Neighbors unite
to reclaim park
By LESLIE FARRIS
0( the Emerald
Residents of the West Univer
sity neighborhood are gathering
forces to reclaim their park.
About 50 neighbors met
Wednesday to discuss how to
stop harassment by vagrants in
the West University Neighbor
hood Park on 14th Avenue
between Hilyard and Patterson
Streets. The 3-year-old park al
ways has been a hot spot for
vagrants, Eugene police say,
but this spring the problem has
worsened.
David Lutes, a member of the
park’s design team, reminded
those attending the park is
owned by the neighborhood —
not the city — and it’s up to
residents to determine how the
park should be used.
“The police can't be here 24
hours a day, so now the problem
rests with you,” Lutes said. “It’s
a small park, so it's possible for
a small group to monopolize it.
This other group has been
claiming territory every spring,
and now we’ve got to reclaim it
as our own.”
Neighbors listed numerous
incidences of panhandling and
verbal harassment. Some said
they were physically threatened
and “shaken down" by vagrants
at the park.
Pam Ford, neighborhood
crime prevention coordinator,
said men at the park have torn
up plants, smashed bottles in
the fireplace and destroyed the
latticework around the arbor.
She said people have been
forced to leave the park under
physical threat and have had
knives pulled on them.
The neighborhood associa
tion voted last year to ban al
coholic beverages from the
park. But Sgt. Rick Allison, di
rector of Eugene Police law en
forcement in the University
area, said he ticketed about 10
vagrants last week for drinking
in the park.
“As a result, when we got
there we had people coming out
of the woodwork telling us
about being harassed, threat
ened and intimidated,’’ Allison
said. “We suggested they ar
range a meeting with their
neighbors to talk about how to
deal with the problem as a
group.”
And that was the solution
mentioned most often during
the meeting — confronting the
problem as a group.
Allison said people some
times fear retaliation, and so are
reluctant to report harassment
and identify a vagrant.
But Allison said that rarely
happens because vagrants are
warned that such action will on
ly worsen their problems. Alli
son suggests "you call your
neighbors, then come out as a
group so you have numerous
witnesses.”
He also encourages people to
contact the police rather than
confront a vagrant directly,
because many drink and may
get violent.
Other suggestions offered
were closing the park at night,
establishing a neighborhood
communications network, and
distributing distress whistles.
But all agreed the most
crucial solution was high
visibility. “We have to let them
know this is our park, and we're
here to stay,” one neighbor
said.
Another meeting will be held
in the park Sunday at 2 p.m. All
are welcome.
tthiVi ' i'
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APRIL
Frl 3 The Thief of Bagdad*
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
Sat 4 Alien
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:30
Sun 5 The Cameraman & Sons of the
Desert*
180 PLC 7:30
Fri 10 The Duellists
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:00
Sun 12 Ball of Fire*
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
Fri 17 Kramer vs Kramer
EMU Ballroom 7:00 & 9:15
Sun 19 Monkey Business*
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
Fri 24 The Godfather
150 Geol 8:00
Sat 25 The Godfather, Part Two
150 Geol 8:00
Sun 26 Mad Wednesday*
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
CLIP & SAVE
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MAY
Fri 1 “10”
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:30
Sun 3 It’s A Gift & I’m No Angel*
180 PLC 7:30
Fri 8 Being There
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:30
Sun 10 You Can’t Take It With You
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:15
Sat 16 Apocalypse Now
EMU Ballroom 6:30 & 9:30
Sun 17 Road to Utopia4
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
Fri 29 Rocky II
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:30
Sun 31 Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation4
180 PLC 7:00 & 9:00
JUNE
Fri 5 Rocky and Bullwinkle4
150 Geol 7:00 & 9:00
Admission-$1.25
4Indicates 75 cent tickets available
for children under 12 years of age