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)
