Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 2021)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM Meet our Mid-Valley: Juan Carlos Navarro is a voice for immigrants Dianne Lugo | Outbreak Continued from Page 1A other government agencies, includ- ing the Oregon State Hospital, the Oregon State Penitentiary, Jose- phine County Public Works, Yamhill County Public Works and Grants Pass Public Works. Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Raising concerns This is part of a weekly series intro- ducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley com- munity. Juan Carlos Navarro’s catalyst into politics and advocacy was Oregonians’ vote to keep undocumented immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license in 2014. Navarro and his family are from Gua- dalajara, Mexico. He was 3 when his family made the long and dangerous trek to the United States. Navarro was born with cerebral palsy and his parents hoped he would be able to receive better medical treatment in the United States. Family also brought them to the Unit- ed States, first to Sacramento and then to Stayton, where they settled. “They loved Oregon more,” Navarro said. In Marion County, 72.3% of residents voted no on Ballot Measure 88. The measure would have brought relief to Navarro’s undocumented parents and thousands of others, allowing them to legally obtain a license to drive. It was difficult, Navarro said, to real- ize that his own neighbors had likely voted against the measure. “Nearly 75% of people didn't want the safety of my parents and other peo- ple like them. So I was like, ‘I'm gonna do this myself. I'm gonna get involved,’” Navarro said. “And I've been involved since the driver's license bill.” He began working as an advocate, at- tending rallies and speaking in front of lawmakers in an effort to pass legisla- tion that would benefit Oregon’s immi- grant community. In 2019, he was among the thousands who celebrated Oregon’s passage of House Bill 2015, which eliminated the requirement that applicants show proof of legal status to get a driver's license. He also joined Oregon’s DACA Coali- tion early in its formation. Former President Barack Obama es- tablished the Deferred Action for Child- hood Arrivals, or DACA, program to shield some people who were brought to the United States as young children from deportation. Feeling like they had no say, young DACA recipients in the state formed the coalition in response to the 2016 presi- dential election, Navarro said. “It was a form for us to take owner- ship over our own lives,” he said. Navarro, 28, first started as a volun- teer with the coalition. He would even- tually assume a leadership position with the group. Through the group, Navarro advocat- ed for a clean DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is legislation that proposes perma- nent protections and a pathway to citi- zenship to undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors. Im- migrants like Navarro have urged for a "clean" bill that removes provisions such as requirements for increased bor- der security, more detention centers or At a July 14 meeting of the Marion County commissioners, multiple employees raised concerns about the rise of variants of COVID-19, how the employees had successful- ly transitioned to at-home work and the threat they faced due to pre-ex- isting conditions. The Oregon Health Authority re- ported the first case in the county’s Health and Human Services De- partment was on July 21. Between then and Aug. 24, it grew to seven cases. That department includes the public health division, which was responsible for contact tracing dur- ing the pandemic. According to the complaint, the county rejected the union’s health and safety proposals on Aug. 13 and has refused to bargain with the union about the policy. When the employees returned to the office full-time, face masks were not required in county offices, though they are now as part of Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order. “There’s no reason why they can’t do something, whether it’s limiting capacities or rotating people in or allowing off-site work or whatever they need to do,” Diana Downs, who works in the Tax Assessor’s Office, said. “We’ve been adapting and we’ve been doing our job and doing it to the best of our abilities. There is no reason why we can’t adapt again to have a healthy and safe work envi- ronment on a regular basis, no mat- ter what comes up.” Juan Carlos Navarro, co-founder and leader of Oregon DACA Coalition, advocates for immigrants in the community. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL mandatory E-Verify systems. Navarro has largely focused on out- reach and education about the DACA experience in Oregon. Navarro said the group has offered him a way to find community and learn about others’ experiences. He believes there’s still a misconception about what DACA recipients look like. “There’s a significant portion of our population from Asia, from Africa, from even Europe that are undocu- mented, that are immigrants," he said. "We try to be as inclusive as possible.” “It’s just a really nice place to be. Knowing that we’re all fellows. They’re my fellow immigrants. We face the same fights,” he added. Navarro recently graduated with his master's degree in education from the College Student Services Administra- tion Program at Oregon State Univer- sity. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Oregon University and attended Chemeketa Community Col- lege before that. Now in Aumsville, he’ll begin shift- ing into a mentor and administrative position with the DACA coalition. He currently works as an academic coun- selor. It’s a shift he hopes will allow him to explore what else he is capable of after being a public advocate for years. “I want to be in a position where I can help the community,” Navarro ex- plained. “Whether that's in a higher ed institution where I can help students be the young professionals that they can be or it is in the community fight- ing for immigration rights.” If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email Statesman Journal senior news editor Alia Beard Rau at arau@gan- nett.com. Dianne Lugo is a reporter at the Statesman Journal covering equity and social justice. You can reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com, 503- 936-4811 or on Twitter @DianneLugo. More cases than publicly reported Several county employees say there have been