Summary, Break

SUMMARY....a must read from EugeneAdvocates.....

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City was initially created to draw the deplorable condition of downtown to the attention of public officials and key administrators. We accomplished that with Pictorial 1 and 2 found on our web site listed below. The dramatic conditions were a wake up call not only for the public officials and key administrators but also for the people of Eugene who do not go downtown because of the condition they witnessed when they use to attempt a trip to town and also to reinforce those that use downtown regularly. The City acknowledged the valid concerns of EugeneAdvocates with their numerous comments and the media finally climbed on board. EugeneAdvocates felt the need to present the taxpayers comments to the City (these can be found on the blog listed below). Even the Mayor acknowledged the deplorable condition of downtown and the Chief of Police acknowledged the deplorable and growing crime rate for Eugene.

Since the first edition there have been some advancements in programs that are designed to assist in cleaning up downtown. The solutions EugeneAdvocates supported were not totally enacted by the City even though they could have been implemented without major budget impact. However, the Council with minor exceptions appear to be working toward some solutions. Thus EugeneAdvocates will take a break to allow the process to unfold. We will be curious to see the measuring sticks to be used to gage success and will see what this summer brings. The Mayor and Council need to remember that just enticing more people to come to town will not clean up the City. As one of the commentors pointed out: " Business won't move in if they don't have customers--customers won't come downtown if it isn't safe." Therefore we will all take a break and ask the City to continue to immediately implement the work of the Police Chief's task force and the financial suggestions of the City Manager and then maybe, just maybe, we will see an improvement by summer. A word of caution must go to supporters of a Clean Eugene--be very careful if in the time ahead you are asked to sign a petition which will slow down any well intended efforts by the City Council to clean up downtown. Read the petition carefully and think of how it will effect the immediate clean up of your city.

All of us should be very observant of the actions of each of the Councilors, the actions of the Budget Committee, and the actions of the Mayor. Remember we as taxpayers and voters are the responsible parties to this City's atrocity given we have or have not voted appropriately. Several of the Councilors are up for re-election and we need to be observant on how they have addressed the downtown problems and vote accordingly. The same holds true for the Mayor in a couple of years. In addition we need to be very observant of the budget committee and voice our concerns to the Mayor, Council and Budget Committee. Here are a couple of email addresses that will allow you to do that: One email to the Mayor and Council is sufficient to reach each of them: mayorandcc@ci.eugene.or.us. One email to the Budget Committee is sufficient to reach each committee member: eugene.budget.committee@CI.Eugene.OR.US. You need not sign them to be effective.

Emails are easy and please remember it is each of our responsibility to let these folks know how we feel. Lack of doing this will result in more atrocities in the downtown area. Remember we are all in this together as in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q. Eugene and its taxpayers deserve better. Thank you to each of you for your support and we will look forward to some positive results by summer.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

email: eugeneadvocate@aol.com
web site: http://sites.google.com/site/eugeneadvocates/
the blog: http://eugeneadvocates.blogspot.com/

Focus On Solutions Now

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS.......FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS NOW.......


DO ANY OF THESE STATS ASSIST OR HINDER OUR SOLUTIONS TO DOWNTOWN???

Hoping for Change

Reoccuring Problems still.....hopefully changing....

"Amen! My sister works at the U Of O. She has been telling me things that go on there. One big problem is they do not do drug testing of anyone. I think it's the unions and the professors that don't want it because it could expose their own drug abuse. Three workers last year went on break together and were caught on a bench on campus smoking dope of some sort. It took them a while to fire them because they are union. Unions should not have anything to do with whether these workers are tested. People could get injured or killed while on these drugs. The U of O could be sued big time. What would happen to the state budget then? The way these kid's are allowed to dress is unbelievable, they wear lingerie during class time even a street hooker would be embarrassed to wear. Then there is the promotion of promiscuity with condom fashion shows, free condoms necklaces they wear around proudly. They also have seminars on sexual positions and this in under the category of safe sex. This only promotes disease and unwanted pregnancy since condoms don't always work. Then of course there is planned parenthood to the rescue. This murder of children can and does destroy the girls lives as well as the child. These kid's future is at stake, we need to change things NOW. We need to stop drugs from coming into this country to keep them away from our kids. Drugs lead to crime when they are addicted. Many of them start using in our schools. Evenually they drop out with no job and mom and dad have left them to fend for themselves on our streets. This is a tragedy. Thank you for listening. "

