can’t speak publicly for my employer, but being the “office mom”, I’m routinely tasked with shooing vagrants out of the alley leading from the parking behind our building to our front door. Sometimes it’s teenagers skipping school who want to smoke in there … sometimes it’s people wanting to smoke pot or drink beer. I try to be respectful, telling them “Guys, this is how our clients get to our building and they get creeped out by people hanging out in the alley. We need to you leave, please.” Some people have been very “respectful” and others have been verbally abusive, telling me I should go back inside and do my job. Unfortunately, trying to keep the alley clear of vagrants is also part of my job (which makes my co-workers nervous when I go charging out the front door to the alley).

In the past year, we’ve also had incidence of a couple hanging out in the bushes of the building next door. (The alleyway belongs to the neighboring business but is an easement.) It started out with a bag of clothing, then graduated to blankets and a tarp, also. With this came human feces … which a co-worker expected me to deal with (sorry, but *that’s* not part of my job description, and would be the responsibility of the client next door). When I was finally able to find the people there in the bushes when I got to work (which made me nervous!), I was able to express to them that the situation was unacceptable (their “squatting” there at night … normally vacated by business hours), and they cleared out.

That situation may have been solved, but we continue to have trash in the alley and human feces. This isn’t a pleasant thing for our employees or clients to walk past. One client said she wouldn’t come back until it was dealt with, as the mess was near the temporary parking space near our front door … yet still on our neighbor’s property.

Believe me, I’m as understanding as the next person of people needing somewhere to go, but squatting in the bushes of downtown buildings isn’t the answer. Relieving oneself in the bushes, whether urination, defecation, or vomiting, isn’t ok. Businesses having to put up with this isn’t ok either, especially when it impacts clients and their desire to come to our business location.

Please, help our businesses, large and small alike, by addressing these problems and giving us tools to resolve them. Knowing that the police have a lot to deal with, and knowing that they won’t even deal with property crimes below a certain dollar value, we often feel like the City doesn’t care and that we are powerless in having any “tools with teeth” to resolve these problems.

(Signed by a person who works downrtown daily)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

October City Council Meeting

The eugeneadvocates has asked a member of the community to provide a written copy of volume 1 And 2 to the mayor and city council at this monday's, october 26th, council meeting at city hall Located at 777 pearl street. This meeting will start at 7:30pm with public testimony.

If you are frustrated with our elected officials on the downtown matter you can sign up for public Testimony. You will have 3 minutes to tell them of the condition downtown or you can tell them Simply to fix it. Your choice. Sorry for the short notice. If you have a conflict and can't make the Meeting you can email the mayor and council at their contact page. Thanks for your concern And follow through. If you wish you can email us a copy of your email to the above address. Thanks.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Mayor Responds

Attached are the comments from Mayor Piercy to the EugeneAdvocates email that you received. We really need to focus the attention of our elected officials on the immediate solutions to the Downtown problems. If you would like to send your comments to the Mayor and Council you can email them at their contact page.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City
________________________________

RECEIVED FROM MAYOR PIERCY:

1. "I am glad you have read my e-mails just as I have read yours. I think each of these tools have been successful in dealing with some part of overall downtown issues. I could go through that by the number but I think you get the gist. Our crime rate has grown and have been exacerbated by national, state, and county financial challenges. Our public safety system financial challenges in Lane County are greater than most. I have read the report.

2. Council has received your proposals and can move them forward if they desire to do so.

3. No one believes in “all in this together” more than I do. We will know the date for the worksession by next week.

4. You are right. I have sympathized and taken actions and I have given you a partial list of those. Of course most people don’t turn to crime. Some do and that number goes up in hard times.

5. When Judge Allen speaks of behavioral crimes, they are crimes of behavior such as vandalism. It is unfortunately easy for people to stereotype and blame.

6. There are services all over town and particularly out on highway 99. Some of the services in or near our downtown are courts, county health, jail, dining room, taxes, etc. I don’t predict many of these moving anytime soon. We do have a dispersal of services policy in place.

7. I take exception that I have done anything to “shepherd criminals into our downtown” . I have consistently and always shown respect for our police, even under the most trying of circumstances. I think the police would tell you they fully understand that they should enforce our laws. That is their job.

8. I have worked to fulfill every promise I have made.

9. Until recently there were more in our downtown. School officers returned to our schools where they are needed. Weather also reduces the criminal activity downtown.

10. We have supported increased redhats and we are utilizing all of the others you mention to help.

11. You can be assured that the council and I will continue to work in pursuit of our council public safety goal." (MAYOR KITTY PIERCY)

Friday, October 23, 2009

A Business Owner Responds

Below is an email received from the Mayor and in blue square brackets [ ] you will find the comments from an investor, business owner and operator in a Eugene business as to their thoughts on the comments by the Mayor. This was submitted to the EugeneAdvocates and is for your information.
________________________

"We have been working consistently on this issue as have councils and Mayors who served before us.
[What are the reasons for no action]

We now have the unusual circumstance of being a city in a county that has been going through a severe budget crisis. The outcome of this crisis has been fraying of the entire system from prevention, to intervention, to treatment, to arrest, to court processes, to incarceration and post incarceration services. This has produced an upsurge in repeat offenders and a message going out that criminals need not worry about consequences.
[The early 80's and 90's also had economic issues.]

At the same time the country has been in a financial crisis and more people are in crisis. We are a service center as the county seat, so it is to be expected that we see more people with issues and in need on our streets.
[Then why does it appear we openly invite and service people from outside our boundries? Eugene is now well known as a safe-haven on the I-5 corridor, neglegence on the city councils behalf.]

In response we have aimed the tools we have specifically at the problem.

1. Additional officers in our downtown
[Only at times, nothing scheduled on a quarterly or annual basis.]

2. Additional red hats downtown
[A couple, I've noticed less presence in our area this year?]

3. Loan opportunities for repair
[I am unaware of the programs.]

4. A variety of activities and events in our downtown that have drawn hundreds from all over the community.
[Hundreds? A town this size needs thousands.]

5. Put an exclusion zone in place
[Yet neglected to include juveniles under 18, or altered the original draft to eliminate under 18. Major problem.]

6. Temporarily moved furniture
[Who uses it?]

7. Offered help for financing part of the system to the county over the last two budget cycles that supported reopening jail beds and prosecutors in place
[Offered. Maybe take the lead and force the issue instead of debate it.]

8. Sited additional bathroom facilities
[Flower beds and planters?]

9. Helped develop the Beam project and Lord Lebrick theatre
[What about all the developers you turned away?]

10. Worked with LCC for a building location in our downtown core
[That will not bringcommerce worth measuring.]

11. Reworked problem areas around the library
[The library has been a constant nusance since it's opening. Basically a large money pit that appears to attract undersireables.]

12. Opened more housing units in our downtown
[The affordable ones on W 8th that people have moved out of due to safety concerns?]

13. Worked on parking solutions
[Parking won't be an issue until people feel safe to come downtown. Very weak point.]

We continue to believe that if we fill the buildings and the streets with positive activity, partner with downtown businesses, target public safety carefully and housing, get the pits filled and the empty spaces, we will achieve our goals for a positive, robust downtown.

[With the undesireable and unsafe reputation downtown has throughout the community, you cannot fill buildings and streets or attract businesses worth partnering with. Clean and safe has to occur first. Private sector business, based on past and current performance has no confidence in Eugene's government. Your actions moving forward must earn respect, it will not be gifted to you. Just a couple points.]"

KVAL: Group Pushing City

KVAL Article:

"Anonymous e-mails full of unsavory pictures get City Council's attention

By Addison Taylor KVAL News and KVAL.com staff Video

EUGENE, Ore. -- An anonymous advocacy group is pushing city leaders to make downtown Eugene a safer, cleaner place.

The anonymous group has documented what they say is illegal -- or at least unsavory -- activity happening in the downtown area..."

