letters
TO THE EDITOR
TARGETING THE HOMELESS
Jeff Zekas [Letters, 8/9] denounces
the homeless and their sympathizers with
the typical bitterness and cynicism of a
disillusioned former believer in a cause
he’s now committed to discrediting.
Once, when he “was young and naive,”
Zekas “felt sorry for these miscreants.”
Now that he’s grown up and wise, he sees
that the homeless are in fact “mentally
defi cient” perpetrators of “theft, assault,
and murder.”
Zekas tells a story about his vehicle
being vandalized and broken into while
parked outside Walmart on West 11th.
How does Zekas know those responsible
were homeless? The perpetrators were
more likely housed young drug addicts
who still have the strength and skill to
support their habits by pulling off small
crimes. In many years of working with se-
verely addicted and mentally ill homeless
people, I can say with confi dence most do
not have the skill, strength, organization or
motivation to support themselves or their
habits in this way.
When homeless people do perpetrate
violent or otherwise serious crimes, the
victims are almost always other homeless
people. And while some homeless people
may be a public nuisance, I’m not aware
of one case of a housed person being
physically attacked by a homeless person.
I’m aware of four cases in recent years of
homeless people being killed in Eugene
(three of them by housed persons and
the other by a fellow homeless person).
In two of these cases, housed individuals
specifi cally sought out homeless people
to murder. Given a culture that arguably
encourages violence against the homeless
— with programs such as Bumfi ghts, for
instance — should anyone be surprised
that homeless camps might contain “axes
and knives”? The general population is
armed for protection; why wouldn’t the
homeless be, given the likelihood they will
be targeted for violence?
One mustn’t romanticize the homeless
population — which, like the population at
large, contains plenty of damaged, malad-
justed and, in some cases, predatory indi-
viduals — but some facts just can’t be ig-
nored: Children account for 38 percent of
the total homeless population; 40 percent
of homeless men are military veterans; 65
percent of single homeless individuals suf-
fer from addiction; 26 percent of the home-
less population suffers from a serious psy-
chiatric disorder; families with children are
the fastest-growing segment of the home-
less population. (Statistics provided by the
National Coalition for the Homeless.)
Brenton Gicker
Eugene
BLOWING TOXIC SMOKE
The last line of Aaron Dactyl’s letter
[“Coal Train Hype,” 8/2], “I can’t wait for
the coal train to arrive,” shows that he is
blowing as much toxic smoke as the coal
trains he professes to love.
The fact that coal trains would not
pass the UO campus is cold comfort when
you consider that the trains will travel
south through west Eugene, potentially
impacting many local neighborhoods. The
trains may sit idling and spewing diesel
4
AUGUST 16, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
fumes in the rail yard before heading west
where many people live, work, bike and
enjoy the outdoors. With a pound of coal
dust fl ying off each car of a 150-car train
over each mile, these trains disperse more
toxic debris than any urban community
should bear in any part of town.
The west Eugene streets surrounding
the railyard may be heavily industrialized,
but they are also fi lled with many homes,
as well as schools, playgrounds and
businesses. Coal dust, like other pollutants
already present in west Eugene, is linked to
asthma, emphysema and other respiratory
and pulmonary conditions.
Concerns about water quality in the
Fern Ridge Reservoir and the Coos Bay
ecosystem further emphasize the folly
of trading the health of people and the
environment across the Northwest to
provide coal to the power plants of other
countries.
As a society, we are long overdue
in realizing that creating jobs is not
a carte blanche to generate negative
environmental, health and social impacts.
We must get Americans back to work with
clean energy projects that create jobs.
Ann Kneeland
Eugene
TRAIN-HOPPER
I’m writing in response to the letter
“Coal Train Hype.” The letter [8/2] was
authored by one Aaron Dactyl, who states
that he “can’t wait for the coal trains to
arrive.” A simple Google search of the
author’s name reveals why: He is involved
in the illegal and dangerous practice of train
hopping (see wkly.ws/1c6). No wonder
he is so quick to trivialize the health and
safety of his fellow citizens and our planet.
I wonder how the residents of Trainsong
Neighborhood and River Road area feel
about having their lives dismissed so casu-
ally, particularly given that west Eugene
has some of the worst rates of asthma in the
country due to its abhorrent air quality. A
2006 study by the American Lung Associa-
tion found that Eugene had the seventh-worst
air quality in the country. Moreover, simply
because the trains will be passing mostly
through west Eugene does not mean that fi ne
particulate matter such as coal dust will not
be carried into the university district.
