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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2022)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2022 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Every vote counts Election 2022 primary: How to register, vote, learn about candidates Staff report Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK There’s not a presidential election in 2022, but voters still have plenty to turn out for, from seats in the Oregon Capitol to Congress. On May 17, voters across Marion County will have a chance to weigh in on the U.S. Senate and U.S. House; Oregon races for governor, state representatives and senators; and seats on the boards of commissioners. In some cases, voters will select party nominees. In others, they may narrow the field before the November election. Here’s what you need to know about registering, vot- ing and what will be on the primary ballot. Check your voter registration People can check their voter registration status at the state’s My Vote page, bit.ly/or-check-voter-reg. My Vote also lets people quickly update their registration if they’ve moved, had a name change or want to update their political affiliation. Oregon has closed primaries, meaning if you want to vote on a party’s nomination, you need to identify as part of that political party. People who are unaffiliated with any political party still can vote on nonpartisan seats. Other than the Commissioner of the Oregon Bu- reau of Labor and Industries, state-level seats are par- tisan. All federal seats on the ballot are partisan. People who aren’t already registered to vote can reg- See PRIMARY, Page 4A Day of Service Leading the effort Local kids offer plan to eliminate youth homelessness Dianne Lugo Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK To eliminate youth homelessness in the Marion- Polk region, the community must better identify at- risk and unaccompanied youth, expand prevention strategies and entry processes to link youth to ser- vices, and urgently needs more permanent and tran- sitional housing. That’s what dozens of community partners and homeless youth have determined after six months of drafting the Coordinated Community Plan, which they have submitted to the U.S. Department of Hous- ing and Urban Development for approval. HUD awarded the Marion-Polk region a $3.7 mil- lion grant to help combat a growing crisis of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. If the proposal for spending that money is ap- proved, community partners could soon begin fund- ing projects designed to fulfill the outlined recom- mendation. The Youth Homeless Demonstration Program grant was awarded to 33 communities across the na- tion in this round. It was the first time Marion and Polk counties were successful in getting the funding. For the past six months, the Youth Action Board, also known as Backbone, has led the effort to deter- mine how the region should spend the funds. The board is made up of 18 youth members who have all experienced homelessness. The name of the group, Backbone, acknowledges how the circumstances of homelessness forced members to grow a backbone very young and also re- flects the group’s commitment to using their now- strong backbones to make a difference, said Mar- ianne Bradshaw, a Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless Alliance consultant who led the planning process. Thousands in need The goal is to provide additional assistance to the 5,800 youth at risk of homelessness in Marion Coun- ty. They make up 14% of the county’s total youth pop- ulation. There are an additional estimated 1,100 at- risk youth in Polk County. And then there are about 1,540 youth ages 13-24 already experiencing homelessness in the region, ac- cording to data and research from local government and advocacy groups. Youth of color are over-represented among those experiencing homelessness, according to the report. According to 2020 Census data, the total popula- tion in Marion and Polk counties is 25% Hispanic/ Latinx, 22% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.4% Pacific Island- er or Hawaiian Native, and 10.6% two or more races. But youth experiencing homelessness were 34.4% Hispanic/Latinx, 3.6% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.8% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 10.1% Other (often multiracial). The plan also outlines an effort to direct additional action to youth and young adults that are members of the LGBTQ community. Using data from a 2019 Ore- gon community college survey, the report estimates 20-25% of young adults in the region identify as a part of the LGBTQ community. In the survey, 27% of bisexual students and 23% of gay and lesbian stu- dents reported experiencing homelessness in the past year. About 18% of heterosexual respondents re- ported experiencing homelessness. Other special populations identified in the report include survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation, youth in the justice system, and youth in the child welfare or foster care system. Thursday was César Chávez Day of Service and Learning, a federal holiday held on the anniversary of Chávez's birth to honor his leg- acy. Chávez was a labor leader and civil rights activist. In honor of the day, volunteers gathered with state park rangers at Silver Falls State Park to work on the new North Rim Trail. The trail will offer a new viewpoint of the 136-foot North Falls. Volunteer Scott Quireco and park ranger Matt Palmquist work on the new North Rim trail on Thursday. Youth-led plan PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL Extremism report: More prevention needed Claire Withycombe Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The breach of the Oregon Capitol days before Christ- mas in 2020 and the hours-long standoff with police capped a year of heightened politically-motivated vio- lence, auditors said Wednesday. In an advisory report released Wednesday, auditors say the state could do more to prevent these events from happening and improve coordination between levels of government and different agencies fighting the threat of extremist acts. Oregon ranks 27th among states in population, but came in sixth among states for violent extremist attacks between 2011 and 2020, auditors said, citing data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Earlier this month, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported there were 10 active hate groups in Oregon, and that extremist ideas were moving further into main- stream politics. These threats have “become increasingly complex and volatile,” auditors wrote Wednesday, with people using social media and websites to propagate “extrem- ist narratives and activity.” State law doesn’t define or criminalize domestic vio- lent extremism. Auditors suggested Oregon consider looking to other states that define domestic violent ex- tremism or “terroristic acts” in their laws and which can mean the state can charge offenders if federal stan- dards aren’t met. Federal law defines domestic terrorism as “acts dan- gerous to human life” that are illegal, primarily take place on US soil and appear to intend to influence a gov- ernment or intimidate people. Auditors also said that domestic acts of terror can News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries See HOMELESSNESS, Page 3A See EXTREMISM, Page 4A Vol. 141, No. 16 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Bradshaw emphasized that the plan was youth- led. The planning team began meeting in December and met every Thursday, taking the big picture vision and values and creating a solid community plan, said Kloi Spencer, President of Backbone. “We had an original vision and mission statement and as the youth action board revised it, we edited it to what we really wanted to see in the community,” Spencer said. The adults like Bradshaw or Tricia Frizzell, Pro- gram Director at Community Action Agency’s Home Youth Services, helped the youth meet deadlines and plan agendas but the youth “are doing the thing,” Spencer said. There are youth as young as 11 on the board and as Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal ©2022 50 cents Printed on recycled paper QEAJAB-07403y HOME Youth Services offers a safe space for youth ages 11 to 18. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL