NEWS
During the winter, some of Lane County’s 73 parks
close, and many see fewer visitors. According to Dave
Stockdale of the Parks Division, lower traffi c and the lack
of a security presence leads to vandalism. “For whatever
reason, occasionally people will come through there and
they will fi nd a pump house or a well house and they’ll
graffi ti structures,” he says. “They will sometimes cut
down trees. Sometimes they’ll break open electrical pan-
els and steal the copper out of there.”
Stockdale says the problem is further compounded by
the fact that the system’s 10 full-time employees can’t
make it to parks as much as they’d like, especially since
the 73 parks are spread out in an area the size of Connect-
icut. But he says that hosts in parks have already made a
big difference in places like Hendricks Bridge Park.
“When the host isn’t there, even the toilet paper gets
stolen out of the bathrooms, which is under a padlock,
believe it or not,” Stockdale says. “The second you put a
host in the park, the vandalism and problems almost go
away entirely.” The hosts will be instructed not to inter-
fere with crimes in progress; the parks department will in-
struct them to call the sheriff’s offi ce or the parks depart-
ment in case of problems. Stockdale says that a simple
presence and a well-kept RV are enough of a deterrent to
prevent problems.
Keith Heath of St. Vincent de Paul, which will be run-
ning the program, says the program can help people with
jobs transition back into long-term housing. “The program
was designed to help them, if they’re working, to get fi rst,
last and security,” he says. “It’s a safe place to park, and you
don’t have to worry about police hassling you for being on
the streets and living in a vehicle.”
When Heath last checked, 69 people were on his wait-
ing list for legal camping, and that’s only including people
over 18, not families. The program currently oversees 25 le-
gal campsites in the Eugene area; the county parks addition
could raise that number to 30.
To apply for the program, contact the St. Vincent de Paul
Eugene Service Station at 461-8688. — Shannon Finnell
FLUORIDATION
FIGHT RETURNS
Will the next controversial public health issue in Or-
egon please stand up? Oh wait, it just did. On Sept. 12,
the Portland City Council unanimously approved an or-
dinance to authorize the Portland Water Bureau to fl uo-
ridate the city’s water supply in order to “reduce tooth
decay and promote good oral health.” The move effec-
tively resurfaces the fl uoridation issue in Oregon, where,
according to the Oregon Dental Association, only about
20 percent of residents drink fl uoridated water.
The ordinance passed amidst fi erce protest from what
The Oregonian editorial board called a “loud minority”
that made “angry references … to fascism and forced
medication.” But Oregon Citizens for Clean Drinking
Water executive committee member Rick North says it’s
as much about due public process as it is the lack of scien-
tifi c consensus about the safety of water fl uoridation, call-
ing Portland “the Gettysburg of the fl uoridation of water.”
North says the council pushed the ordinance through so
quickly that “it did not give time for any meaningful pub-
lic debate.” That group is now working with more than
100 volunteers to collect 20,000 petition signatures that,
if collected by Oct. 12, will nullify the ordinance and
force it to a public vote.
Will Eugene follow suit? It doesn’t look likely. “As
we’re seeing in Portland, this can be a polarized issue. We
don’t advocate one way or the other; we just want to do
what the citizens want,” says Lance Robertson, public af-
fairs manager at EWEB. Citing previous attempts at fl uo-
ridation ordinances that were voted down, he continues,
“as a citizen-owned utility, we believe the citizens have
spoken through the ballot box … it’s really not on our
radar at this point.”
Though perhaps not on EWEB’s radar, Lane County
Health and Human Services, which advises the city of
Eugene on public health issues, is watching closely. “We
are paying attention to all aspects of the situation,” says
public information offi cer Jason Davis. He notes the ad-
vantageous position of having access to metrics such as
cost-benefi t analyses and being able to “learn and glean
information” from Portland’s experience. “From a public
health perspective,” Davis says, “we’ll just be advising.
Ultimately, that will be a city decision.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) calls water fl u-
oridation “one of the top 10 public health achievements
of the 20th century,” attributing it as a primary cause for
the decline of tooth decay in the U.S. since the 1950s.
The Action Fluoride Network notes, however, that tooth
decay decline in Europe has mirrored that of the U.S., de-
spite that as of 2011, some 97 percent of Europeans were
drinking non-fl uoridated water.
Contention on the issue abounds, with most opponents
calling for further scientifi c inquiry into the potentially
harmful effects of accumulated fl uoride exposure, un-
treatable dental and skeletal fl uorosis, decreased thyroid
activity, and increased sensitivity in infants and young
children.
On the bright side, a study published in the Journal
of Human Resources found that exposure to fl uoridated
water increases women’s earnings by approximately 4
percent. — Shelley Deadmond
HARVEST FEAST
HIGHLIGHTS
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
Each year, the Civil Liberties Defense Center’s Har-
vest Feast benefi t highlights civil liberties issues related
to food production, like pesticide sprays and genetically
modifi ed organisms. This year’s theme, “Fiesta en el Jar-
din,” honors the work that CLDC and its partners have
done for immigrant communities in Oregon.