This “not-in-my-backyard” reasoning
advocated by Dactyl is both unethical and
not born out by the facts. The logic behind
going after the trains, rather that the port as
Dactyl suggests, is simple: Transportation
infrastructure is the Achilles heel of the
fossil fuel industry. I can’t speak for others,
but personally I don’t appreciate my health
being threatened or watching our sacred
and living Earth die from climate change
so that Dactyl can continue in engage in his
allegedly criminal activity.
Sebastian Fourier
Eugene
BEARDS ON PARADE
The Eugene Celebration is nearly upon
us, Aug. 24-26. Also coming is the fi rst and
hopefully annual Beard and Moustache
Contest and Parade Entry. Being of the
bearded persuasion, I am quite excited. We
have set the lofty goal of getting 150 folks to
march with us in the parade to celebrate Eu-
gene’s 150th birthday. I am certain there are
far more than 150 hairy folks in our com-
munity, but to honor being all-inclusive, we
welcome all to march with us with real facial
hair or created faux beards! And for fun we
also welcome those so inclined to dress up
as your favorite hairy/bearded person from
history — for example, Abe Lincoln, Walt
Whitman, Santa Claus, Eugene Skinner, ZZ
Top, the Lorax, you get the idea. Come one
come all, make it a bearded family outing.
And no need to be shy as you can cover
up with your fake beard, made of felt,
tree moss, a mop, New Orleans beads,
construction paper.
Applications to enter our contest or sign
up for the parade are at Out On A Limb
Gallery, 191 E Broadway, 11 am to 5 pm
Wednesdays through Sundays, or go to the
Eugene Celebration website to download
the form. Any questions? My email is
rboy@efn.org
Near as I can remember I have not
shaved for 13 years; come see me unfurl
my twisted beard!
Tim Boyden
Eugene
LOVING THE BUNNIES
Saint Francis must be rolling over in his
grave. Just when I think I have seen it all
with regard to animal cruelty, here is this
“rabbit rodeo” [7/26]. Talk about messed
up on every level. From teaching children
cruelty to terrifying the rabbits to breeding
rabbits for such an event — I could go
on and on. Shame on the Cottage Grove
Riding Club for sponsoring such an event.
Rabbits are not bucking broncos, not
that I excuse rodeos of any sort, but come
on! Watching hordes of screaming children
stampede and dive-bomb shy, gentle bunnies
is nauseating. I wept as I watched the video
of this atrocious event. Where have all the
good cowboys gone? What happened to the
lessons taught by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry
and the Lone Ranger? These icons of yore
taught children to be kind to animals. This
Cottage Grove Riding Club must be some
sort of degenerate outfi t.
I moved to Lane County from rural New
Mexico in part because of the relatively
enlightened view this area has towards
critters. How dismaying to fi nd this in my
backyard. I am disgusted. Lane County is
better than this. I suggest the Cottage Grove
Riding Club take a page from Michael Vick
and admit the error of their ways, evolve
and start promoting kindness to animals.
Instead of rabbit rodeos, children could
tour the Red Barn Rabbit Rescue facility
or Greenhill and learn about throwaway,
neglected and abused animals and what it
takes to keep rabbits properly. There is no
shame in being a bunny-hugger.
Karen DeBraal
Springfi eld
LOVING THE WET SPOT
Observing the angry, red national weather
map over the course of this summer with
its triple-digit temperatures, wet blanket
humidity, drought-stricken breadbasket and
tornado-spawning thunderstorms, it occurs
to this guiltily comfortable Eugene resident
that we consistently have the best weather
in the country. We are so green, so cool and
just so darn conscientious that even climate
change can’t touch us. “Track Town U.S.A.”
“A Great City for the Arts and Outdoors.”
Nah! I’ve got your slogan right here:
“Cool, Green ... Eugene!” The wet spot
on the Left Coast.
David Perham
Eugene
TRAGIC NECESSITY
In response to Tamara Barnes’ Aug. 2
letter addressing me personally: Every day
in the U.S., tens of thousands of puppies
and kittens are born. Compare this to the
nearly 11,000 human births each day, and
it’s clear that there can never be enough
homes for all these animals. Shelters are
stuck with the heartrending job of dealing
with animals nobody wants. Those who
refuse to spay and neuter their animals,
who abandon animals when they grow
tired of them and who patronize pet shops
instead of adopting stray or shelter animals
make euthanasia a tragic necessity.
Curtis Taylor
Eugene
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
As most readers are aware, Greenhill
Humane Society took over kennel and
adoption operations from Lane County
Animal Services (LCAS) on July 1. The
shelter is in the former LCAS site and has
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