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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2015)
LET TERS 7TH & WILLAMETTE, DOWNTOWN EUGENE Don’t miss these upcoming performances! EUGfun: Downtown Fashion Show, June 18 BOUNCE GYMNASTICS AND CIRCUS ARTS CENTER Peter Pan Saturday, May 30 at 6:00 PM SORENG— $18; Y An aerial circus and tumbling spectacular where everybody lies. STUDENT PERFORMANCE. U OF O SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE Spring Concert happen?” Look no further than the Oregon Legislature, where our elected offi cials are again proactively dismantling true democracy at the local level to advance the interests of multi-national giants like Syngenta and Monsanto at the expense of our local farmers and food system. Rep. Brian Clem and others are pushing HB 3212 which among other things would invalidate local laws passed by the voters of Jackson and Josephine counties, prevent voters in other counties from passing similar laws and empower GMO farmers to sue our local governments for enforcing laws passed by local residents. Does this rub anyone the wrong way? Our representatives are passing laws that prevent voters from using our constitutional right to write laws that protect our health, safety and welfare because they (and the corporations who fi ll their ears and wallets) think they know what is best for our communities. State preemption is a manufactured corporate tool to keep local communities from deciding for themselves what is best. Don’t buy the “patchwork of regulations” corporate speak that translates to “no regulations.” Just look at the failed governor’s task force on GMOs and the absence of any regulations to protect local farmers from the devastation of uncontainable GMO contamination. We cannot look to Washington, D.C. — where democracy is truly dead — to restructure this corporatocracy. We must look and act locally. We are the people and silence is complicity. Ann Kneeland Community Rights Lane County THE NINTH WARD I would like to say something about the people I know who are living in a camp here called the Ninth Ward. Sometimes it’s hard to fi nd them because they have to keep moving so often. But if you do see their tents and the portable toilet they take with them wherever they go, you will fi nd 18 people who are trying to fi nd a different way to live in a camp. They want a place that is safe and quiet and kept neat. They treat each other with dignity and respect. They even set up a kitchen so they can cook together, and they always leave each site cleaner than it was when they got there. I’ve gotten to know many of them. They are my friends. These are people like anyone else. They treat others with kindness and respect and hope to receive that back. Unfortunately that is not always what happens. We all have our stories. My friends at the camp do, too. There are many reasons why people are homeless. I think it’s important to take the time to talk to them rather than make assumptions about why they are there. Kay Brandt Eugene BAD ENDORSEMENTS Shame on you, EW, for endorsing Jim Torrey and Mary Walston for the 4J School Board. Is this the “devil you know vs. the devil you don’t” or simple amnesia? Haven’t you noticed that 4J has become the most disfunctional public agency in Lane County? Torrey’s schtick is advocating for kids and education. It’s a front. It’s been his photo op and nothing else. Do not forget his back-handed activities around Hynix/ Huyndai which increased the value of his holdings in west Eugene. Torrey hasn’t been fi t to hold public offi ce since he sat in his car as mayor and watched his police pepper spray the treesitters downtown. And while I will not suggest that Walston has any sort of similar record, given the recent debacle over the departure of Shelley Berman, one has to believe that our children in our fl agship School District 4J will be signifi cantly better off with a Saturday, May 30 at 8:00 PM Three of the UO’s premier musical ensembles join forces. SILVA— $10; C, Y & S EUGENE BALLET ACADEMY Under/Into/Over/Beyond: A Dancer’s Journey Sunday, May 31 at 5:00 PM A dance performance showcasing the entire student body. SORENG— $15; Y 12 & under ZAPP ACADEMY OF DANCE Home Sunday, June 7 at 6:00 PM Student performance with costumes, lights and amazing talent. SORENG— $15 JUST ADDED! Tipper: An Ambient Journey Saturday, June 13 at 9:00 PM Only 2015 West Coast show! SORENG— $25 EUGFUN: Sidewalk to Catwalk— Downtown Fashion Show Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 PM LOBBY— FREE; No ticket required From street fashion to couture. Get all the details at EUGfun.org TICKET DISCOUNT CODES: C = college student, Y = youth, S = senior BUY TICKETS TODAY! HultCenter.org 541-682-5000 • FEES MAY APPLY TO ALL ORDERS • HULT CENTER TICKET OFFICE HOURS: Tue-Fri, 12-5 PM ; Sat, 11 AM –3 PM ONE HOUR BEFORE PERFORMANCE MON-SAT, TWO HOURS BEFORE ON SUN UO TICKET OFFICE AT EMU SOUTH AT MAC COURT: Mon-Fri, 10 AM –5 PM HultCenterArts @HultCenter 6 MAY 21, 2015 • EUGENEWEEKLY.COM VIEWPOINT BY RICHIE W EINM A N The Dead Space KESEY SQUARE IS MORE LIABILITY THAN ASSET T he plaza at Broadway and Willamette (Kesey Square) has been around since urban renewal in the late 1960s. An old drugstore building was on the site and was condemned because of its unsafe condition. Located at what was then the “100 percent corner” of downtown, the planners of the now long-gone downtown mall decided to put a plaza there. It was a bad idea from the start. The space is in the direct sun in the summer and always seems to be shaded in the winter. The brick wall around east and south sides of the square is freestanding and very thick at its base, making it impractical for a neighboring business to open out to the plaza to activate the space. The wall once supported a balcony that had no use and was eventually removed. The plaza once also included a huge fountain that was in the middle of the intersection. The plaza has never worked, other than occasional special events, and has consistently been a problem. In the 1980s, Don Miles, an architect with the Project for Public Spaces, came to town, studied the area and suggested a greenhouse type coffee shop for the space. He explained that successful public places work because they are activated in some way. Kesey Square has always been mostly a dead space that created more problems than it ever solved. Lots of things have been tried, including putting in seating and taking out seating on numerous occasions. Both approaches were very problematic. I worked downtown from 1974 to 2010. I observed the space constantly. Part of that time I worked for the city on downtown issues. It’s an undeniable fact that the space has been a detriment to the business and retail functions of downtown. Sadly, it has been a constant magnet for some people who behave in ways that make others uncomfortable. They exercise their right to free speech or engage in illegal activities that are diffi cult to correct. It’s been a recipe for hurting the commercial environment of the area — often leading to empty storefronts or marginal businesses. The experiment of the plaza has lasted for 45 years and the verdict is pretty clear to anyone who honestly looks at the facts. There are other public spaces downtown that are much better, including the Park Blocks, the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, the library and the closed street between the Hilton and Hult Center. Additionally, a public space may be included at the new City Hall. The business environment downtown is stronger than it has been in ages yet it is very fragile. Kesey Square adds little and has proven to be a liability. The progressive thing is to move forward and not be stuck in the mistakes of the past. It’s time to let the plaza space be used for something better! ■ Richie Weinman worked for the city of Eugene and Lane County for 35 years. He is currently a member of the Eugene Human Rights Commission and teaches planning and public policy at UO.
