NEWS
BY CORINNE BOYER
HELPING WITH HEATED
SITUATIONS
Demand for safe intervention training grows as hate incidents increase
A
lthough racist, xenophobic and gender-
motivated incidents are not new in Eu-
gene, these acts of aggression have more
than doubled over those reported during
the same period in 2016, according to data
from the city’s Office of Equity and Human Rights.
Heated confrontations are challenging, and many
unknown factors like anger and alcohol can exacer-
bate these public situations —making it very difficult
to step in for fear of retaliation and safety.
To help address this issue, a group of community
members met Aug. 24 at Temple Beth Israel to at-
tend a three-hour bystander-upstander intervention
training.
Led by Nadia Telsey, the group of 25 people dis-
cussed local and national hate and bias incidents that
have been recorded and on the rise since the 2016
election. Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ), a
social justice nonprofit, has compiled training ma-
terials to assist people who, finding themselves in a
heated public situation, may want to help.
The three-hour workshops combine discussions,
role-playing scenarios, videos and group sessions on
how to safely intervene in the event of a targeted at-
tack against any marginalized community member.
The group listed a number of people who have been
the subject of harassment, including the elderly, chil-
dren, people of color, women, religious minorities —
the list goes on.
The workshop began with Telsey going over the
safety aspects of any situation, such as knowing
where the exits are, being aware of the danger the ha-
rasser may present and keeping an eye out for other
potential witnesses.
Ginnie Lo attended the workshop after hearing
about several incidents of harassment, as well as the
stabbing on the MAX train in Portland. “I just think
it’s important because there are so many incidents of
harassment and hate lately and also because it brings
us together as a community to come together and say
we won’t tolerate this and we will work to prevent
those,” she says.
Telsey told attendees who may try to intervene
as a bystander to remember to breathe, keep soft
eye contact and stand in the “balance position” —
a stance with one foot slightly in front of the other
that helps prevent someone from being easily pushed
over.
The group also reenacted incidents that have oc-
curred throughout the U.S. All participants, at dif-
ferent points, played the role of the harasser, target,
intervener and bystander. A bystander is a person
who may happen to witness a public conflict, and an
intervener is someone who speaks up in the moment
of conflict. In this workshop, people in either role
can choose to step in safely and help the person tar-
geted by a harasser.
Bruce Kreitzburg says he learned to focus on the
target of the harassment during the workshop. Kre-
itzburg says before the training he thought his op-
tions were to not intervene or to confront the harass-
er. “And what I took away was actually you don’t
have to confront the harasser; you need to be aware
of the harasser; you need to be cognizant of what’s
going on, but keep the focus on helping the target
— which might be as simple as offering some kind
words or offering to escort somebody away from the
situation where they are being harassed or abused.”
Pat Bryan, a member of SURJ, says she thought
the workshop was great. “In addition to of course
wanting to think about preparing myself should I
ever see any kind of conflict that I felt that I could
step in and make a difference, I think just in general
I’ve been wanting to build my brave muscles.”
Workshop instructor Telsey says it’s always im-
portant to know your own triggers. “Know what your
goals are if you’re going to engage with them, what
are you hoping to accomplish. I would focus on the
person being harassed and keeping a safe distance.”
Telsey adds that the workshop is becoming more
popular and there are many people who are wait-
listed and is in need of volunteer teachers. If you
would like to help, contact SURJ at surj-info@goog-
legroups.com.
• Green Lane Sustainable Business Network is
holding its monthly luncheon Wednesday, Sept. 6, 11:30
am to 1 pm at the First United Methodist Church, 1376
Olive Street. The topic is the benefits of electric vehicles
for your business. Vegetarian lunch is optional, $12 per
person for lunch, $5 per person if not eating. More info at
greenlane-sbn.org.
lawyers (current practicing attorneys in other areas of
law, retired or non-practicing attorneys) to do asylum
cases pro-bono. You can contact the attorney arranging
the training, Christine Zeller-Powell at cezeller@hotmail.
com. For more information about the Innovation Law Lab
go to innovationlawlab.org. For more info on the RRCLC go
to ccslc.org/refugee-resettlement-program.
