LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019
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only one car, Noranna
sometimes is unable to get
there. The older girls take a bus
to school, but the bus to Head
Start does not come to the area
to pick up the youngest. To keep
Noranna from falling behind,
Kristina has utilized her craft-
ing skills to create activities and
toys to help teach her daughter
the alphabet and colors, in ad-
dition to getting activity books
from the Center for Human
Development and totes with
learning materials from Cook
Memorial Library.
When the family was living
in the motel, Kristina said she
would like to give back someday,
once their situation improved.
Even though she can’t mon-
etarily give back yet, she said
she refers people to services that
might be of help to those in a
similar situation. With all of the
family’s items out of storage, she
said they plan to donate what
they don’t need anymore and
COMMUNITY
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2802 Adams Ave., La
Grande, 541-963-3186
CENTER FOR HUMAN
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2301 Cove Ave., La Grande,
541-962-8800
DEPARTMENT OF HU-
MAN SERVICES
1607 Gekeler Lane, La
Grande, 541-963-4113
she will do her best to ensure the
items go to a non-profi t organi-
zation.
Kristina said she feels blessed
by the people who have reached
out to them during this time,
including her aunt and a family
friend — Diana Breese, whom
the family calls Mama Dee —
plus organizations such as local
churches, CCNO and CHD.
Not having to celebrate the
holidays in a motel room is per-
haps the biggest blessing of all.
Observer fi le photo
The Fitzpatrick family lived in a motel until September, when they were able to rent a home in La Grande.
CONCERT
Continued from Page 1A
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Red dresses could be seen in the center of EOU’s Cam-
pus to honor and raise awareness of missing or mur-
dered indigenous women across the United States and
Canada.
RED
Continued from Page 1A
hundreds of red dresses,
Black displayed them in pub-
lic spaces to bring attention
to the number of indigenous
women and children who
have been murdered or are
missing.
Schools across Canada and
the United States followed
Black’s idea, hanging red
dresses on trees on their
campuses. Flyers at EOU’s
display explain: “In many
tribes, red is known to be the
only color that spirits see,
by wearing red, we hope to
call back the missing spirits
of our women and children.”
The dresses hung on trees
in the center of campus until
Tuesday.
Katie Harris Murphy,
Native American program
coordinator at Eastern,
said the students who were
involved with the program
began sharing content online
in an effort to bring aware-
ness to the issue.
“The whole purpose of
this project is so people are
aware this is happening,”
Murphy said. “It is so people
say, ‘Wow, four out of fi ve in-
digenous women experience
violence today.’”
Murphy said part of the
problem of getting justice
in cases of missing or slain
American Indian women
stems from how tribal govern-
ments and the U.S. govern-
ment interact, but steps are
underway toward breaking
down those barriers.
U.S. Attorney General
William Barr announced
last week the launch of the
Missing and Murdered In-
digenous Persons Initiative,
a national strategy to help
combat the crisis.
The Department of Justice
is investing an initial $1.5
million to hire 11 special
coordinators in 11 U.S. at-
torney’s offi ces across Indian
Country, including in Oregon,
to work with local, state,
federal and tribal agencies to
develop common protocols in
response to reports of a miss-
ing or murdered indigenous
person. The fi rst coordina-
tor already is at work in
Montana.
Locally there have been
cases of missing and mur-
dered indigenous people,
including Leona LeClair Lin-
sey, who went missing from
La Grande in 1999. Murphy,
who is from Pendelton and
part of the Umatilla Tribe,
shared that four of her own
family members have been
murdered. She said there
are larger families who have
suffered more tragedy.
“This has been happening
for hundreds of years, and
nobody has cared or looked
into it. They weren’t doing
anything,” Murphy said.
“There was no data or statis-
tics about it until recently.”
According to a study done
by the Urban Indian Health
Institute, 5,712 cases of
missing indigenous women
and girls were reported in
2016. Of those, only 116 were
logged into the Department
of Justice’s missing persons
database.
“I hope people realize,”
Murphy said, “that there are
people to reach out to if they
ever see anything happen
and to consciously be aware
this is happening in the com-
munity.”
invested about $28,000 to purchase the
collection of instruments last year.
“(The district) could see the progress
of the program and what we were do-
ing without the instruments,” Mur-
phey said. “They were excited to have
something unique that no other school
district has, and the school board had
faith in me.”
Elgin High School is the only high
school in the state with a Calypso
band. For some students, this was one
of the reasons they joined. While many
students had previous music experi-
ence, the steel drums offered a new
kind of sound and an opportunity to
learn something new.