Read more at http://www.kval.com/news/65873197.html.

Our Analysis of Mayor's Excuses

Mayor Piercy:

EugeneAdvocates is in receipt of your emails dated October 19th and October 22. We wish to thank you for your emails and want to start by acknowledging the many tools that you and the Council have implemented over the years. We have not said that you have done nothing. The question that those tools prompt is how successful have the selected tools been? We continue to have high crime, growth of crime levels that lead the nation, and evidence that the tools have not been successful as shown in Pictorial 1 and 2. If you haven't read it yet, the most recent OCJC report highlights the fact that Eugene's 26% increase in 2008 property crime is the worst increase among the 266 U.S. jurisdictions the FBI tracks. We also appear to be heading to a new high according to the statistics for the first six months of 2009.

Click on http://www.oregon.gov/CJC/docs/CJCNewsletterSummer2009.pdf is very telling.

Mayor, you point to economic times, county seat, jail space, number of officers, and others. Those are contributors to our downtown public safety matter but they are not in themselves the problem. We have too many other tools (aka solutions) that can be implemented that will bring immediate and long term rewards. We have started a list of those in Pictorial 1 and 2 and welcome you and the Council to add to and implement that list. Further discussions appear fruitless.

Please remember that we are all in this together. You indicated in your last email that a Council work session is scheduled to specifically work on Public Safety in downtown. What is the date of that work session? Eugene needs it very soon as your Councilors have advised you and the City Manager. In addition, you have raised the following in your emails:

1. Economic picture--while we are in bad economic times we also have suffered thru those in years past and the problem persists. As we pointed out in our last email to you of October 19th you have written very similar and in some instances the same emails sympathizing with local business owners in 2005 and using the same words in 2009 on the same issues. The problem has been around for a while as you suggest. However it is important to note, most of those suffering from poor economic times do not turn to a life of crime and they are not the main challenge downtown.

2. "Behavioral issue", we have not raised that as an issue. The clothes a person wears, the color of their skin, their educational level, their economic status are unimportant to the Eugene Codes. We are all equal in the eyes of the law and the Eugene Code. The Pictorials point out code violations.

3. County Seat--we believe that you have an excellent point here. We do receive folks into our downtown area seeking county seat services and we might suggest that the City on a longer term basis look at relocating those services away from the downtown area. Please remember we have one of the best bus systems in LTD and that could assist folks to get to outlying areas away from downtown where they could avail themselves of county seat services.

4. No lack of love for our city. There is definitely no lack of love for our city but there are folks who have discontinued using or visiting the downtown area a long time ago due to fear for their safety and those of their families. If revitalization is the goal then the downtown area has to be made safe without lawbreakers. This will be a benefit to the city in three ways--visitors, investors, and current commercial building owners. We noted that you listed financial assistant, site additional bathroom facilities, and others. Most of those would be covered by "pride of ownership" in a safe downtown.

5.Jail space. This is a common problem and one that will continue. Perhaps the city needs to investigate the opportunity of leasing more beds from Lane County or Springfield jail, the Forest Work Camp lease by the city of Eugene, the Serbu Juvenile Justice Center use of their extra spaces, and/or use of Sprung Structures.

6. Disconnect. Mayor, we respectfully point out that there is a disconnect obvious in your email of October 19th. In your October 19th email you say"...but this Mayor has worked on all of these efforts and much more while respecting the humanity of us all." The disconnect appears to be your desire to shepherd those in the downtown area depicted in the Pictorials, but the Police need to understand that you support the Police Department no matter what a person wears, what their skin color is, what their educational level is or what their economic level is and that you will respect and expect the Police to cite anyone regardless of these things knowing full well that we are all equal in the eyes of the law (Eugene Code). The best way to portray that is for the Mayor and Council to pass a Memorandum of Understanding stating the policy that the Eugene Codes will be enforced. The law is the law and applies to us all. A Vote of Confidence by our elected officials for our Police Department is needed to further encourage Public Safety.

