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!!!!!!!!!!!!
