Eugene weekly., September 29, 2011, Page 9, Image 9

slant
• Eugene mental health activist Lynne M. Silvi, 48, drove her car through Portland’s
Waterfront Park wall and into the Willamette River early in the morning of Sept. 23. Silvi
was open about her significant mental and emotional problems and was a passionate
advocate for changing the mental health system. She felt like she was “deeply traumatized”
by traditional systems of care, according to David Oaks, director of MindFreedom
International in Eugene.
Silvi was very bright and highly communicative, and through her very personal and
frank writings she gives us a unique look into the horrors and hope of a troubled mind, and
the painful stigma of being labeled “mentally ill.” She found a new home in the local
MindFreedom community where “normal” is broadly defined. “MindFreedom feels like a
reunion of family I never knew before,” she writes. “This connection and encouragement
gives me the courage to speak out. … Today I am medication-free and psychiatrist-free for
the first time.” Find her writings, including her “Open Letter to My Mental Health Therapist”
at www.mindfreedom.org
• Meetings about the development plan for the UO properties in the Walnut Station mixed-
use area (formerly the ODOT and Romania properties) shake out into more parking, not
exactly a surprise, for the short-term. Some interesting ideas do bounce around for the
Romania building, which has historic designation. Fairmount neighbor Karen Alvarado
advocates for a grand art center including artists’ studios, gallery space, etc., with ties to
the UO School of Art, Architecture and Allied Arts, similar to art projects in reclaimed
buildings near some California colleges. What about several movie theaters harking back
to the day when a cinema thrived in that part of Eugene? What else?
• Who doesn’t love dogs? Lane County commissioner candidate and current City
Councilor Mike Clark, apparently. When City Councilor Betty Taylor (owner of a golden
retriever named Lucy) brought up the idea of rescinding the old rule banning dogs on 13th
Avenue near campus, Clark didn’t just disagree, he suggested that the city extend the dog
ban to downtown. Comments on EW’s Facebook page about the proposed pup prohibition
have been almost entirely against a ban, with at least one suggestion to ban Clark instead.
• “Stop bashing teachers” was our favorite advice from Shelley Berman when he spoke to
the City Club of Eugene on Sept. 23. Working superintendent of 4J schools for only two
months, he waded into one controversial area after another. Berman said the “vast
majority of teachers are excellent” and that the best professional development is to put
teachers working together to solve a problem. He cited Finland, now rated the best
educational system in the world, as a country that started investing in the quality of
teachers 30 years ago. Finland does no state testing of students, he added, giving a nod
to the overdue dismantling of No Child Left Behind and its endless testing.
• What’s going on down on Wall Street? Nothing, according to the mainstream media, but
the European press and social media report the Wall Street protests (search for
#occupywallstreet) are heating up. According to occupywallstreet.org the protest is a
leaderless resistance movement made up of “the 99 percent that will no longer tolerate
the greed and corruption of the 1 percent” and is inspired by the Arab Spring tactic of mass
occupation that brought change in Egypt and elsewhere.
Supporters, including Oregon’s Cascade Climate Network, have sent pizzas to help
feed the protesters. Noam Chomsky recently announced solidarity with the protesters,
saying, “Anyone with eyes open knows that the gangsterism of Wall Street — financial
institutions generally — has caused severe damage to the people of the United States (and
the world).” From 200 to 1,500 protesters — the numbers fluctuate — have been camping
out on Wall Street. Police officers pepper-sprayed activists last week causing a public
outcry. At least 80 people have been arrested since the protest started Sept. 17.
SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard
any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com
LIGHTEN UP
BY R A FA E L A L DAV E
As you listen to Tea Party
candidates for president, it
becomes obvious that their
supporters don’t believe in
evolution.
throughout all local and state jurisdictions,
from county commissions to city councils
to special districts, as it relates to a locally
elected official’s abilities to gather
information outside of a public meeting.”
Barnhart tells EW he talked to Fleenor in
August and agreed to consider “whatever
proposal he might have,” but also says, “This
is a complex issue. It is critical that public
business be done in public and it is important
that public officials understand what they
have to do to protect that public access.”
Barnhart says changes in the Open
Meetings Law “need to be considered very
carefully and after full deliberation.” He
says “it is unlikely” that level of scrutiny
could happen in the short session of the
Legislature in February, but it could happen
in the 2013 long session.
Fleenor sent Barnhart and the AG’s
office a list of changes he’d like to see go
before the Legislature. They include “Any
form of communication, discussion,
conversation, dialogue, banter, debate,
exchange of ideas, speech or discourse,
either in person, electronically or otherwise,
in a one-on-one, serial, consecutive, or
sequential manner between members of a
public body, shall be permitted except as
otherwise provided by ORS 192.610 to
192.690.”
His changes also deal with email
correspondence and offer more precise
definitions of words that are already in the
statutes, such as “meeting,” “deliberation,”
“decision,” “executive session” and
“governing body.”
Meanwhile, the Lane County attorney’s
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