Grassroots Thoughts

Grassroots thoughts.........What do you think?????

"WAKE UP EUGENE" We are getting state and national recognition for the wrong reasons. How do you feel about the trending curve toward the top for identity theft, illegal drug use, and the crimes against person and property. The clock is ticking and the bad guys are laughing!

I have said it before that we need to get tough on crime and start REALLY supporting our criminal justice system. I am mad and you should be mad too!

Advocate for the return of the decent and law abiding and well governed Eugene and Lane County that we can have back".
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"I was born on the 4th floor of the old Sacred Heart. My parents lived here as well as my grandparents and I'm getting sick seeing what is becoming of Eugene. We are becoming SO liberal that "anything goes" and there are no consequences. We need to enforce the laws that are already on the books or otherwise, they're not worth the paper they're written on.

Concerned taxpaper"
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"There is an iron law of economics: Subsidize something and you get more of it. Our programs subsidize the homeless..."
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"One of the biggest problems we as a society have is that too many of us expect “someone else” to take care of the things we don’t want to deal with. Case in point--children. As a soccer coach, Cub Scout Leader, Boy Scout Leader, and member of a school district board-related function, I repeatedly saw parents expecting/asking/hoping that someone else help raise their children. Why? Because they are too busy at their job/personal lives/working out to take a personal interest in the rest of what goes in to raising a child. First it was day-care, then the sports team, then first grade, then high school and so on. Many were single-parent households.

Several community organizations and school programs sprouted to fill these needs. As a result, parents spent too little time raising their own children and not enough time with their kids. That left little time for teaching household rules, right and wrong, and ethics. Teachers spend huge amounts of classroom time dealing with what should be family issues. We even teach non-English speaking people how to do that—at tax-payer expense! Wonder why test scores are low? Ask a teacher. The schools have become the surrogate parent. They feed kids, they test for eye sight and hearing, they provide after school care, they discipline (but not the wrong way—of course.) Our society has gone soft. Why? Some blame it on the numerous television hours (and computer gaming) time that kids are allowed (and questionable entertainment based values.) Instead of the parent deciding what the child should watch, we expect the movie industry to label each one. And when the child misbehaves or doesn’t perform as expected, it is now “someone else’s fault.” Welcome to the no-fault society.

These young people grow up and repeat the same pattern with their own children. Or, some never grow up and live on the streets. Many of these folks fail because they can’t figure out how to fit in to society as an adult. Their parents were afraid to spank them, and as they grow up they don’t understand that they are in charge of and responsible for their own actions. If we don’t start telling our kids what is right and what is wrong, we can never expect them to turn out any different. So, part of the solution starts years before they become adults.

Even our leaders (corporate, political, community) set questionable examples. We worship sports figures, and then they get arrested. Our own President lied about having sex with a woman. Right and wrong are blurred lines these days.

Compounding the problem is the fact that today’s version of punishment means nothing. Commit a crime? No big deal; you’ll be out in no time. The prisons are full—or underfunded, so they can’t hold the recently arrested. And as a result cops are laughed at; they spend huge portions of their days tracking down offenders who fail to even show up for their hearing. Until we have laws that have teeth, and meaningful punishment, crime will continue. Watch what happens to the east. With Springfield’s new jail—which does keep prisoners locked up—their crime rate will certainly fall. The bad news is that some of these offenders will move to the west and continue their un-punished crimes in Eugene. Meanwhile the rest of us are supposed to feel guilty, pay more taxes, donate more to the food bank, and live with the consequences of a too-soft-on-crime society.