7. You state:"...a message going out that criminals need not worry about consequences." This is a true statement in Eugene currently and one that could be corrected if the solutions (aka tools) are implemented immediately. Implementation of immediate solutions could enhance the satisfaction of your campaign promises on Public Safety.

8. Additional officers in downtown. There are two bike officers assigned to downtown only 4 days per week. This is hardly an increased or acceptable police presence.

9. Additional red hat downtown. We endorse the empowerment of agencies that currently are in Eugene so that the shortage of Police Officers can be overcome. We currently have 195 Police Officers in a city that should have 300 Police Officers. Empowering the red hats, Police Volunteers, LTD, Library, Parking and others to issue non-violent citations would increase the presence downtown without budget consequences.

Mayor, we are once again all in this together and need to solve our mutual problem. We also need to measure our successes. Please help all of us to focus on the challenges and more importantly the immediate and long term SOLUTIONS.
EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Eugene Mayor Comments

Downtown has been a constant topic of concern. We have seen your pictures. We have a council work session scheduled where I feel sure at least some of your proposed solutions will be addressed.

Again I reiterate. We have been working consistently on this issue as have councils and Mayors who served before us. We now have the unusual circumstance of being a city in a county that has been going through a severe budget crisis. The outcome of this crisis has been fraying of the entire system from prevention, to intervention, to treatment, to arrest, to court processes, to incarceration and post incarceration services. This has produced an upsurge in repeat offenders and a message going out that criminals need not worry about consequences. At the same time the country has been in a financial crisis and more people are in crisis. We are a service center as the county seat, so it is to be expected that we see more people with issues and in need on our streets.

In response we have aimed the tools we have specifically at the problem.

1. Additional officers in our downtown

2. Additional red hats downtown

3. Loan opportunities for repair

4. A variety of activities and events in our downtown that have drawn hundreds from all over the community.

5. Put an exclusion zone in place

6. Temporarily moved furniture

7. Offered help for financing part of the system to the county over the last two budget cycles that supported reopening jail beds and prosecutors in place

8. Sited additional bathroom facilities

9. Helped develop the Beam project and Lord Lebrick theatre

10. Worked with LCC for a building location in our downtown core

11. Reworked problem areas around the library

12. Opened more housing units in our downtown

13. Worked on parking solutions

We continue to believe that if we fill the buildings and the streets with positive activity, partner with downtown businesses, target public safety carefully and housing, get the pits filled and the empty spaces, we will achieve our goals for a positive, robust downtown.

Kitty

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Email To Register-Guard

Good morning. Please indulge us for a moment. We have not seen any coverage of the deplorable condition of Eugene and the increased crime rate Eugene suffers. We have provided you with pictorial evidence of same. However, your organization has not opted to report. EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City's goal was only to point out the challenges of Eugene and most importantly offer suggested solutions. Our hope was that it would spur the Mayor and Council to immediately offer corrective action. We do not wish to be the focus, only work on the solutions. That is our position. Who we are and why we are doing this is immaterial.

Please allow us to draw on a story about Warren Buffett. Mr. Buffett lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and had an opportunity to buy one of the local Omaha newspapers. He immediately influenced the Sun Newpaper staff to conduct investigative reporting which they had not been allowed to do before his purchase. The result was a Pulitizer Prize Award winning story on children's activities in Omaha. The newspaper went on to be an award winning publication. While this may not be your goal for your organization, the reason for this short story is that your publication may be well served in these tough economic times to have your reporters engage in investigative reporting and the fact that Eugene has been struggling with crime and lack of revitalization of downtown Eugene for years would be a prime example of a good story. The information provided by EugeneAdvocates would be an excellent starting point.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Monday, October 19, 2009

Mayor Disputes Our Analysis

Mayor Piercy's Reply:

I take some umbrage with your comments but that’s okay. I think each of the things that have been implemented or sought to be implemented have been steps in the right direction. The one that most directly responds to your concern with behavioral issue is the exclusion zone. Police do arrest or cite people on behavioral issues all the time. You may not get consensus on what civilized means. We cannot by law dictate the language people can use, the clothes they can wear (short of nudity), or their actions unless illegal. We may not like it but that’s the law. We cannot keep people off of public sidewalks. The 9th court has limited our ability to say that people cannot sleep on our sidewalks.

