MIC CHECK!
LET TERS
BY CATHERINE SISKRON
Turning the Tide
O
ccupy Eugene (OE) celebrated its fi rst anniversary Oct. 15 and
began its second year of activism. This milestone offers an
opportunity to look back to where Occupy has been, and forward
to where the movement is going, as well as invite all of you to join
in that journey.
The formation of Occupy Wall Street — and subsequently
of OE — was a response to the poverty, homelessness, and turmoil that
has resulted from the growing inequality between the decreasing number
of “haves” and the increasing number of “have-nots” in the world. From
the very start, the intent of Occupy was to redress the inequities in social
and economic conditions brought about by a lack of effective regulation of
fi nancial institutions.
A good example of OE’s activism is the house it has occupied, literally,
in downtown Eugene. The home in foreclosure was neglected, falling into
disrepair and increasingly being vandalized before Occupy stepped in. This
house symbolizes many of the major problems of our times: bank foreclosures,
questionable lending practices, and an entire system that privileges big
business and corporations over the needs of its citizens.
Perhaps this attitude of privileging the elite is best exemplifi ed by the
Supreme Court’s decision that corporations are “people.” An error in that
decision is that people are human beings, living creatures who depend on each
other for survival and happiness, while corporations are abstract entities with
far different needs and objectives. One of the goals of OE is to continue to
work on turning the tide, helping to guide our political and economic system
to be more responsive to the real needs of real human beings.
In fundamental ways, the foreclosure dilemma is the result of another
phenomenon of our times: the working poor, those people who are employed
but not earning enough to put food on the table and a safe roof over their
heads. The working poor often need to work two or three part-time jobs and
are in constant danger of losing what they do have. The number of working
poor is growing for several reasons. Wages are stagnant. Many corporations
are cutting staff and either outsourcing jobs or employing workers part-time to
avoid providing basic benefi ts such as health insurance. The working poor are
often just an economic rung above the also increasing numbers of homeless,
many of whom are veterans suffering the after-effects of our various wars and
runaway youth who prefer the streets to unbearable living conditions at home.
We celebrate Oct. 15 as Day One of Occupy Eugene because that was
the day that over 2,000 Eugeneans from all walks of life marched together
in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street calling for accountability from our
government and fi nancial institutions. Since that day we have held many
demonstrations, as well as Occupy protest sites.
We don’t limit ourselves to demonstrations. We strive to live by Gandhi’s
injunction: Be the change you want to see. And in that spirit, we work toward
the abolition of corporate personhood that corrupts our electoral process. We
produce TV and radio shows that are broadcast locally, as well as podcasts
to provide an alternative perspective of social, economic and political
developments. On a more local level, we produce a bi-monthly newsletter, The
Eugene Occupier, distributed around town. In addition,
every Sunday from 1 to 5 pm, Occupy medical sets up
its tent in the Park Blocks. The drop-in clinic does
not stand alone; we also offer free haircuts, teeth
cleaning and periodically tooth extractions in
conjunction with St. Vincent de Paul. All of
these services are provided free of charge.
None of this would be possible without
community support. So we would like to
thank everyone who at any time and for
whatever reason has contributed to the
movement by participating in events, in
day-to-day committee work, joining us
in demonstrations, contributing ideas,
food, clothing, books, medical
supplies, articles and poems for
the newsletter, donating money,
covering our events in the
media, and the list goes on.
Your support is the ground
we stand on; the ground we
occupy in body and spirit. ■
Catherine Siskron is an educator and
member of the OE Newsletter Team.
She has been a peace and social justice
activist most of her adult life.
6
October 25, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com
would be repaid from property taxes at a
rate of $0.65 per $1,000 of assessed value,
or about $127 per year for the average
homeowner. The current bond measure,
passed in 2008, has funded all of its proposed
projects, but there are still many miles of
rebuilding and maintenance needed.
Measure 20-209 seeks approval
of $49.5 million in general obligation
bonds to update educational materials,
improve student safety and repair and
construct facilities for Bethel School
District. Two schools built in the 1950s
would be replaced; funds would also
provide safety upgrades, building repairs,
updated textbooks and computers, and
cost-effi cient energy saving heating and
ventilation improvements. The proposal
maintains the current tax rate of $1.25 per
$1,000 of assessed value.