CDLC’s Oct. 5 Harvest Feast at Mount Pisgah fea-
tures a fi ve-course organic Latin dinner, wine, sangria
and Ninkasi beer, plus music from Sol de los Andes.
CLDC attorney Lauren Regan says the CLDC has
been holding immigrants’ rights trainings in rural Or-
egon. She says many Latino immigrants working in
nurseries, canneries or slaughterhouses are unaware that
“everybody, whether you’re documented or not, has the
same exact Constitutional rights in the U.S.” The train-
ings included information on basic rights, how to interact
with law enforcement and deportation proceedings.
The CLDC and the Rural Organizing Project also met
with local law enforcement agencies after hearing about
local police attempting to enforce immigration laws,
which is prohibited by Oregon law. “We would get anec-
dotal reports from those communities talking about their
local police setting up road blocks on the only road into a
farm where those migrant workers worked,” Regan says.
“They would stop every car and basically ask for drivers
licenses and other pretexts in order to try to get as many
brown-skinned people deported as possible.”
Regan says the law against local enforcement of fed-
eral immigration laws was put in place to further public
safety. “Oregon passed this law specifi cally saying local
cops can’t enforce immigration laws, and the reason that
they did it was because they wanted everyone to feel safe
if they had to report a crime,” she says. “An undocu-
mented woman, in order to feel safe to call the police as
a result of a domestic violence incident, needs to know
when the cops come, she’s not going to end up deported.”
In addition to dinner and entertainment, the CLDC
will auction off an all-inclusive stay at Breitenbush Re-
treat Center, tickets to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
and local restaurant gift certifi cates. Speakers include
Sarah Cantrill and Jorge Navarro of Huerto de la Famil-
ia. The outdoor venue will have heaters in case of a chill.
— Shannon Finnell
lighten up
Romney is running such a pathetic campaign that he
is winning over the bleeding-heart liberals.
BY RA FA E L A L D AV E
ACTIVIST
LERT
• Climate expert and author Bob Doppelt will be
speaking from 7 to 9 pm Thursday, Sept. 27, at Tsunami
Books, 2585 Willamette St. His free talk will be based on
his new book, From Me to We: The Five Transformational
Commitments Required to Rescue the Planet, Your
Organization, and Your Life.
• Eugene School District 4J is seeking public input
about improving the condition and design of school
buildings, many of which are more than 50 years old.
Community forums are planned for 7 to 8:30 pm
Thursday, Sept. 27, at Cesar Chávez Elementary School;
Monday, Oct. 1, at North Eugene High; Thursday, Oct. 4, at
Cal Young Middle School, and Wednesday, Oct. 10, at
Roosevelt Middle School. Spanish interpretation will be
provided. See www.4j.lane.edu/building4j
• The fifth annual Harvest Festival for Human Rights
will be from 2 to 4:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 29, outside
Springfield First Baptist Church, 1175 G. St. It is organized
by Community Alliance of Lane County and the Springfield
Shelter Rights Alliance. “These are hard and anxious
times for lots of people,” say organizers. “The event will
showcase services available for low-income people and
offer ways for community members to be good neighbors
to each other.” The event offers live music and free hot
food, a produce and dry foods giveaway, a clothing
giveaway, art activities for kids and information tables.
Call 485-1755.
• Basic Rights Oregon is planning its Eugene Autumn
Party benefit from 3 to 5 pm Sunday, Sept. 30, at Temple
Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave. in Eugene. Suggested
donation $25.
• The video Strangers to the Gods will be shown at 6
pm Sunday, Sept. 30, at Reality Kitchen, 245 Van Buren
in Eugene. The film deals with the forced relocation of
Native Americans to accommodate strip mining.
Donations requested. The film is part of events at Reality
Kitchen surrounding Banned Books Week Sept. 30 to Oct.
6. Call 337-1323 or visit realitykitchen.org
• The monthly Conversations on the Forest will
continue at 6 pm Monday, Oct. 1, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th
Ave. in Eugene. Topic this month will be “Is the Forest
Practices Act Working?” Led by Lane County
Commissioner Rob Handy, public interest forester Roy
Keene and ArchitectureWeek editor Kevin Matthews.
Email
rob@robhandy.com
or
visit
conversationsontheforest.org
• Circuit Court Judge Richard Baldwin, candidate for
the Oregon Supreme Court, Position 3, will appear from 5
to 7 pm Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Territorial Vineyards & Wine
Company, 907 W. 3rd Ave. in Eugene. Visit
electjudgebaldwin.com for more information. His
opponent in this November runoff is Nena Cook and her
website is nenacookfororegonsupremecourt.org
• A resolution opposing coal trains through Eugene
will be on the City Council work session agenda at 5:30
pm Monday, Oct. 8, followed by an evening session at
7:30 dealing with the Downtown Public Safety Zone, the
West Eugene Enterprise Zone and an ordinance
concerning bikes on sidewalks downtown.
• Canvassing for Betty Taylor is now happening
Saturdays with an 11 am gathering time at the Democratic
Party of Lane County Office, 228 E.11th Ave. Call 484-
5099 or 914-5603.
eugeneweekly.com • September 27, 2012
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