more cases in coun- ty offices than reported. “The people that I’ve talked to in my building, I’ve been contacted because I am a union steward, the HAR OR K W D WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 | 3A only way they’re finding out is be- cause their co-workers are calling and saying, ‘Have you been notified? If not, I’m positive,” Downs said. The Health and Human Services department was publicly identified on the list of workplace outbreaks because it reached the Oregon Health Authority’s threshold of five. The county’s departments are each counted separately. Some employees said they found out about co-workers contracting COVID-19 from each other and not their employer. “How far has it spread?” Downs asked. “We got our own little pan- demic going here.” Employees said an August email from a supervisor in the Health and Human Services Department in- structed employees who have their own offices to leave the door to their offices open at least a foot. ‘I need to take care of my needs’ Trish Straw, who works in the health department, said she con- tracted COVID-19 from a co-worker in August despite being vaccinated. “When you’ve been told, ‘If you don’t like it, go find another job or quit,’ … of course we’re not going to feel valued,” Straw said. “Morale is so low all over the coun- ty. It is bad. People are leaving and they are causing a lot of the staffing crisis in the county.” For the past 12 years, Michelle Rob- erts loved her job. In the past year, she worked through every crisis that has been thrown her way – the coronavirus, wildfires, ice storms, heat waves – and figured out new ways to do her work as a mental health associate, providing support services for chil- dren from home. For most of her career, she insisted she would work in the job until she died. Since returning to the office full-time, she is now counting the days until she retires Sept. 15, 2025. “It doesn’t feel good. I love my cli- ents, but they will go along without me,” Roberts said. “I need to take care of my needs, too, and the county is not doing that.” Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler. ER B V E N S HA EEN SO EASY Art Continued from Page 1A my wife would say, ‘Dinner’s ready’ and I could take a break and pick it up right afterwards," he said. "It helps get my mind off of other things and calms me down because it requires such concen- tration.” Bornzin joined the SAA when he re- tired in 2003 and moved to Silverton af- ter a lifetime of parish ministry to con- gregations around Washington and Oregon, including in Spokane, Coos Bay, Hillsboro and Rockford, Ill. Bornzin self-classifies his as a “life of diversity,” of which the scissor-cut art is but one esoteric facet. He has had a life full of preaching and teaching, an early college start in science engineering, a draftsman, a missile guidance systems staffer, a watercolor/oil/acrylic artist, a novelist and a poet. He has finished and framed 218 pieces of scissor-cut art in what he calls his “60 years of creative output.” Though that output also includes a po- etry collection, books — including three novels — and the paintings, it’s the time-consuming and rewarding art of scissor-cutting that Bornzin said holds a special place in his heart. He uses a pair of $200 scalpel-sharp scissors once used in eye surgeries, sharpening the points on a whetstone when they begin to dull. That, and a hef- ty amount of patience and dedication, are his primary tools. A diary-like self-published booklet titled, “Snippets,” subtitled “An Artist’s Journey,” contains a sampling of his thoughts on art as well as examples of his poetry and sermons. “I just want to do this (exhibition) to share my art so other people go, ‘Wow, look at that!’” he said. “I just want peo- L2501HST • 24.8 Gross HP, † 3-Cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine • 4WD • Hydrostatic Transmission (HST) • Performance-Matched Implements Available w/ LA525 Loader BX2380 w/ LA344 Loader One of Jim Bornzin's multi-colored scissor-cut art works, titled Hiking in the Alps. COURTESY OF JIM BORNZIN ple to come and enjoy it. That’s the joy I get — from other people saying, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that before!’” His 45-piece show at the Borland, titled “Amazing Scissorcuts,” will fea- ture nature categories such as flowers; deer and mountains; Africa; birds; butterflies and dragonflies. Prices for the scissor-cuts he will have for sale at the show run from $100 to $500 or so, he said. His books will also be displayed and sold at the show for $5 for poetry books and $10 per novel. The gallery, located at 303 Coolidge St. in Silverton, will be open for the showing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Freelance writer/photographer Geoff Parks is based in Salem. Have a Silverton story idea? E-mail him at geoffparks@gmail.com. • 21.6 Gross HP, † 3-Cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine • 4WD with Rear Differential Lock Standard • Performance-Matched Implements Available U35-4R1A • 24.8 Gross HP † Kubota Diesel Engine • Deluxe Interior • Wider Entrance • Tight Tail Swing • Deluxe Suspension Seat OES ® MCMINNVILLE 2700 ST. JOSEPH RD. MCMINNVILLE, OR (503) 435-2700 Oregon Equipment Sales OES ® AURORA 19658 HWY. 99 E. HUBBARD, OR (971) 216-0111 800-653-2216 • www.orequipmentsales.com STORE HOURS: Mon–Fri: 8–5 • Sat: 8–Noon FULL SERVICE SHOPS WITH MOBILE CAPABILITIES! $0 DOWN, 0% A.P.R. FINANCING FOR UP TO 84 MONTHS * ON SELECT NEW KUBOTAS *© Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2021. Offer valid for residents within states of CA, AZ, NV, UT, WY, ID, OR, MT and WA only. $0 Down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 84 months on purchases of select new Kubota L, L60 and LX Series equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A.; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Example: 84 monthly payments of $11.90 per $1,000 Financed. Offer expires 12/31/21. Terms subject to change. This material is for descriptive purposes only. Kubota disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this material. For complete warranty, disclaimer, safety, incentive offer and product information, consult your local Dealer or go to KubotaUSA.com/offers. † For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer and the product operator’s manual. Power (HP/KW) and other specifications are based on various standards or recommended practices. K1091-04-145829-13
