LET TERS
OFFENSIVE FENCES
The next step in the city of Eugene’s
plan to criminalize the homeless is fences
under bridges that have been used for
shelter. Human beings, with no other
resources than the clothes on their backs
and the food they can find, use these areas
for life-saving shelter and to find safety
with others in the same predicament.
A fence creates a perception of “other”
when so many of us are just a paycheck
or medical emergency away from losing
everything. These fences are taking away
yet more public space. It seems that the
Department of Parks and Open Space
should be renamed Department of Parks
(during posted operating hours only,
restrictions apply) and Closed Space.
Displacing unhoused folks means they will
migrate further into neighborhoods. These
fences are yet another violation of human
rights, my rights and your rights, not just
homeless rights.
The city claims it spends $250,000
annually on cleaning up after the homeless.
Better solutions could be funded with
this money. Ideas could include funding
check-ins by CAHOOTS at areas where
unhoused people shelter themselves.
With sharps collection and mental health
services, a CAHOOTS-like model could
be very effective at filling social service
gaps. A social worker could be assigned to
check in at various spots, assisting people
in getting the help they need. Actions like
the above could truly make a difference,
both in the lives of those helped and in
the amount of money the city spends on
“cleaning up after the homeless.”
Vickie Webb
Eugene
AERIAL SPRAY ACTION
Oregon Wild and the Freedom from
Aerial Herbicides Alliance (FfAHA) stand
united in their demands that this practice
[aerial spraying of pesticides] be banned —
as soon as possible. We recognize that due
to the entrenched power of the corporations
that benefit from this practice, a diversity of
tactics toward this goal is necessary, and we
respect the fact that several legal avenues
must be taken to end aerial spraying of toxic
chemicals on our homes and streams.
FfAHA has spent years working toward
a Lane County ballot initiative that would
completely ban the practice of aerial
spraying for any purpose in this county.
Similar efforts are being made in other
counties around Oregon. FfAHA is in the
process of collecting signatures to put
this initiative on the ballot, which can be
found on their website. Thanks to the hard
work of many volunteers, citizens of Lane
County will soon have the opportunity to
vote in support of this initiative.
This year, launching a campaign to
reform the Oregon Forest Practices Act,
Oregon Wild, Beyond Toxics and others
have submitted nearly 4,000 signatures to
qualify three separate initiatives for ballot
titles on a statewide ballot. In addition
to other new logging regulations, these
initiatives would halt forestry-related aerial
spraying “on any watershed which serves
as a source of drinking water.” DEQ maps
indicate that this would include almost the
entirety of western Oregon.
Together, we call for unity and will
use all available legal routes to end this
practice as soon as possible everywhere
we can. Please find us online, where you
can view these initiatives, and find contact
information for these organizations.
Jason Gonzales
Walton
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jason Gonzales is the Forest &
Watershed Campaign organizer for Oregon Wild and
serves on the Freedom from Aerial Herbicides Alliance
Steering Committee. This letter is in response to a letter
from Mark Robinowitz March 10 critical of “establishment
environmentalists” and their proposals.
HOSTILE CARTOON
I was very disappointed in Ben Ricker’s
cartoon depiction of Springfield. It is mean-
spirited. Not at all what I would expect
from EW, even if the intent was to be
funny. Springfield is not Eugene. We don’t
want to be Eugene, but we are neighbors,
and as such, I hope that we can appreciate
each other for who we are.
Maybe it’s just the influence of
national politics that has elevated ugly,
mean-spirited rhetoric to a new level of
acceptance, but I was hoping our two
communities could see how much harm
it is doing and stay above the fray. EW’s
choice to run the cartoon has proven me
wrong. I consider the cartoon a form of
bullying and bullying is just wrong, plain
and simple.
Our two communities have been
working well together on many important
projects like the river districts that we
share along the Willamette River. I know
because I am part of those discussions.
There is so much we can do together; I just
hate to see anything cast a doubt on the
progress we’ve made to improve both our
communities.