Both measures provide for citizen
oversight and annual audits of expenditures.
Both will create infrastructure jobs as well
as improving the local quality of life.
The League urges a “yes” vote on local
Measures 20-197 and 20-209.
Pat Hocken and Kappy Eaton
Action co-chairs, LWV of Lane County
COAL BAD FOR TAX BASE
I just had the privilege of attending a
Lane County Commissioners meeting
that was held in Florence Oct. 16. The
commissioners had published, in both
print and radio media, that they would be
coming to Florence for the express purpose
of receiving public comment on the Port
of Coos Bay’s proposal to bring large scale
export of Montana Coal to various Asian
markets. This proposal would include
Lane County’s support for a “beefed up”
heavy-duty industrial rail line that would
accommodate this export, even though the
coal would be transported through Lane
County without the simultaneous provision
of jobs for Lane County residents or the
review of environmental and public safety
concerns.
Amazingly, the chairman opened the
meeting with (and this is a direct quote):
“The Port of Coos Bay called me this
morning and asked us to ‘pull’ their request
for our resolution of support. Basically,
they don’t have a project yet. Everyone
jumped the gun on this.”
It is a well-known fact that property
adjacent to industrial railways generates
signifi cantly reduced property tax revenues
as the industrial impact increases over
time. An enhanced heavy-duty industrial
railroad steaming through Lane County
will reduce property values and adversely
impact our ability to deliver critical public
safety. Are we prepared to absorb the
further erosion of our property tax base
that will inevitably accrue as a result of our
support of this runaway railroad project?
Mary D. Stephens
Florence
OUR SICK CITY
If sending the fl ag from a homeless
person’s father’s coffi n to our landfi ll doesn’t
break a conservative’s patriotic heart, what
the hell will? [See letters, 10/11.]
Citizens with no place to go have to
hide from cops. When found they lose their
bedding, belongings and humble shelter
with 30-degree nights. Our city has gotten
to be sick and evil! A year of talking to the
city about compassion and shelter was a
waste of my time.
It is time now for lawsuits and more
demonstrations. The city rules have
provoked this, and will spend more for
police overtime. I’m frustrated, angry, and
heart-broken at the injustice we call “our”
government.
Jerry Smith,
MSW, retired
Eugene
AGENT OF REPRESSION
This past week we have seen a third
young person from the Pacifi c Northwest
sent to prison for refusing to provide
federal grand jury testimony regarding
activists in the region. Leah-Lynn Plante,
Katherine Olejnik and Matthew Duran
have all been imprisoned indefi nitely for
remaining silent.
It seems that it has become common
practice to give immunity to people called
before grand juries to force them to testify
against others, frequently surrounding
issues relating to political activity. It’s
happened to animal rights groups, the
environmental movement, and now the
focus seems to be shifting towards the
anarchist community.
When a legal tool such as the grand jury
seems to frequently be twisted to become
a tool of political repression, it’s time to
rethink its purpose in our society. The U.S.
is the only country in the world that still
uses the grand jury system. It’s time to
refuse to engage with it.
I admire the strength of activists like
Leah, Katherine and Matthew who have
taken a stand against grand juries, resulting
in a huge limitation on their freedom. This
is because they know that if we all resist
grand juries like they have, eventually it
will become a defunct agent of political
repression.
Lilia Letsch
Glenwood
EVERYBODY WINS
I am writing in response to the
Sept. 26 article “Campers for County
Park Security.” The Lane County Parks
Division is doing something benefi cial for
the community. Using homeless people
with RVs or campers as hosts for park
security is a win-win solution for the Parks
Division and for the hosts.
People with RVs are not legally allowed
to sleep in their vehicle on the streets.
Parks suffer from vandalism during the
winter. The mere presence of a host will
decrease crime while providing some
homeless individuals a safe place to sleep
in exchange for their much needed service.
I applaud Keith Heath of St. Vincent
for running this program. He created an
effective solution for helping homeless
people versus the permanent Occupy camp
proposed last fall. Occupy Eugene’s camp,
which was a haven for the homeless, dealt
with theft, fi ght and even a death from a
heroin overdose. Why would anyone want
to relive that? I am delighted that something
proactive is going on in the community.
Wren Facaros
Eugene