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
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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)
