Eugene weekly., July 06, 2017, Page 7, Image 7

BY CARL SEGERSTROM
MANUEL MEJIA GONZALEZ ADDRESSES
THE LANE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
P H O T O BY P H I L C A R R A S C O
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO
DECIDE ON SANCTUARY
After lengthy process, sanctuary rules go to a vote
“T
his shouldn’t have taken so long because
this is a pressing issue,” Phil Carrasco says.
“People are feeling the fear and pressure
right now, they’re missing appointments at
Health and Human Services.”
For immigrant rights advocates like Carrasco, who has
been one of the leaders in the campaign for sanctuary in
Lane County, the expected July 11 vote by the Board of
Commissioners on sanctuary measures has been a long
time coming.
After President Trump’s election at a time rife with an-
ti-immigrant rhetoric, supporters of immigrant communi-
ties began the ongoing effort to create laws and policies to
protect undocumented immigrants.
These efforts spanned from a city of Eugene ordinance
to the 4J and Lane Community College school districts af-
firming their policies of not collecting or sharing the docu-
mentation status of the community members they serve.
Nearly four months after the city passed its ordinance,
immigrant rights advocates are hoping the Lane County
Commission will move forward with a resolution and
board order to protect undocumented immigrants.
The resolution and order would prohibit county em-
ployees from using county resources to participate in im-
migration enforcement, except in the case of criminal ar-
rests, warrants and when required by federal law.
According to Carrasco, who served on the task force
charged with developing the resolution, it will be effective
because it will compel all county departments to develop
procedures that ensure they are not aiding in immigration
enforcement.
Carrasco says, “We need to establish policies that the
county can uphold to protect undocumented immigrants.”
In the past the county has downplayed the value of local
inclusivity measures because of an Oregon law prohibiting
state law enforcement from participating in federal immi-
gration enforcement. But with IP 22, a proposed 2018 bal-
lot initiative that would overturn the state law, there is an
urgency to take action at a local level.
On June 13, Rabbi Ruhi Rubenstein of Temple Beth Is-
rael spoke in front of the Board of Commissioners in favor
of the resolution and order.
“The county has the authority to create its own policy
reinforcing and independent of state statutes,” Rubenstein
said. “In a time when federal policy is being designed to
encroach on the safety and well-being of local communi-
ties the county has a responsibility, in our opinion, to use
this authority.”
The process has been plodding forward since early Jan-
uary, when Commissioner Pat Farr delegated the issue to
the Equity and Access Advisory Committee. That commit-
tee formed a special task force to draft sanctuary measures,
which didn’t meet until March.
The slow pace frustrated some advocates who see the
immigrant community as harmed by the inaction. After
the outpouring of public comment in support of inclusivity
measures on June 13, commissioners Farr and Pete Soren-
son expressed their frustration with the time it has taken for
the commission to arrive at a vote.
Sorenson praised community members for keeping
pressure on the board and says it was time for the county
commissioners to vote. He asked the board how many
more times they needed to hear about fear in the commu-
nity before they act.
Sorenson said putting the inclusivity measure to a vote
will “put some people on notice as to who’s willing to
move ahead with an inclusivity ordinance, or not.”
“To me, that’s where the rubber is going to hit the road,”
Sorenson said at the meeting. “When are we going to do
something about this?”
The coalition of religious leaders, organized labor, La-
tino community organizations and allies of the sanctuary
movement that has been pressing the county to act will
rally ahead of the July 11 meeting.
Carrasco says he is hopeful the board will heed the call
of the people who have been showing up at County Com-
mission meetings. If the county approves the resolution
and board order, it will be “proof that this united commu-
nity can come out and protect everyone in this county,”
Carrasco says. ■
AMERICAN BULLFROG, LITHOBATES CATESBEIANUS
IT’S ABOUT TIME
B Y D AV I D WA G N E R
F
or the first time in several years our reservoirs
are full. This is good news all around because it
means that there has been a good rain year with
higher than average snowpack in the moun-
tains. Euphemistically called “lakes” by the
Army Corps of Engineers, I always add “reservoir” to the
names, as in “Dexter Lake Reservoir.” Reservoirs are
not the same water bodies as natural lakes and have
distinctive ecological relationships worth remember-
ing. Reservoirs built for flood control in the Willamette
River watershed are subject to dramatic changes in wa-
ter level every year. They are always drained low in the
winter. Summer high water is unpredictable because of
natural variation in winter precipitation.
Reports from botanists around the state empha-
size that this is a banner year for flower watchers.
Recovering from a long, cold, wet spell after a drought
year seems to have brought on a frenzy of reproduc-
tive effort. The subalpine meadows are full of an in-
credible array of flowers blooming at the same time,
as glorious as anyone can recall.
The long days of July give our gardens the boost need-
ed after a slow start due to the cool spring. With proper
attention to watering and feeding, vegetables will take
off in a most satisfying fashion. The pole beans can be
seen growing several inches every day. I am devoting a
large bed to zinnias thanks to all the seeds germinating
successfully. They were planted just as the soil warmed
up, and always do better when started outside.
David Wagner is a botanist who works in Eugene. He teaches moss class-
es, leads nature walks and makes nature calendars. He can be contacted
through his web site: fernzenmosses.com.
eugeneweekly.com • July 6, 2017
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