LET TERS
VOTE SEMPLE
For the past several years, as a member
of the Eugene Human Rights Commission,
as a volunteer at Occupy Medical and as a
community activist, I have worked to pro-
tect the rights of people who are homeless.
I have also often heard about the work
of another advocate for those who are
homeless, Emily Semple. I am pleased to
endorse her for Eugene City Council, Ward
1.
Some international human rights
groups have begun to refer to people who
are homeless in the U.S. as internal refu-
gees. The extreme economic inequality in
the U.S. is just as much a human disaster
as a war or a tsunami. And, like a natural
disaster, it has displaced people and cre-
ated refugees — in this case, economic
refugees.
Semple’s suggested policy of “Shelter
First” is consistent with this human rights
viewpoint. When you are confronted with
a growing population of displaced persons,
the first thing to do is get them out of the
elements and into places where they can
survive.
This is why Semple has supported the
VIEWPOINT
city’s rest-stop program. She has also sup-
ported Mayor Piercy’s proposal for a pub-
lic shelter.
Emily Semple is someone who the peo-
ple of Eugene can trust to protect every-
one’s rights, including those who are most
marginalized and vulnerable.
Ken Neubeck
Eugene
OPEN LETTER TO EPD
The Springfield-Eugene chapter of
Showing Up for Racial Justice calls upon
the Eugene Police Department to acknowl-
edge their responsibility and repudiate the
racist views espoused by notorious white
supremacist Jimmy Marr.
The EPD’s recent statement to the
Weekly — regarding the widely circulat-
ed photograph of a Eugene police officer
shaking Marr’s hand — failed to adequate-
ly denounce this dangerous ideology.
The claim that the officer did not see the
back of the truck (painted with the words
“Jew Lies Matter”) seems disingenuous. If
our local law enforcement does not imme-
diately recognize our area’s most infamous
white supremacist, then they are failing to
adequately protect our community from
the violence these views represent.
This is not hyperbole. Larnell Bruce
was recently run down in cold blood af-
ter being attacked by white supremacists
in Gresham outside a convenience store.
Hate speech dehumanizes and increases
the likelihood that someone, somewhere,
is going to act on those views.
The EPD appears to have been set up
by Marr. We suggest that a stronger re-
sponse to this embarrassment — one that
better represents the EPD’s commitment to
protect and serve all members of our com-
munity — is to strenuously disavow all as-
sociation with racist and anti-Semitic hate
speech.
Lee Gilmore
On behalf of Springfield-Eugene SURJ
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY
Columbus Day has been a holiday
since 1868, but in my personal opinion, we
should spend less time recognizing a man
who was responsible for the slaughter of
thousands and start commemorating Indig-
enous people.
In A People’s History of the United
States by Howard Zinn, he states that “...
during Columbus’s second time traveling
to the ‘Americas’ Christopher and his crew
took women and children back with them
for slavery and sex. On the trip back from
his expedition about 200 died on the ship
from disease.”
With this knowledge alone, why should
Columbus be awarded a whole day named
after him?
I think that today we celebrate Colum-
bus Day because people feel the day gives
them a sense of who they are and where
they come from. Columbus was an explor-
er who claimed to have discovered land.
That’s great, but he pillaged and tore apart
the homes of thousands.
A lot of people don’t know the whole
story of Christopher Columbus, and I think
that it shouldn’t be that way. In order for
that change to happen, or maybe just get
the ball rolling, we could change how we
celebrate Columbus Day by changing the
name to Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Haylee E. Gonzales
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: More letters on this topic from students
at North Eugene High School can be found online at eu-
geneweekly.com.
BY DE A NN A CH A PPELL BELCHER A ND A R T PE A RL
Schools Need
a Dose of Democracy
CLASSROOMS LAUNCH GOOD CITIZENS
A
s we celebrate and reflect upon another
year “back to school” and brace
ourselves for the upcoming election
season, we are reminded of George
Washington’s words in his 1797
farewell address: “… as the structure of a government
gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public
opinion be enlightened.” Ours is a much different
world, but Washington’s logic is just as sound today as
it was then. The government we have reflects the state
of public enlightenment.
Now we reap what we have sown: a presidential
election characterized by ugly name-calling and undis-
guised appeals to ignorance and bigotry featuring two
unpopular candidates. Youth most likely to be most
affected by the outcome are also the most turned off.
Everywhere there is talk of democracy’s demise if the
young folks don’t vote. But democracy is not just vot-
ing. Democracy is the process by which citizens work
together to make the world a better place.
Schools introduce students to what democracy is
and how it works. This is more than knowing the names
of presidents and the three branches of government, or
memorizing the Bill of Rights. We must create class-
rooms in which students experience democratic prac-
tices, where teachers model democratic authority —
fair, transparent, accessible, persuasive and negotiable.
We need classrooms to be places where all students are
equally celebrated as members of a learning commu-
nity.
4
September 29, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com
Our children need opportunities to think — to con-
sider the state of the world and understand the pro-
cesses by which government influences the economy,
the environment, social policy, the law and ultimately
war or peace, and justice or injustice. Students need to
engage in hands-on projects to produce a real public
good — to experience the process of working together
to benefit their community — and reflect on their ef-
forts. This is how students will become enlightened and
active citizens.
This year, as we send our youth off to school, along
with pencils, notebooks and glue sticks, let’s include
some tools for democracy:
• VISION. Let’s invite young people to imagine a
world as good as it can be, to share their visions and dis-
cuss the various ideas as to desirability and feasibility.
• INCLUSION. Currently, differences of opinion set
students into different camps whose only interaction is
bullying, which schools struggle to prevent. Students
need to learn how to debate differences and to disagree
without being disagreeable.
• SKILLS FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENRY.
School can be a place where we learn to listen care-
fully to each other, to defend proposals with logic and
evidence, to negotiate differences and respect the rights
of those whose ideas differ from our own.
Bringing democracy to classrooms is difficult, but
not impossible. In our careers, we have witnessed stu-
dents in all grades working together to produce a public
good — making their world better. Right here in Eu-
gene, teachers at River Road and Edison have helped
fifth grade students make the Bill of Rights lively and
relevant.
Each of us can support those efforts, encourage stu-
dents, teachers and community members to bring de-
mocracy not just to the classroom, but to youth sports
and even student government. We can:
• Bring education issues to the attention of neigh-
bors, friends and family.
• Discuss democracy in education on social media.
• Attend a school board meeting and make a public
comment about what you think education should be.
• Advocate for democracy by running for office on
school boards, city council and county boards, and sup-
port others that do.
• Join a grassroots group like CAPE (Community
Alliance for Public Education).
Democracy is people. People in action. Let’s all re-
member this as we read up on issues, talk with each oth-
er and do our part as informed and enlightened citizens.
Art Pearl is an educator who taught at the University of Oregon during the
late 1960s and early ’70s. His classes were so popular that they were held
in Mac Court. He is a professor emeritus from University of California
Santa Cruz. At 94, Art continues his pursuit of democracy through his work
with elementary school students, college students and community organiza-
tions. Deanna Belcher is a teacher, learner and parent who hopes to be
just as awesome as Art someday. They are members of the Community Alli-
ance for Public Education (CAPE), a coalition of parents, teachers, profes-
sors, students and community members who challenge the many assaults
on public education and who believe in a strong public education as the
foundation for American democracy. CAPE meets Mondays at 4:30 pm at
Perugino in Eugene; more at oregoncape.org.