I believe Chief Kerns would tell you our crime stats are still comparatively low – what is alarming is the increase. This is not hard to understand given the economic picture, the situation more and more folks find themselves in, the resource issues for local government, and the concurrent upswing in drug and alcohol use. It is also true we are a county seat where services are provided and we will therefore have more of the people needing those services. In these times, businesses or places that are struggling will find it even harder to be successful.

I don’t think there is any disconnect. I think there are different perspectives. The manager understands the issues well and the Chief has been part of our department for a long, long time. We understand the county’s condition and it’s impact on us. We understand what a public safety system requires.

And let me remind you that the crime rate was higher some years ago than it is currently. That is not to say it is acceptable. Our downtown has been struggling since the 70s and every time someone thinks they have the key to fix it. I personally think we are closer now than we have ever been but it is grindingly slow.

There is no lack of love for our city from almost all who live here.

The police department works all the time to implement the law currently on the books. They give citations each day. Jail space is quite another issue.

Of course the buck stops here and always has. That’s why we have been working on actions and solutions all the time. You may not see those as getting to the source of the problem but we do. We put more officers in the downtown for the purpose of law enforcement. We supported the red jackets to help put more eyes out on the streets. We put the exclusion zone in place to give officers and the judges more tools. We helped with getting jail beds open to build more capacity. We supported services for those in need to help get them off the streets and programs for youth to help more of them make right decisions. We took action to alter the build-up in front of the library. We brought HIV alliance into our downtown to help with those issues. We worked OLCC to reduce the alcohol related issues. We brought successful entertainment downtown to brings hundreds of those “desireable” folks into our downtown. We offered help to clean up scruffy storefronts. We helped put new development projects in place to bring the right mix into our downtown. We brought a big business in to fill the old Symantec building. We have filled first Fridays with art walks. So you can say we have done nothing if you wish but that does not make it true. You can say your comments about the Mayor but this Mayor has worked on all of these efforts and much more while respecting the humanity of us all. All the Mayors before me have worked on this as well.

Kitty

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Our Analysis of Mayor's Actions

Mayor Piercy,

After we received your email of October 16, 2009, EugeneAdvocates decided we needed to convene a work session to review your thoughts and review solutions. Your email of October 16, 2009, stated in part the following:

"If I tell you that we have been constantly working on this, you will probably take it as a way to put off doing more. I assure you that is not the case. We have over the last few years offered loans to fix up store fronts, put bike officers and additional other officers in place in the downtown, reluctantly put in place an exclusion zone, worked to bring Beam, Lord Lebrick and LCC into our downtown, improved rules for in front of the library, funded additional red jackets, worked with the Chamber and participated in a public safety group, supported county efforts for funding, asked the county to open additional beds and twice offered money swaps to help ensure that could occur, had an entire array of outdoor activities downtown to draw public there – and that's just off the top of my head this morning. I am working with DA on his working group and support the Chief with his as we continue to try to both enforce the law and be creative in our usage of scarce resources. "

Our work session concluded that yes these actions have in fact been taken but have not been successful in correcting the problem. As one member of the group said "Notice that almost none of the actions they've taken address the underlying problem of downtown in any sustainable way: the uncivilized people and their uncivilized behavior." Further research into what has happened in just the last four years is summarized by below emails inserts listed below. Please note the dates and the contents.

1. In an email dated March 21, 2005 sent at 12:56pm, you sent to a local business owner stating: "I just want you to know that I have shared this with the chief. I am sorry for the difficult challenges you face..." signed Kitty.

2. In another email dated March 21, 2005, sent at 5:56pm to a local business owner you state: "I am going to ask my assistant, Sarita Black, to forward this information to our police department and to Richie Weinman who deals with housing issues and is involved in the current effort to develop low cost housing. I think they should both be aware of the issues you bring forward." "I don't know who is at fault. I know it is a difficult situation for a business owner." signed Kitty Piercy.

