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.