The local prisoner support collective Break
The Chains is distributing a letter protesting what
the group sees as unfair and biased media cover-
age of an International Day of Solidarity for pris-
oner Jeffrey “Free” Luers, who is serving a 23-
year sentence for burning three SUVs at a
Romania dealership. The month of June marks
the fourth year of his imprisonment.
The Day of Solidarity June 12 included a
WOW Hall gathering and benefit to support
Luers’ legal fund. But Break the Chains says
local mainstream media didn’t question “the
FBI’s attempts to portray this public event as an
‘eco-terrorist’ gathering sponsored by the Earth
Liberation Front (ELF).”
“In the lead-up to the Day of Solidarity the
FBI put out a press release to media outlets, po-
lice departments, car dealerships, construction
companies, and logging companies saying that
they should be on high alert for ‘eco-terrorist’
groups using the event as a jumping off point.
The press release went on to say that Jeff is a
‘convicted eco-terrorist and member of the ELF.’
This was faithfully reproduced in The Register-
Guard and other corporate media outlets.”
The statement says “none of the groups con-
nected with the International Day of Solidarity
has any connection to the ELF. That is a com-
pletely baseless and absurd charge. Break The
Chains is a prisoner support collective dedicated
to providing help to a class in this society that is
often powerless and voiceless: the two million
people in American jails and prisons. The
FBI attempted to connect Break The
Chains to the ELF in order to dis-
credit our collective and limit
the effectiveness of the June 12
event. By not engaging in in-
dependent corroboration, the
Joanie
R-G collaborated in this at-
McGowan
tempt.” The R-G editorial man-
agement did not respond to an EW
request for comment by press time.
The group says the purpose of the Day of
Solidarity was to “demonstrate our frustration
with [Luers’] sentence of 22 years and eight
months in prison, when no physical harm was
done to anyone.” — TJT
MCGOWAN RECOVERING
FROM ASSAULT, SURGERY
Ashland political theater activist Joanie
McGowan is back on her feet doing stand-up
comedy and her alleged assailant Coleman
Nelson has been arraigned on a charge of second-
• For years we’ve been drumming out the tedious message that PeaceHealth’s hospital
development plans were ill-conceived, overly ambitious and legally flawed. Meanwhile,
those plans had to be taken seriously since they were backed with many millions of dol-
lars, eager Springfield city officials and a team of hot-shot lawyers. Rival McKenzie-
Willamette/Triad had little choice but to react to the threat of a mega-hospital next
door and advance a plan to move its hospital to Eugene. Now that the Oregon Court of
Appeals has set back indefinitely PeaceHealth’s plans, we’re stuck with the absurd
prospect of Eugene having two major hospitals, and Springfield none. Call us dreamers,
but this would be an excellent time for the executive committees of the two hospital
boards to sit down together, set aside all their pretty drawings, re-read their mission
statements and ask some basic questions: What can we do together to best meet the
short-term and long-term medical needs of our metropolitan area? How can we work
together to make sure both cities have excellent facilities strategically located to serve
their respective populations? At last resort, the two CEOs can flip a coin. The winner
gets to build a big regional medical center in Glenwood, and each hospital maintains ER
and basic care facilities in the two city centers. If PeaceHealth wins the toss, it can part-
ner up with UO and OHSU to dedicate part of its Hilyard campus to medical training
programs.
• Starting in EW this week is a new occasional columnist, Scott Thiemann, who writes
degree assault.
McGowan, a regular on Eugene stages, was
attacked by a drunk young man on the streets of
Ashland the night of June 2 and sustained a frac-
tured skull, requiring reconstructive surgery (see
Slant 6/10). Ironically, her alleged attacker grad-
uated last week from SOU with a degree in crim-
inal justice. McGowan says Nelson has
“no memory” of the incident.
Friends and supporters have
raised more than $6,000 to help
McGowan with her out-of-
pocket medical expenses. Any
leftover funds will go toward
establishing a hotline for attack
victims in Ashland. McGowan
is also reaching out to other
D
ND
LA
women in the area who have been as-
AS H
saulted and have been afraid to report it.
— TJT
ID
IN
GS
Residents at the house known as The Alamo,
at 426 E. 12th Ave., have been evicted in what
they feel is a move to gentrify their west univer-
sity neighborhood. The Alamo is one of several
rental properties owned by the late Fred Rankin,
who died in February. The properties, part of
Rankin’s estate, are now managed by Sterling
Management Group, Inc.