3. Six months later in another email dated September 4, 2005 sent by Councilor Betty Taylor to a business owner at 10:20am states: "I think we do care, but caring isn't enough. I think we need a work session to discuss the problem and possible solutions. Do you have suggestions for solutions? signed Betty.

4. In another brief email dated March 10, 2006, sent to a business owner at 3:41pm responding to an article that the business owner sent to the Mayor regarding attacks in Downtown you state:"I got this..." signed Kitty.

In summary, one must conclude that this matter has been a source of concern for all for at least the last four years without any adequate solutions being implemented. This matter has had work sessions, has been referred to Chiefs, and had community involvement to the highest. Continued lip service is not necessary. Eugene has now gained national attention for our crime rates. Mayor your own staff has stated: "...what is significant is no other city in America over 100,000 population came even close to Eugene's increased crime in 2008." Further staff has pointed out that the crime index has increased 12% for the time from January-July 2008 vs 2009 with violent crimes increasing 8% and property crimes increasing 12% over the same period. With this trend Eugene will once again be in the highest categories for 2009. Time to fix the problems without further review is now before it gets further out of hand. There appears to be a disconnect somewhere in the chain of command from the Mayor and Council level down to the City Manager level to the Police Chief level to the Police Officers on the Street. While it is unclear where that disconnect is it must be removed so that our beautiful city can be restored for the business owners, investors, patrons and tax paying citizens of Eugene.

EugeneAdvocates work session has concluded that the City of Eugene should immediately without further delay remove the disconnect and ask the current Police Department to implement an immediate policy of strict current law enforcement with an aggressive citation program in the downtown area for those who disrespect the laws of Eugene. Those folks and the solutions were discussed in depth on the Pictorials. Please remember Mayor the responsibility is yours and the buck stops with you.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Friday, October 16, 2009

What is the next step?

Thanks for your clarification of the Eugene Counts goals. Who will determine the priority of the suggestions to be presented to theCouncil? How will the final goals be used and measured? What is the budget for this project?

When can folks start to see some visible improvements in the downtown area? Stated another way, When will our photographers beable to walk the streets in safety without finding photos such as were involved in the Pictorial Volume one and two? Yes, there willalways be photo opportunities but we can all agree that it would be nice to immediately have fewer opportunities. Given we agree onthat, what is your personal goal and timetable to achieve an acceptable downtown and how will you measure the success of yourpersonal goal and timetable?

Once again Thank You for your clarification.
EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Mayor Cites Actions Taken

From the Mayor:

The participants such as those of you who came the other night voted for your top 3 priorities in each category from the list of suggestions and ideas from the group. There will be many such groups and staff will provide council with a composite.

If I tell you that we have been constantly working on this, you will probably take it as a way to put off doing more. I assure you that is not the case. We have over the last few years offered loans to fix up store fronts, put bike officers and additional other officers in place in the downtown, reluctantly put in place an exclusion zone, worked to bring Beam, Lord Lebrick and LCC into our downtown, improved rules for in front of the library, funded additional red jackets, worked with the Chamber and participated in a public safety group, supported county efforts for funding, asked the county to open additional beds and twice offered money swaps to help ensure that could occur, had an entire array of outdoor activities downtown to draw public there – and that’s just off the top of my head this morning. I am working with DA on his working group and support the Chief with his as we continue to try to both enforce the law and be creative in our usage of scarce resources.
Kitty

When Will We See Improvements?

Thanks for your clarification of the Eugene Counts goals. Who will determine the priority of the suggestions to be presented to the Council? How will the final goals be used and measured? What is the budget for this project?

When can folks start to see some visible improvements in the downtown area? Stated another way, When will our photographers be able to walk the streets in safety without finding photos such as were involved in the Pictorial Volume one and two? Yes, there will always be photo opportunities but we can all agree that it would be nice to immediately have fewer opportunities. Given we agree on that, what is your personal goal and timetable to achieve an acceptable downtown and how will you measure the success of your personal goal and timetable?

