r
Eugene vulnerable
to gang violence
Eugene may have been terribly footed.
A woman who was an outspoken opponent of gangs
has been arrested for some of the same activities she
preached against. Mary Louise Thompson is accused of
nelping plot the ghastly murder of Aaron Hurra, an 16
year-old gang member. Iturra was shot in the head bv 17
year-old fames Elstad while sleeping in a garage Wd
room at his Eugene home last fall.
Iturra was supposed to testify against Thompson's son
in a criminal hearing. Thompson's son also was a gang
member and police now consider Thompson a gang
associate.
Thompson's arrest, regardless of whether she is guilty,
should bo a sobering wake up call for local residents. No
one likes to believe that gangs could shake up a nice
community like Eugene, but we need to face the reality
that we are not immune to gang violence Wo can't
always be fooled by nic e appearances
Thompson was trusted by police and the media to
serve as an expert on gang behavior She was viewed by
many as a credible source and she used the story of her
son's experience with gangs to convince people that
gangs are a serious problem for Eugene. In fact, she was
.1 i baiter member of the i itv's (Jang Prevention Task
Force,
If she is found guilty of helping plan the murder, she
also will be guilty of deceiving an entire community. Her
possible crimes make others feel naive and foolish for
trusting her. Her arrest affects the credibility of all oth
ers who speak out against gangs.
Speakers at a University seminar this weekend said
it's not uncommon for gang associates to join outreach
programs or speak out against gangs in ordor to be an
information link to the rest of the gang. These people
could be young women or family members whose
appearances don't link them to the gangs. This could ho
the unfortunate case with Thompson.
If she is guilty, her association with her son's gang
will have proved that gongs are infiltrating our commu
nity — not just the bad areas of cities like Portland and
Los Angoies. Gang associates could be anywhere, and
they don't have to look like the stereotypical gang mem
ber to be one. The crimes they plot could be devastat
ing for Eugene,
Although we will probably never fall victim to the
deadly drive by shootings that plague LA, we need to
consider the serious threats posed by gang activity. Itur*
ra s death may by a terrifying forewarning of what’s to
come.
The credibility and trust Thompson had gained in the
community proves that anyone could be affected bv the
Incredible Influence of gangs. This isn't just a problem
for large cities.
Eugene needs to try to preserve a safe environment.
That won’t be possible unless people realize the threats
we face.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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■ OPINION
Valentine’s Day expensive, waste of time.
Gayle Forman
If I see another pink heart, I
swear I'm going to puke
Rotes, balloons, candies,
stuffed teddy bears and dumb
little Hallmark slogans Boy. do
I hate this holiday
Valentine's Day It's come a
long way from its origins as n
pagan love fest These days it’s
more like a spend first But I ask
someone to tell me just where
that love has gone in that whole
Valentino's scheme of things
It used to be such a lovely and
loving holiday — back in kinder
garten We'd make cards for our
mommies and daddies from con
struction paper, lace doilies and
finger paint Then on the day
itself, the whole class would dis
tribute little-bitty i arris to the rest
of the class. You either had to
give a card to everyone or not
give a card to anyone If you were
really lucky and had a nice
teacher, you would have a party
with pink, frosted heart-shape
cookies and purple Hi-C.
Once you hit puberty howev
er. Valentine's Day becomes a
hell of alienation and self-doubt.
If* the true separation of the
haves and have nots Anybody
who is — gasp — single is made
to feel less than human on this
holiday. Folks who don't have a
"somebody special" are outcasts;
they have no place in the fuzzy,
pink consumer world occupied
by the in-love elite As February
begins — and the images of love,
happiness and romance roll on
in — lovebirds tome together and
then go broke.
Because Love American '90s
Style carries a pretty hefty price
tag. A one-pound box of choco
lates in a red, velvet heart box
c osts $22 A dozen long-stemmed
roses will put you back about
$60. A nice dinner for two $50
to $60 Couples rare around, try
ing to prove — and pay for —
their love for each other. Love is
measured by the size of the
stuffed Ixmir, the quality of the silk
stocking and the c ontents inside
the pink, heart candy box.
Love American '90s Style is
reserved and celebrated only on
one day a year On Feb. 14.
hordes of couples will feign a
kind of love and romance that
they don't really possess. And
they'll have to spend half-a
week's pay to do so.
Supposedly, great numbers of
unhappy people kill themselves
around Christmas every year,
done in by depression and lone
liness 1 haven't heard any such
macabre statistic for lonely hearts
around Valentine's Day. but 1
wonder how many couples break
up under the strain of the holi
day How many people just can't
live up to the expectations put
upon them by Hallmark? Do peo
ple who feel contented with their
partner for the other 364 days of
tlMt year suddenly feel inadequate
because they only got six roses
instead of a dozen?
I'll spend my Valentine's Day
watching other couples try to
shove a year's worth of love into
an evening I'll he waiting tables
Crowds of people will corne to
the restaurant where I work and
spend a lot of money they don't
have on a meal Many will be
exhausted after a long day —
Tuesday has got to be the least
romantic day of the week — and
couples would probably prefer
spending a quiet evening at
home, relaxing They will order
wine that they don't actually like
and a meal that ordinarily would
lie ouite delicious, but these folks
will order it without onions, gar
lie and other flavorful ingredi
ents
I'm sorry, but what kind of love
is it that can't withstand a little
garlic pungency? If we are so
scared of bad breath, how can we
ever achieve any sort of intima
cy? And isn't closeness and inti
macy what such a holiday is sup
posed to be about ?
And why should we save the
all this special treatment for one
measly day? Why can Hallmark
dictate when we do nice things
for each other? I'm all for a
romantic meal, and I'd never turn,
my nose up to a box of choc.Or
lates Hut such niceties mean so
much more to me when I know
that the bestower of such gifts is
spoiling me because he wants to,
because love has moved him to
Not because the season dictates
an ostentatious display of affec
tion
As 1 was talking to people
about my anti-Valentine senti
ments and this column, most
agreed with me, I wonder if any
body really likes Valentine's Day
or if they are just bullied into tel
ehrating it.
Hut chances are, no matter
how much anti-Valentine senti
ment is produced, the holiday
will never go away. So why
don't we all make the best of it
and return to the Valentine's
Days of yore I know it's not real
practical to pass out cards in
■400-person lecture classes, but
maybe in the smaller classes, or
maybe amongst friends. At any
rate, don't save your loving and
generous natures for just this
one day. Be nice everyday. And
for heaven's sake, don’t wear
pink.
Gayle Forman is a columnist for
the Emerald
■ LETTERS POLICY
The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters
containing comments on topics of interest to the University
community.
The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or
style