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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1997)
▼ EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Sarah Kickler MANAGING EDITORS: Ryan Frank & Carl Yeh NIGHT EDITOR: Sarah Kickler EDITORIAL EDITOR: Mike Schmierbach \ w§ editorials, letters, commentary and perspective NEWSROOM: (541) 346-5511 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: (541) 346-3712 BUSINESS OFFICE: (541) 346-5512 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (541)346-4343 Police should explain actions luted “All kids are mar ketable.” Donna Miranda, who runs a child- j modeling agency, on Sunday’s Ac cess Hollywood. j “We’ve moved tram the fake that stands starkly inad equate before the i real to the hyper fake—a fake so big, and so imbued j with the hubris of our society, that it makes the merely real seem puny and yet serves as a‘real’ symbol of a tech nology-addicted, gigantic-minded society.” JonSpayde, writing in the July- j August Utne Reader. “Singles in science j are meeting via Sci- | ence Connection, a ■ OUR OPINION: TheJunel incident deserves investigation and police only look worse by hindering efforts We’ve had it. We wanted to give Eugene police the benefit of the doubt. We considered the possibility that their actions in the June 1 “incident” were justified. We contemplated the possibility that when po lice refused to talk, it was an indication of long-standing problems with management. But now even police supervisors are refus ing to talk, and we think it’s ridiculous. On June 1, mistakes were made. The biggest one was made by Vicki Elmer and the city, deciding to cut down the trees without adequate warning or room for com ment. In her handling of this and later tree incidents, Elmer has made it clear that, for her, community response means we nod our heads while she tells us what to do. This isn’t the fault of police, who were put in the unfortunate position of protecting a poorly thought out city action from a group of justifiably irate protesters. However, at this point things get very ugly. It may be that the protest got out of hand. Many of the people involved have very strong opinions about trees and greenspacess and they tend to be very emotional about chainsaws. Frustrated by a situation where they had little power, the people on the scene probably lashed out with unreason RDie iorce. Unfortunately, the police lashed back. By spraying protesters with mace and pepper spray and possibly using physical force the police made an even bigger mess out of the situa tion. Of so it seems. Past experience with Eugene police and their re lationship to the community makes it seem likely the police got a little carried away. We live in a town divided between a very radical element and a very traditional, socially conservative core. Police have usually defended that core. This is not the only situation where police ac tions have seemed unreasonable. Earlier crack downs on 13th Avenue have selected people for “attention” because of traits associated with an al ternative lifestyle. Many of these policies were initiated by the city, but when the city council closed the park on 14th Avenue and banned dogs and skateboards, the po CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald lice didn’t refuse to enforce the law. They didn’t call the proposals “offensive” and “insulting.” And they didn’t blame the city. They appeared glad to have the increased power. Now, however, when their actions are being chal lenged by an external investigation, they refuse to comment, complain about the investigation and blame Elmer and the city for their actions. Police complain that the investigation is criminal in nature. Well, it should be. If accusations of police brutality are true, they deserve to be responded to in a legal manner. When the city arrests protesters, they are sent through the court system. It’s entirely possible the police are not at fault, or that their actions were justified and legal. And it is true the police and firefighters are not obligated to talk to investigators. However, if police want to uphold their inno cence, they should be willing to talk to investiga tors. If the violent police response was called for, they ought to be able to explain why. An effective relationship between the police and the community relies upon accountability. Citizens expect that, if they are held to the law, police well be as well. By refusing to talk to investigators, po lice are sending the message they are not bound by laws after all. The June 1 protest stemmed from poor relations between the city and the community. We can ex pect further tension unless the police and the city prove willing to improve those relations by being open and answering questions posed to them. This editorial represen tsthe opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses may be sent to ode@ore eon.uoreeon.edu. North America wide social network f for single science professionals and others who enjoy science or nature.” j From an advertise- j ment for a scien tist-oriented dating : service, in the Au- j gust issue ofScien- : tific American. ; “Her truck didn’t j just penetrate the building. It went right inside.” Jackson County \ Fire District 3 j Captainlom \ Brookings, show ing a keen grasp of j the language, as \ quoted in the Mon- l day Register- j Guard. \ Work to strengthen labor unions by supporting strike We are frustrated by the strike by Teamsters against the United Parcel Service. Frus trated by hospital supplies than can’t get where they need to go. Frus trated by the loss of business for many small companies that rely upon shipping. Most of all, we are frustrated because every day, we have to watch a bunch of smug people sit on television and tell all about how inevitable the situation was and how little they can do to resolve it. It’s high time someone got angry and did something. The management of UPS must suffer. That’s right. We wish the UPS strike did n’t have to take place, and we blame man agement for the entire situation. Instead of focusing on the “suffering” caused by the strike and mixing in shots of angry union leaders — thus implicitly placing blame on the Teamsters — like the rest of the media, we think it is important to understand the crucial issues at play in this strike. Above all else, we think it is important to support labor. Business has only gotten bigger over the last couple decades, and in creasingly powerful companies continue to abuse workers in the United States and abroad. Unions represent a critical check against this oppression. The organization of labor might not be the key to socialist revolution, but it is certainly the most effective way for workers to ensure the system functions. Labor can only be strong if people out side the company support unions, howev er. Instead of racing to sign on as scabs for UPS, other workers should think about what it takes to have a good relationship with your employer. If we don’t support the Teamsters in their struggle against UPS, who will support us when we are abused by another big company, too wrapped up in profits to worry about its people? Not only should we not go to work as temporary employees for UPS (should they begin hiring) but we should also uphold the picket lines. The U.S. Postal Service is a viable alternative to the private shipping company. If you have to send something by mail, do so through some other company. Try to avoid using a non-union firm, of course. Finally, President Clinton needs to let the strike take place. People who are call ing for intervention are calling for the death of labor. Not only should the govern ment stay out of negotiations, but Congress should have long ago passed a law prevent ing companies from hiring permanent re placements for striking workers. The UPS strike is not just another oppor tunity to support labor, however. It also il lustrates one of the worst practices in busi ness today. The Teamsters are upset in part because of the high number of part-time workers on the payroll. Part-time workers allow a company to pay fewer or no benefits to a large number of their workers. In addition, part-timers often have a harder time getting promo tions, and are sometimes paid less. All this allows companies to make more money. At UPS, 58 percent of the work force is part time. These workers are paid a base wage of only $8 an hour, which hasn’t been raised in 15 years. Worse, workers report the company is reluctant to advance work ers to full-time positions. The UPS strike illustrates a sad trend in America — the death of labor. Workers are losing benefits, being paid less to work harder. Real wages have dropped. An in creasing number of jobs are part time, pro viding no benefits and inadequate pay. And, despite all this, people show little in clination to support one of the best ways to fight this, unions. Supporting workers is crucial to check ing the profit-oriented abuses of big busi ness. The current strike is a perfect oppor tunity to show your support. Obey the picket lines. Blame management for the de lays. And tell Clinton to stay out of the situ ation. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board.