Once again Thank You for your clarification.
EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mayor Clarifies Use of Comments

Thanks to you all for participating. I want to clarify that last night's comments will not be put individually on our web site and that is the case for all the many responses we will receive in other meetings and through the surveys. What will be captured are the top priorities and then the information will be amassed and analyzed to give to council to help them with priority setting decisions and strategies to respond to those priorities. What will happen is that the progress on addressing these priorities will be measured overtime and made available to the public through an improved web site communication.
Hope that helps.
Kitty

Eugene Counts Meeting & Survey

Thank you to those of you who attended last nights Eugene Counts meeting in the City Council hall. While it was different than most expected the group was able to project a number of issues surrounding Public Safety which the Councilor's will receive. Public Safety is the most important concern to the general voting public.

For those of you who want to have your voices heard you can do it on line below. Go to the Make Your Voice Count Today and click on either the long version or short version of the City's questionnaire. It is our understanding that the information gathered will assist in the budget preparation for 2010. Thank you to each for all your concerns for the improvement of Our City. We need to all feel safe going downtown.

Make your voice count today

Influence the community's direction. Please take a little time to complete the Eugene
Counts Survey.

Click here to take the full-length survey
Only have a few minutes? Click here to take the quick version

Presione aqui para tomar la encuesta en Español.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Volume 2 Published

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City has received a number of photos and comments from local business owners and residents of Eugene that we thought important to share with the rest of the community. Some of these photos and comments are found below in Volume 2. We have also after further research updated the list of solutions which can be found at the end of this Volume 2 Pictorial. If you feel a need to help clean up Eugene perhaps a letter or email to the Mayor, City Council, the City Manager, the Eugene Police Chief or a letter to the Register Guard editor would be appropriate. The Mayor and Council including the City Manager emails are available on http://www.eugene-or.gov. Also found on that cite are the Eugene Codes and the Eugene Counts questionaire on what you want the Mayor and Council to know of your thoughts. If we don't stand up for our City who will do it??

Please enjoy the Pictorial Volume 2 and review the revised list of possible Solutions found at the end of the Pictorial. Warning:This Volume 2 Pictorial is more graphic and detailed than Volume 1 but it is Eugene. The citations next to the photos are Eugene City Code (ECC) that may apply to the infraction and can be found online under the Eugene City Code.

Eugene has laws on the books that could be immediately put to work to help the problem in Eugene immediately and without further cost or further delay. Convening a group to study the matter for these short term remedies is not necessary since the laws are now in existence. All that is needed at this time is to allow and encourage the Police to enforce the existing laws and then work on new changes to be suggested by the study group.

[See images and citizen comments at: http://sites.google.com/site/eugeneadvocates/volume-2]

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:

So let's step back for a moment and summarize. Eugene has one of the highest crime rates in the United States according to statistics from the City and the FBI. We have witnessed the challenges shown in the Pictorials. Most surround trespassing, public urination and defacation, public indecency, menacing, blocking sidewalks,operating bikes or skateboards on sidewalks, criminal mischief, unlicensed dogs, graffiti, public consumption of alcohol in unlicensed settings, drug use and sales, and defacing and destruction of property to name a few. Currently under the Eugene City Code there are laws on the books that address each of these and more violations.

So what is needed? What is currently needed is the support of the Mayor and the entire City Council for the City Manager, the Chief of Police and the Patrol Police to allow each to do the job of restoring Eugene to the beautiful and lawbiding City most of us can remember. It the responsibility of the citizens to require that each person in the chain of command from the Mayor to the Patrol Officer move forward to Clean up OUR City. This is solution Number One. These can be implimented with a strong citation program without further cost to the City of Eugene. This will take the individuals in the Pictorials out of their comfort zone and encourage them to move on.