These folks have become a huge burden on our society. 38% of costs incurred by hospitals are attributable to the uninsured. So, those of us who actually budget for and pay our medical costs are taking up the slack for those who we call “unfortunate.” In reality, many of these folks choose to live the lives they do.

Continuing the trend of our anti-responsible society, we now want to regulate what type of liquor is sold in a particular area? This is to me akin to distributing “clean” syringes to drug addicts—another practice I dislike. Rather than addressing the true problem we’d rather take sensitivity classes, feel guilty that some of these parasites don’t have it as good as the rest of us, and regulate their (and our) environment. Come on folks, wake up. Regulation only costs the law abiding segment of our society and not the others. Until you get stern with the offenders, eradicate the root problem, punish the law breakers, they will continue to adapt to our lame efforts to accommodate their behaviors. If you believe Darwin, this is a form of evolution. We’re just simply training these folks to become more cunning criminals.

“No,” we should not be banning any type of liquor sales in Eugene.

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 16:38:01 EST

State Of Our City and County

More information on the state of our City and County.....

How much longer will we be without action on behalf of our city council, our mayor for all of eugene, our city manager and our police chief. Doesn't the buck stop with them and how much longer will they allow Our crime rate to continue to grow. Please press on your elected Representatives individually to take action to lower our crime rate in Eugene and lane county. Public safety should be our number one Priority.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City
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Great job and timely article. No wonder it seems like we have a problem—we DO!

(signed by a business owner and tax payer)
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Response from CIty of Eugene:

This note responds to your recent email to Margaret Harter for information from the City of Eugene.

You have asked for information regarding the Downtown Safety Committee. We believe you may be referring to the Downtown Safety Council. This group was formed shortly after the LTD station was built and began providing the physical space for the Downtown Public Safety Station (exact date unknown). The Downtown Safety Council included members of the public, businesses, library staff, LTD staff, social service agencies, Police and Parole and Probation officers. The group met monthly with the goal of creating the opportunity for the various stakeholders to share information about downtown concerns and to work mutually to create solutions to problems. This was an opportunity for two-way communication between law enforcement and interested stakeholders. In March 2009, when the downtown station closed, Police no longer coordinated the group. Two groups now exist: the Downtown Safety and Security Network is coordinated by the City through the Planning and Development Department and the City's Parking Structures/Facilities program. This group brings together various security firms and some law enforcement representatives also attend. The second group retained the name of the Downtown Safety Council. Notes and announcements for this group are coordinated by Mary Leighton, Network Charter School. This group is not advisory to the city.

Also, in response to your earlier email regarding Eugene Police Department vehicles, staff has prepared the following information:

Vehicle information The monthly rates cover costs for fuel, insurance, parts and materials, routine maintenance, all repairs and accident related repairs and replacements. Monthly vehicle rates are established based upon the class category of the vehicle. The rates are determined by the overall experience (from previous years) associated with that that specific vehicle class. The following list shows the FY10 class categories, the monthly cost for that category and the number of vehicles for that class within the EPD inventory:

Vehicle Class: Rate per Month x Number of EPD Vehicles
Sedans: $292 x 12
Sedans - Gas/Electric: $152 x 13
Patrol Sedans: $1,451 x 46
Vans - Mini: $307 x 10
Van ¾ Ton: $371 x 2
PU ½ Ton: $210 x 2
PU 4WD: $360 x 7
SUV: $386 x 6
SUV Patrol: $857 x 12
SUV - Gas/Electric: $166 x 8
Motorcycle: $375 x 9
Explosive Devices Bomb Truck: $375 x 1
SWAT Truck: $337 x 1
Armored Truck: $346 x 1
Command Bus: $937 x 1
Misc. Vehicles: $100 or less x 17

Total All Classes of Vehicles = 200

I understand that Finance staff previously provided a link to the City's website regarding the Budget Committee. I include it again here for your convenience: www.eugene-or.gov/budgetcommittee.