I will continue to make every effort to
work with our partners in Eugene, many
of whom I consider friends. And I will
encourage Springfield residents to do the
same. I am just hoping for the day that
hurtful prejudice against Springfield goes
away, and I don’t have to write another letter
to the editor in response to an inaccurate,
hostile cartoon about the city that I love.
Christine Lundberg
Springfield mayor
UNINFORMED BIAS
I wrestled with the question of even
responding to the ridiculous article the
Weekly wrote about Springfield in Swizzle
March 10. The writer is obviously suffering
from an outdated stereotype of Springfield
and as is the case with bias, he has bought
into their stereotype so firmly that he didn’t
bother to observe reality — not unusual for
EW.
In recent years downtown Springfield
has developed a vibrant and thriving
downtown that provides excellent food,
drink and entertainment. Main Street
features a theater with some of the best
acoustics of any venue in the region. The
Wildish Theater features a wide variety of
entertainment from classical to popular.
Audience members at the Wildish are from
both Springfield and Eugene.
The Plank Town brew pub on Main
Street features excellent food and drink
and a great place to meet friends. It is
frequently packed with people having a
good time. Haven, also on Main Street, is
a wonderful place to find unique antiques,
art and gifts.
The pizza at Mezza Luna on Main
Street is top notch. The Washburne Café
offers a hometown venue with outstanding
food, a wonderful atmosphere, a friendly
staff and a good place to meet friends.
Springfield also has its own arts scene
with many of the downtown buildings
featuring a wide variety of murals.
Springfield also has the Art Walk on the
second Friday evening each month. There
is an eclectic range of unique and diverse
businesses on Main Street and throughout
the entire downtown.
Willamalane in Springfield boasts some
of the best indoor and outdoor park and
recreation space in the region, including
the region’s only wave pool.
If you need a hospital, Springfield
has two of the area best, with McKenzie
Willamette undergoing an $80 million
renovation/expansion right now.
Sprout! and the weekly Farmers
Market provide a place for farmers to offer
fresh produce to all comers. Sprout! also
contains a commercial kitchen that can be
rented for everything from home canners
to those exploring new food concepts for
an emerging business. While the Abbey
may not be a wild place, it is a great place
to meet friends.
In short, Springfield is a wonderful
place to live, work, recreate and visit. It
provides a true hometown feel and the kind
of friendliness that can only be found here.
Come on, Eugene — ignore the outdated,
uninformed bias of EW, and come and
discover Springfield for yourself!
Mike Eyster, chair
Springfield Area Chamber of
Commerce
FICTIONAL SPRINGFIELD
“All Quiet on the Eastern Front” March
10 has left me thoroughly confused. I’m not
kidding. I don’t get it. What Springfield did
you visit? I appreciate thought-provoking,
artistic talent that through humor, wit and
creative expression expands my view of
the universe. But, creativity born of mean-
spiritedness and interpretative observations
lacking any hint of truthfulness is nothing
but, well, mean-spirited fiction. Fortunately,
fiction does not dictate reality. Your readers
are smart enough to know that, and the
many who have found the real Springfield
have experienced one very different from
yours, Eugene Weekly.
Vonnie Mikkelsen
Springfield
SPRINGFIELD NIGHTLIFE
Hi, just wanted to say that I liked
Ben Ricker’s cartoon “All Quiet on the
Eastern Front” about Springfield nightlife
(or lack thereof) in the March 10 EW.
Very clever and really funny. These sorts
of personal graphic narratives are not
rare — lots of cartoonists do them —
but his seems especially well written and
illustrated — the graphics worked really
well. I'd like to see more of his cartoons.
Bruce Burris
Corvallis
ACTUAL VOICEMAIL RECEIVED MONDAY AT 9:20 AM:
this is regarding the flyer disrespecting springfield
in the recent eugene weekly article,
uhhh ... if you are listening to this ...
IL L US T R AT IO N BY BE N RIC K E R
i hope you are FUCKED for the company that you work for running such a
4
shitty fucking article about any business in oregon ... or town in oregon.
and that your whole fucking newspaper is wrong.
and you guys oughtta just fucking BURN AND DIE!
EDITOR'S NOTE: The employees of EW would very much NOT like to fucking burn and die.
March 17, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com