The Second solution could be to empower various organizations to issue citations for violation of non-violent crimes such as unlicensed dogs, operating bikes or skateboards on sidewalks, graffiti, urination, indecency, blocking sidewalks and others. These organizations could also report other crimes to the Eugene Police Patrols for further action. The organizations include but are not limited to the Eugene Police Volunteers, Lane Transit Authority Officers, University of Oregon Police, LCARA, and the Chamber of Commerce "Red Hats."

The Third set of solutions are longer range in nature. The above two solutions can be immediately implimented and have a dramatic immediate result on the City. The third set of solutions will require a longer timeframe in which to impliment.. These include a vagrancy law acceptable to the courts, a loitering law acceptable to the courts, a review of a sign ordinance designed to eliminate panhandling on City owned property, and a review of regulations that forbid the use of City owned property for the use of soliciting and operating none licensed businesses on City owned property. A review of the Lane County Forest Work Camp currently available to house some offenders and the Serbu Juvenile Justice Center should be conducted.These long term solutions could be a partial focus of the study group being formed by the Eugene Police Chief. For immediate relief solutions Number One and Number Two can be enacted now and the results would be positive.

The above map to success is worthy of the entire Council and Mayors' endorsement and ACTION NOW. To not act will mean that when the 2009 index of crimes is reported Eugene will continue on the current trend line which if it continues as it has for the first six months of 2009 means that Eugene will once again set an all time high rate for crime. Is this what we all want? It will also mean our downtown will continue to have difficulty attracting investors, business owners, and patrons. Is this what we all want? Let's forge ahead with these solutions. The time to act is now!! LET'S MAKE EUGENE COUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eugene Counts Workshop

Opportunity knocks for all of us to be heard on october 14th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. If you want to make a difference in the safety of our city please go forth and tell them what you feel is wrong with the downtown area.

If we don't speak out at this meeting we have no reason to complain about our eugene downtown situations.

Eugeneadvocates for a clean city.
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Eugene Counts Community Workshop
October 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Council Chamber, City Hall

Join the conversation

How do we know we are truly doing well? Achieving the results our community cares most about?

Driven by the belief that sharper focus leads to better results, Eugene Counts is a partnership between residents and City government designed to identify priorities so we can concentrate on achieving the outcomes that matter most.

Through a series of workshops, discussions, interviews and surveys, this effort will develop a clearer picture of the concrete results our community would like to achieve, anchored in the framework provided by the City Council’s vision and goals. This will help inform decision-making in a number of ways, ranging from service delivery improvements to resource allocation. Results will be measured and shared transparently, to see whether the initiatives we undertake are contributing to achieving the outcomes our community seeks.

Make your voice count today

Influence the community's direction. Please take a little time to complete the Eugene Counts Survey.

Click here to take the full-length survey
Only have a few minutes? Click here to take the quick version

Presione aqui para tomar la encuesta en Español.

Plan to attend the Eugene Counts Community Workshop, October 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the City Council Chamber

eugene counts council vision1

City Council Vision and Goals

Vision

Value all people, encouraging respect and appreciation for diversity, equity, justice, and social well-being. We recognize and appreciate our differences and embrace our common humanity as the source of our strength;

Be responsible stewards of our physical assets and natural resources. We will sustain our clean air and water, beautiful parks and open spaces, livable and safe neighborhoods, and foster a vibrant downtown, including a stable infrastructure;

Encourage a strong, sustainable and vibrant economy, fully utilizing our educational and cultural assets, so that every person has an opportunity to achieve financial security.

Goals

Safe Community
A community where all people are safe, valued and welcome.

Sustainable Development
A community that meets its present environmental, economic and social needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Accessible and Thriving Culture and Recreation
A community where arts and outdoors are integral to our social and economic well-being and are available to all.

Effective, Accountable Municipal Government
A government that works openly, collaboratively, and fairly with the community to achieve measurable and positive outcomes and provide effective, efficient services.

Fair, Stable, and Adequate Financial Resources
A government whose ongoing financial resources are based on a fair and equitable system of revenues and are adequate to maintain and deliver municipal services.