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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2017)
NEWS BY CORINNE BOYER SALEM IMMIGRANT RIGHTS RALLY TO DENOUNCE TRUMP AGENDA ultiple nonprofits, including unions and immi- grants rights groups, are traveling to Salem on Jan. 14 to participate in the United for Immi- grants Rights Rally. Set a week prior to the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, the march intends to address anti-immigration sentiments, and the organiza- tions are vowing to stand united against President-elect Trump’s discriminatory agenda. Phil Carrasco with Grupo Latino de Accíon Directa is or- chestrating a trip from Eugene to Salem. He says the march will not only support the Latinx community, but they’ll also be denouncing any policies that may be created at the fed- eral, state or city level that target particular groups of people. “We do believe that a lot of these policies being proposed are really based in hate and funded by hate groups and xe- nophobic groups.” And, he says, they also believe that the right to be in this country and walk freely is an exclusive privilege. Carrasco says there’s been a call to repeal the state’s sanctuary status, which would allow the federal government to use state resources to enforce immigration policy. He says M ‘We do believe that a lot of these policies being proposed are really based in hate and funded by hate groups and xenophobic groups.’ — P hil C arrasCo with G ruPo l atino de a CCíon d ireCta the effort could possibly show up as a ballot measure. This is not the first time a state law that affects immi- grants would be addressed in the form of a ballot measure. In 2014, Measure 88 failed to garner enough votes to grant driver cards to all Oregon residents, though the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 833, which permitted Or- egonians to apply for driver cards, regardless of their im- migration status. Ultimately, SB 833 never went into effect. Many people who do not have legal status in the U.S. pay taxes, funding roads, schools and other state resources, Carrasco says. “It’s important that it’s not just Latino-centric organizations participating,” he says. Organizations representing health care, working families and labor unions are among the participants. Carrasco says these groups acknowledge that “an injury to one is an injury to all.” Around 500 people are expected to attend, with 2,000 interested in the Facebook event. Carrasco invites anyone interested in attending and carpooling to contact him. He adds that the event is “part of a national day of ac- tion to defend immigrant rights and to denounce Trump’s agenda of hate and exclusion in our state.” The United for Immigrant Rights Rally is 11:30 am Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Capitol building in Salem. GLAD is on Facebook at latinocommunityaction- group. And for carpool information contact Phil Carrasco at 541-337-6391. • Monday, Jan. 16, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you haven’t already, take a moment to read MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” or his “I Have a Dream” speech and remind yourself of how far we have come and how very far we still have to go when it comes to race and racism in this country. The Eugene-Springfield NAACP says that the 2017 MLK Jr. March shaping up to be biggest to date, and as well it should. Black Lives Matter. To march, meet at the north gate of Autzen Stadium/PK Park (parking will be available in the Serbu Campus parking lot directly across the street). The march starts at 9 am with coffee and at 10 am marchers will head to The Shedd Institute for a community program. This is the MLK march’s 30th year in Lane County and it’s more important than ever. • Michael Moore promised on national television that he is going from Michigan to Washington, D.C. to join the Women’s March on Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump is inaugurated. Hopefully, thousands of men will join him there and thousands more will march in Eugene, Portland and other American cities to protest Trump’s betrayal of American values. • Four unhoused people in Portland have died as a result of Oregon’s frigid weather. That’s two people too many. Here in Eugene, the volunteers of the Egan Warming Center are exhausted after night after night of activation and we are hearing reports of homeless people in town requiring amputation due to frostbite. We need a staffed full-time shelter — overnight shelter is a start, but it’s not enough. Just how many people are homeless in Lane County? In 2016, the annual Point in Time homeless count found 1,451 unsheltered people. The 2017 10 January 12, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com count will be Jan. 25. The Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) is coordinating volunteers to aid in the count to fill 2-3 hour shifts between 8 am and 8 pm. Volunteers are required to do an online training or can attend a training 3:30 pm Tuesday, Jan 17, at the Lane County Health & Human Services building’s Charnelton Room 258, 151 W. 7th Avenue. For more info about the trainings contact Michael Carrigan at CALC at 541-844-4677 or calcpeace@gmail.com. To volunteer at Egan go to eganwarmingcenter.com. choices for critical leadership positions, we’re hoping that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, California Gov. Jerry Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will form a fighting bloc out here on the West Coast. Jerry Brown already has signed on former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to help the state attorney general do whatever it takes to continue California’s battle against extreme climate change. Kate Brown tends to be cautious, but Oregon must step up. We have everything to lose if we don’t. • With terrifying ignorance of climate change coming from President-elect Donald Trump and his • What if Hillary Clinton did run for mayor of New York City? Would she win?