Speidel and his roommates had hoped to sign
a lease with Sterling. However, after inspections,
Sterling deemed the residence too great a liability
and felt the safest move was to vacate the prop-
erty. Sterling owner Jami Sterling-Counard ex-
plains that because of its rundown condition, the
residence is difficult to insure and is “just too
great a liability … we don’t want to see anyone
get hurt.” (The properties, says Sterling-
Counard, were left by Rankin to be sold, with the
profits going to charitable trusts.) Alamo resi-
dents were given 30 days notice with what
Sterling-Counard hoped would be enough time
to finish out the school year. Rent was due within
those 30 days, and after failing to pay, residents
were evicted June 22 with 72 hours notice.
Speidel says that under Rankin, maintenance
had definitely been “let go.” But, at $750 a month
rent, the house, with its central location and space
for roommates, was a bargain. “The plumbing is
bad,” concedes Speidel, noting a drainpipe in the
basement that needs regular attention to prevent
sewage backup into the house.
The Alamo highlights, once again, Eugene’s
affordable housing issues. Speidel says, “There
are no housing standards in Eugene. Landlords
can come in and do what they want to us. Feels
like they’re really shafting us.”
At the urging of Eugene Citizens for Housing
Standards, the Eugene City Council is working
on an ordinance based on a Corvallis program
that works with tenants and landlords to explore
all options for complaint resolution before using
the court system. Councilor David Kelly says
that on May 24, the council voted unanimously
to draft the ordinance, which they will review by
Aug. 11, and prepare for public hearing in the fall
when students — a major part of the 54,000
renters in Eugene — will be back to voice their
opinions.
This, however, does little to ease pressing sit-
uations for Alamo residents. Neva Gruber, 23, an
artist who was hoping to be added to the lease,
says, “I’m going to be homeless and living in my
van. The plan? Get the tire on my van fixed and
maybe go camping or something.”
— Bobbie Willis
LY
T
LUERS SUPPORT GROUP
OBJECTS TO COVERAGE
AI
ALAMO RESIDENTS
GET THE BOOT
HEMPFEST MAY NEED
TO FIND NEW LOCATION
Leave it to hemp to generate controversy.
The second annual Emerald Empire
Hempfest was meant to be a gathering to raise
awareness about the positive — and legal — uses
of hemp at the Washington-Jefferson Street Park
July 17-18. Instead, after Eugene officials denied
the Hempfest’s organizers a permit, saying drug
use and dealing at last year’s festival posed an
“unreasonable danger” to the community, the
celebration may turn into a legal battle involving
the ACLU and the city.
Hempfest Executive Director Dan Koozer
called the threat the celebration poses “preposter-
ous” and said that he met with ACLU lawyers on
June 21 and that he plans to appeal the city’s de-
cision. “Our argument is: How many other pub-
lic events generate the same kind of activity?”
Koozer said..”It shows how ridiculous things are;
all of these problems over the use of a plant.”
Organizers have 15 days from June 16 to an-
nounce their intention to appeal, said Johnny
Medlin, director of parks and open spaces in
Eugene. Then, the Hempfest case would be ar-
gued before a hearings official within 30 days.
But with less than a month to go before the
Hempfest, Medlin said the process would be
dealt with as quickly as possible.
Medlin said the parks division’s decision to
deny the permit came from a “judgment call” by
the Eugene police that the festival was a danger
to the community. While there were no arrests,
plain-clothes police officers did document at
least two cases of drug dealing, said police
spokeswoman Pam Olshanski.
Koozer said the Hempfest may be relocated
to private property, but “changing the venue at
this late date isn’t ideal.” — Andrea Damewood
about his experiences as a man who happens to be gay in rural western Oregon.
Thiemann’s “Out in the Country” column has run in several small papers, most recently
the Port Orford News. But Port Orford Editor Matt Hall tells us he was forced to drop
Thiemann’s column due to advertising pressure. Ad revenues are down and he “can’t
say exactly how much was the result of Scott’s column,” but he kept getting “friendly
words of advice” and “concerned queries” from readers. “Our margin isn’t strong
enough that I can sink the ship over principal,” he says. “If nothing else, we broke the
ice. Small town, some folks just weren’t ready for it.”
• So Dr. John Kitzhaber has come out of political hibernation with a science-based plan
to protect watersheds and perhaps end the Northwest’s logging gridlock. Does that
mean our popular former governor is back to fight for the environment, the Oregon
Health Plan, and other causes close to his heart? Next question: If Gov. Ted decides this
job is no fun and he doesn’t want to run again, could Dr. John go for the governorship
again? The secretary of state’s office says he could.
• Our local District Attorney Doug Harcleroad has a tough job, but if he can’t handle
stings he should abandon bee-keeping. Harcleroad has shown some serious lapses in
judgement over the years regarding selective prosecution and now he’s “burned out”
and wants six months off before he starts his next four-year term. Let’s find somebody
more worthy of the public trust.
JUNE 24, 2004 7