If you have additional information requests, please direct them to: Beth Forrest, Acting City Recorder, beth.l.forrest@ci.eugene.or.us or at 777 Pearl St., Room 105, Eugene, OR 97401. Consistent with State Public Records Law and the City's fee order for public records requests, this will allow us to determine if the requested information is contained in an existing public record and, if so, provide an estimate of the time and fees for searching for and making copies of the public records. (Public records request form is attached.)

Thank you, Beth Forrest Acting City Recorder
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" I had no idea that things are as bad as these pictures so graphically illustrate. It is hard to believe that things have gravited to the place they are. But when I look at the individuals who comprise the majority of our Eugene City Council, I can see how it might have evolved, and the fact that there is no energy, or the backbone to take the necessary 7 steps to deal with the problem, then handle the pushback that would be certain to test the resolve of everyone involved including police, city staff and elected officials.

If, like us you were to spend a great deal of time away, and travel downtown very little, only basically hear about problems, often in vague terms, this email strikes hard.

Thanks for sharing" (signed by a retired citizen and tax payer who recently viewed the EugeneAdvocates web site)
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"If you read the latest edition of Open For Business published by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce there is no problem down town, and if there is it is being handled? Get a copy, it's very interesting."

(signed by a Eugene resident and tax payer)
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"Wow—interesting. But don’t discount the value of all those social services we provide. They’ve got to count for some sort of offsetting credit!"

(signed by business owner and tax payer)
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" ...the weather has been so crappy (and in earnest, too) the bums have probably been reluctant to try to sleep in the cold and the wet."

(signed by a downtown worker and taxpayer)
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"To: Eugene Advocates
From: Jean Tate

I’ve been meaning to write you again so your “jog” is timely.

Yes, we have been meeting every two weeks and most recently every week. We have spent time with the sheriff, the district attorney, the human services folks who are readying a money measure for the November ballot, the county assessor and the county budget officer. In addition I have talked with judges, parole and probation, jail staff, juvenile justice folks, and other. Dave and I met briefly with the Public Safety Coordinating Council.

I believe that your interest is primarily with the City of Eugene. We formed to look at the larger county picture. I got to this place by realizing that the major block to anything positive happening in Eugene was the necessity for additional jail beds. That is a county function, not a city function. So we are looking at the needs from the county’s level. This week we met with Jeff Spartz, the county administrator, to talk about process if we decide to recommend some kind of ballot measure.

We see both short term and long term problems at the county level. The short term problems involve public safety staff and facilities. The long term problems concern recidivism, prevention and rehabilitation. Finding a balance among these is a very large challenge. Add to that the problem of “compression” which results from bumping up against Measure 5 limits and the puzzle complexity increases.

We don’t have answers yet; we are still learning. We will meet with the county commissioners on February 23 to discuss some possible recommendations. A big concern is how to educate the public about the needs and costs of possible solutions and then finding something that 51 percent of the voters can agree to. As you all know, there are strong feelings and not too much agreement about the relative merits of incarceration, treatment and prevention. It is our understanding that the county commissioners have asked Jeff Spartz to have a poll conducted to see what potential voters might approve. Suggestions and thoughts are welcome.

