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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2017)
BY CAMILLA MORTENSEN • The St. Vincent de Paul Youth House kicks off its fundraising cam- paign 10 am Thursday, March 9, at the site of the future Youth House. SVDP is converting the former Cascade Pres- byterian Church at 3350 Willamette (across from the post office) into a fa- cility that will provide up to two years of free housing and social services for homeless high school students from Eugene, Bethel and Springfield school districts. “It’s intended to establish a model that we plan to replicate in each of the three districts and that we hope and expect others will establish across the state,” Paul Neville of SVDP says. • Join Willamette Animal Guild (WAG) for a “Night of One Thousand Spays” 5:30-10 pm Saturday, March 11, at The Shedd in Eugene, 868 High Street, “for a night of fun, food and drink in support of WAG and our Spay It Forward program.” WAG has provided 44,487 low cost spay/neuter surger- ies since its opening in 2008. For more info go to wagwag.org. • March for Trans Justice is look- ing for organizers: queer trans people of color (QTPOC), disabled folks and any other multi-marginalized individu- als strongly encouraged to attend, the march says, adding, “You’re cordially invited to join us for our next planning meeting” 3 pm Sunday, March 12, at the Unitarian Universalist Church. 1685 W 13th Avenue in Eugene. Con- tact: transjustice@protonmail.com. The March is being planned for April 8. • “U.S. Empire at the Crossroads: Start a new Nuclear Arms Race, or Invest in Human and Environmental Needs,” a public lecture, 7 pm Wednes- day, March 15, at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High Street. Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace organiza- tion, and Reiner Braun, co-president of the International Peace Bureau, will discuss the global quest for nuclear weapons abolition, U.S. militarism and its impact on our economy, and wheth- er the president will be constrained by national and international law. For more information contact CALC at 541- 485-1755 or calclane.org. • The folks trying to start senior cohousing in downtown Eugene are seeking members to create a coop- erative community, based on a Dan- ish concept (see cohousing.org). “One where everybody owns their own sep- arate home, but the residents come together for shared meals a few times a week, as well as other community activities,” organizers say. The group has land to build on Lincoln Street, just west of the city center. There is an in- formational meeting 2 pm, Saturday, March 18. For info on location, call 541- 344-5751, or email: eugenecohousing- downtown@gmail.com. 8 March 9, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com DEPORTATION FEARS Local immigrants seek legal advice umors are flying in the immigrant community: What is going to hap- pen to undocumented members of the Lane County community under Donald Trump’s presidency? In the Portland area, the Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) has stepped up raids and ar- rests since January. In February, ICE announced that it ar- rested more than 680 foreign nationals dur- ing targeted enforcement operations aimed at “at-large criminal aliens, immigration fugi- tives and re-entrants.” Undocumented immigrants are wonder- ing how they can protect themselves and their families, while others are wondering how they can help. During the election Trump called Mexi- can immigrants “rapists” and said he would take a hard line on immigration. Five days after his inauguration he signed an executive order that said, in addition to convicted crim- inals and those arrested for criminal offenses, almost any immigrant living in the U.S. ille- gally could be a priority for deportation. Raquel Hecht, an immigration law attor- ney who serves on the board of Grupo Latino de Acción Directa in Lane County, says the main change is that, under Obama, ICE left people alone if they didn’t have a criminal record, while under Trump, ICE will now take undocumented immigrants they come across, regardless of criminal background. Hecht says that GLAD has received nu- merous calls from people offering their homes as sanctuaries for immigrants. Local churches and temples — many of which are sanctuaries — have gotten similar calls. Hecht cautions there might be legal liabil- ity if a volunteer were to harbor people who have warrants out for their arrest. GLAD is analyzing how to use this community support in a way that best fits the needs of the people; the group is also trying to make sure people can stay in their own homes, Hecht says. Joel Iboa of Oregon immigrant rights group Causa says dam- aging paranoia is ensuing from rumors of ICE raids. That leads to a Catch-22: How do immigrants lead their lives and still pro- tect themselves? Iboa is hearing of people who are “scared to go to work, take kids to school or go get groceries.” Hecht points back to the ICE raids here in the 1990s and says a common scenario involved the man as a main breadwin- ner in the family getting deported, leaving the wife and children broke and homeless. “These are our American citizens we are traumatizing in this way,” she says of the U.S.-born children left behind. “We are creating a whole class of traumatized people who are American citizens.” Iboa suggests Eugene-based Civil Liberties Defense Cen- ter’s “know-your-rights” trainings for immigrant communities as a resource. The training is conducted in person by the CLDC and available via a video on the group’s website. Centro Latino Americano offers know-your-rights trainings as well. One thing to know, Iboa says, is that “if ICE comes up on your door, it’s your right not to open the door.” The CLDC warns not only to keep the door closed — ICE officers cannot enter if you do not let them — but also recom- mends to say out loud that you don’t want to answer questions. Don’t just shake your head, the CLDC says, politely but firmly R respond, “I would like to help you but I don’t feel comfortable answering these questions.” The CLDC says if the ICE officers claim to have a warrant, ask them to slip it under the door (or through the mail slot). Driving infractions are a common way people are stopped and searched by the police, the CLDC says. For families who are concerned about possible deportation, Iboa and Phil Carrasco of GLAD point to a packet available at Centro Latino Americano that helps families to track financial information and bills and to make decisions such as whether to keep their house, sell it or rent it. Many families are also establishing a power of attorney so someone at home can make decisions in the case of a deportation. Iboa that says right now it’s important to establish a system of trust and community backing. “Latino families rely heavily on families for survival,” he says. “It’s important to know your community has your back.” It’s also important to know that the situation might not be as dire as it appears. Hecht says that while the way Trump has gone about controlling immigration has struck terror, “from my perspective as an immigration attorney, we don’t expect the ma- jority of people to be targeted.” Centro Latino Americano can be reached at centrolatinoamericano.org and 541- 687-2667, 944 W. Fifth Avenue, Eugene. The Civil Liberties Defense Center is cldc.org and 541-687-9180. And search for Grupo Latino de Acción Directa on Facebook.