Senior Dawson Larman said he has
been part of the Calypso band since it
began because he wanted to be part of
the new improvements that are going
on at the school.
“My favorite part of the band is that
you don’t have to be really skilled to do
it, and it’s a really open place to come
and learn stuff,” Larman said.
Many of the students said the excit-
ing and uplifting style of music is part
of the fun of the group. While tradi-
tional bands often focuses on classical
music, the students said the songs they
play in the Calypso band are more
modern and uplifting.
“I can come in here, and even if I am
having the worst day, this type of mu-
sic is so upbeat, it just brings my mood
up,” senior Ian Adams said.
Not all of the instruments in the
band are steel drums. Senior Kenneth
DEER
Continued from Page 1A
makes them “someone else’s
problem.”
Eddy said if the city
were to use lethal means
of removal, it would have
to contact the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture’s Wildlife
Services unit.
Union’s city councilors
neither voiced objections nor
support of Flint’s proposal.
Union’s large deer popula-
tion is a long-standing issue.
Timothy Cox of Union told
the city council at its Sept. 9
meeting he was concerned
with how deer are becom-
ing more bothersome. Cox
urged the council to address
the issue before someone is
seriously injured. He said the
deer had gotten worse since
he and his family moved to
Union two years ago, explain-
ing deer are getting tamer.
Cox said once a doe was
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Students who are part of the Elgin High School Calypso band prepare
Tuesday during class for The Observer’s upcoming Holiday Music Festival
at Eastern Oregon University.
Mattson plays a tradition drum set with
the group for the current set of songs.
Mattson has played drums for the
last six years and has been part of the
Calypso band since its fi rst year. He said
the different type of rhythm needed for
this band’s music is what provides him a
new opportunity to learn.
“It can be a challenge, but I really
enjoy it,” he said. “Plus it is nice to
broaden my horizons.”
Mattson said his favorite moments
are when everyone comes together and
their sounds blend to make a song.
“Every now and then I look up
from my music and realize, this isn’t
a recording, this isn’t in a studio, it is
live,” the Elgin senior said. “It is pretty
amazing when that happens.”
The Elgin Calypso band will
perform three numbers indepen-
dently and accompany the chamber
and community choirs for another
number during the Dec. 7 and 8
performances at Eastern Oregon
University’s McKenzie Theatre. Con-
cert tickets are $10 for adults and
$8 for students and seniors and are
available now online at www.eou.edu/
music/ and at Red Cross Drug Store
and the EOU Bookstore.
Among the selections is an arrange-
ment of “Santa Baby.” According to a
news release from Eastern Oregon
University, Murphey created his song
selection with the intent of represent-
ing the holidays while staying true to
the feel of the Caribbean.
following his daughter and
Flint said he is not
would not leave her until he
optimistic that Union will
drove his vehicle between
be able to ever successfully
them. On another occasion,
address its deer problem.
he was riding his bike with
The mayor said he has
the family’s dog when a
talked to people in cities who
deer began following him.
have lived with nuisance
Cox said the deer got within
deer for 40-50 years. In many
10-15 feet of him. He said he instances they have had
had to toss a rock at it before little advice to offer, telling
it would leave.
him only, “Good luck.”
Cox attended Monday’s
Councilor Susan Hawkins
work session and again
voiced a similar feeling of
encouraged the council to
pessimism. Hawkins said
address the problem while
she believes even if every
mentioning he believes the
deer in Union was removed,
deer put people at risk.
“they will be back next year.”
Community member Gary
Flint added the education
Graham expressed a differ-
option at the suggestion of
ing view of the deer.
City Administrator Doug
“We should learn to live
Wiggins, who said people
with them,” he said.
could be taught how to plant
He said one benefi t of the
certain types of vegetation
presence of deer is they help
reduce the speed of drivers
in Union. Graham said deer www.CountrysideSheds.com
have been better at slow-
ing traffi c in town than the
council has.
FAMILY
OWNED
in their gardens to keep deer
away. Flint added people
could learn about the im-
portance of not leaving foods
such as apples in their yards
because that attracts deer.
The mayor also said gaug-
ing public opinion about the
deer will be a tricky process.
If only 50 people return a
survey, for example, he said,
it wouldn’t mean the remain-
der of Union’s residents feel
the same way.
“It is not an easily solvable
issue,” Flint said.
They mayor said he
believes deer will keep com-
ing into Union as long as
there are predators such as
cougars and wolves in area
forests, forcing them to move
into town for safety.
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