Jean Tate"

Malt Liquor Sales Ban

KVAL asks questions on the Task Force solutions:

Should malt liquor sales be banned in Eugene? Eugenean's comments:

How many ways can I say no? How about we enforce the laws we already have? Do something about the homeless problem? So, if we take away the cheap, high content beer, that's really going to stop people from drinking? Hardly. Are we going to ban cheap wine? PBR? One of the cheapest beers on the market? Take all the cheep alcohol out of the liquor stores? Let's just go back to prohibition. That worked really well. Let's just ban everything we don't like. You can't by spray paint without getting carded, did that do anything to curb the graffiti issues? We made stupid laws regarding the purchase of cold medicine to stop meth. That worked really well for us now didn't it?
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The problem is an out of control non-local homeless-by-choice population Eugene has become a 5-Star destination to.
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I live in a nice neighborhood where the homeowners take pride in their community, however we have a "mini-mart" just down the street and due to the fact that they knowingly sell alcohol to the homeless in the area we have a corner that is overrun with bums. I can look out my kitchen window and see a small herd of homeless people sharing paper covered cans, day and night. The availability of the cheap malt liquor is going to determine where they are going to hang out.
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Make and/or ENFORCE laws regarding vagrancy, illegal camping, panhandling, public intoxication, etc. in Lane County and start addressing the problem at its root.
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If you would like to see more on this subject please go to:
http://www.kval.com/news/health/85143152.html

While the solutions are not perfect it is a start and will need the budget committee to endorse it with their support of funding for Public Safety.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City

Businesses Need Customers

Business won't move in if it they don't have customers--customers won't come...

The Eugene Police Department has instituted a computer reporting system for non-emergency crimes. It can be found on the web site listed below. Please go online and see what it covers and how it works. It appears that this is a way to record crime in your area but may not result in action by the Eugene Police Dept. Time will tell. It does provide the Eugene Police with another data base to help pin point crime spots. So if you witnessed any of the following what should you do. According to this you will file a report instead of calling the police department.

Select Incident Type There are several different incident types that can be entered using the internet. Please select one from the list below and continue. If the incident you are reporting has a known suspect, you should instead call us at 541-682-5111.

Incident Type	Definition	Examples
Anonymous Drug Tip Line	To make an anonymous report on a crime you have witnessed involving drugs.	For example, if you saw someone selling drugs, perhaps near a school, the library or downtown.
Anonymous Tip Line	To make an anonymous report on a crime you have witnessed.	Have you observed an accident, theft, someone breaking into your neighbor's home or car, someone breaking windows of a business or other criminal behaviors, that are not drug related?
Graffiti	The act of changing, modifying or defacing public or private property by using paint or spray paint.	Spray painted names on walls, unauthorized murals on property belonging to someone other than the person who painted the mural, etc.
Theft of Bicycle	Your bicycle is taken without your permission.	The bicycle is known to be stolen and missing may be reported. Lost or misplaced bicycles are not a theft.
Vandalism	The act of changing, modifying or defacing public or private property.	Knocking over mail boxes, throwing rocks through windows, etc.

Click on this Eugene Police Department website for more information and to report non-emergency crimes:

http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?space=CommunityPage&control=SetCommunity&CommunityID=474&PageID=4283

According to this if you see someone breaking into your neighbors house you are to sit down at your computer and file a report. Same applies if you see someone selling drugs near your childs school.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City
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Letter to the Mayor:

"Clearly something needs to be done with downtown Eugene and safety. Last week I was downtown to purchase a new pair of shoes and have lunch with a friend. I was with my 3 y/o granddaughter--Broadway and Willamette in the center of town. As I was pushing her in the carriage to the shoe store I witnesses a person who had wet himself obviously a menace--talking to two young ladies asking them for money--in the middle of the day. He had wet himself which was apparent by the looks of his clothing---this was prior to lunch so it was early in the day. Not only do I not want to see this kind of display I do not want my granddaughter seeing it and growing up in this kind of environment Public safety needs to be a priority! Laws need to be enforced. Please provide funds for public safety so that I can go downtown and enjoy our city and please please clean up down town Eugene for my grandchildren."

(signed by a concerned taxpaying Grandparent)

Mayors Response:

"While what you describe may be distasteful,it is not illegal for someone to wet himself. No officer can arrest someone for that. We will continue to work on cleaning up downtown and for social service solutions to social service problems. This sounds like a mental health issue. Mayor Piercy"
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Response from Grandparent to the Mayor:

" Kitty--in my mind you just don't get it. I am asking for the current laws to be enforced.

I was a Social Worker by profession and worked with down and out persons with "mental health issues" and "distasteful" things and behaviors, as you probably know. I am familiar with special needs I am not new to troubled folks and that is not what I would like addressed. My heart too is in the right place just as yours is--but there are mental health issues and there are laws. I would like to see the laws enforced rather than overlooked. I grew up here as did many generations of my family we were pioneers here--1842. Never have I seen or heard of so many laws being broken and property being damaged. I would like to see a town to be proud of. I would like to be able to take my grandchildren to see the sights of town just as I did not an occasional band or group preforming from time to time. Every time I go down there I get hit up for money or something by someone--- and I see the damage that has been done to buildings--no stores to speak of--I am not unique others see it too. Please look carefully at putting more law enforcement folks in town and clean it up. If we could just enforce toe current laws it would be helpful. Maybe then business will want to come back to town. Please consider my plea in the current budget process. Thank you for your time."

(signed by a concerned Grandparent)
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Mayorial Response to the Grandparents of Eugene:

We all want the current laws enforced. That is not what you were discussing in your e-mail. I would have to see real stats regarding whether this is worse than it has ever been. I am certainly aware of that the problem exists. I am proud of our city and all the work so many do on so many fronts. I too am downtown regularly and I see some things I don’t like. I have never felt threatened nor been badly treated. I understand others have had a different experiences. We have been and are looking at more law enforcement, increased social services and development and we all believe it is the combination that will finally make the difference. I do not underestimate the problem or the challenge but neither do I overestimate. I see the reality and we are trying hard to deal with it, even in this recession and with our budgetary restraints. Kitty
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Response from the Grandparent who "gets it" to the Mayor for all Eugene:

" Kitty--to start off right I would like to ask you not to scold me or correct my paper we are both adults and I would really like you to be the "Mayor to all of the people"--not just those who support your views.

Like I said in my last email my family has been here since the 1800's---I love this city which is why it breaks my heart to see it in it's current state. My family and many others refuse to go near downtown. They do not feel safe and are accosted each time they go near downtown. We have laws why can't they be enforced?

As far as social services go--we have many-- As the presenter at a workshop I attended recently stated "if you are an addict Lane CTY is a good place to be." Many of the folks that hang around downtown use the existing social services and still beg and break the law-- many choose not to follow the regulations required to receive the the social services-- I don't think they work that well. ( My opinion) I have been attending a workshop at SHMC Campus branch on addiction. Some really good things have come out of it. 1) which hasn't changed in years--most ( 70 to 85%) relapse 2)--it ruins families and friends 3) it is very expensive and frankly I do not think we have the dollars for it. 4) Alcohol is where it usually starts and with teens. As a result most on the street do not seek out treatment. Law states that the person seeking treatment has to do it of his/her own behalf-- they can not be forced. It is only successful if the person buys into treatment. They have to want treatment. So-- the question is what would be the social services you are talking about?

My question is simple--when are we going to clean up Eugene and enforce the current laws already on the books. Business won't move in if it they don't have customers--customers won't come downtown if it isn't safe. Please consider this when working on the budget".

(signed by a Grandparent concerned about Downtown condition and Law Breakers)
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"The reputation of a police department in any given community is what insures a safe environment. New York PD is a good an example of effective.

Criminals migrate to regions where police departments are micro-managed and handcuffed by vocal minorities and city government. When Police can only bark and not bite, and the criminal justice system is not capable of delivering punishment that is detrimental from a violator’s perspective, you have a failed system. From a victim’s perspective, these elementary facts are easier to comprehend. Criminals do communicate and I’ll use Al Qaeda as an efficient example.

Until city government, the vocal minority, and local media quit condemning law enforcement and allow them to utilize their core training, this community’s reputation and safety will continue to erode at its’ already alarming rate."

(submitted by a taxpayer and voter)