• The Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane
County has been working on getting more low-cost help
to refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants in
need of legal services. RRCLC is made up of local faith-
based groups, service organizations and concerned
community members. Catholic Community Services,
which coordinates the coalition, has opened a new law
services program in conjunction with Immigration Legal
services in Portland. There is a shortage of immigration
attorneys due to the change in federal administration.
Innovation Law Lab is planning to send a lawyer to
Eugene in September and do a training/workshop to train
• BRING Recycling’s annual self-guided Home and
Garden Tour, “The Art of Sustainable Living,” is Sept. 10.
BRING says, “This year’s theme draws from ‘wabi-sabi,’ the
Japanese aesthetics tradition that finds the beauty in
imperfection and impermanence and profundity in
earthliness.” For tickets, or to get in free by volunteering,
go to bringrecycling.org.
• Basic Rights Oregon will hold its statewide
leadership summit in Eugene Saturday, Sept. 30, at the
Unitarian Universalist Church. The all-day event will draw
hundreds of LGBTQ advocates and activists from around
the state for workshops and leadership trainings.
• The air quality in Lane County has been horrendous
thanks to more than 300,000 acres of Oregon forests on fire.
Houston, Texas, is facing 50 devastating inches of rain
— the same amount of rainfall the city usually gets in a year
— over just a matter of days. Weather and climate are not
the same, but there is no question that climate governs the
weather. Climate change is real, and all the predictions for
bigger storms and hotter summers are coming true. Now let’s
keep talking about what we can do to stop it from getting
worse.
• The old Lane Community College building at 1059
Willamette Street still sits vacant after Lane built its new
downtown center some four years ago. The property is
eligible for urban renewal funding, but bringing it up to code
and making it functional as an art center or other use would
be expensive and could take years. The 66,000 sq. ft.
building as is, with minor repairs and maintenance, would
serve nicely as a shelter for the increasing number of people
who have nowhere to live. The building has an elevator and
bathrooms on all four floors. The location is close to the
downtown bus station and social services. Having a shelter
on Willamette might even reduce some of the problems
associated with panhandlers and loiterers downtown, and
help consolidate policing.
We may never solve the economic, social and health-
care inequities that create and perpetuate homelessness,
but we can take advantage of opportunities to help. If you
like the idea of converting the old LCC building into a shelter,
urge our council members to make it a priority. Winter is
coming.
• We want to brag about one of our interns. Kaitlyn
Parvin, a University of Oregon journalism graduate and
summer intern in EW’s sales department, is heading for
Belize to do social media and marketing for TIDE Tours, a
nonprofit touring company. TIDE’s profits go to environmental
and coastal reef preservation and education. Speaking of
students and interns, EW has been working with the UO
journalism school’s Catalyst Journalism Project to develop
and publish stories. Catalyst “brings together investigative
reporting and solutions journalism to spark action and
response to Oregon’s most perplexing issues,” and a current
focus in EW’s pages is homelessness. To learn more visit
journalism.uoregon.edu/catalyst.
• A public memorial for Cecil Andrus, a famous Oregonian
turned Idahoan, was scheduled Aug. 31 in Boise. He died
one day before his 86th birthday. Andrus was born in Hood
River, eventually moved to Eugene, where he attended high
school, graduating in 1948. After going to Oregon State
University, he moved to Idaho, becoming what he called an
“accidental politician.” That included four terms as a
Democratic governor of that Republican state, interrupted by
several years as President Jimmy Carter’s secretary of
interior. Andrus said his proudest accomplishment was
steering the preservation of more than 100 million acres in
Alaska. It’s impossible to imagine a conservationist like Cecil
Andrus as either governor of Idaho or secretary of interior
today.
• What we’re reading: Red Notice by Bill Browder. The
subtitle is “a true story of high finance, murder, and one
man’s fight for justice,” and this should be a red flag to Donald
Trump and his buddies that they are dancing with the
devil in their game with Vladimir Putin in Russia. It’s a
fascinating read written by the grandson of Earl Browder,
candidate for president of the U.S. on the Communist ticket in
1936.
eugeneweekly.com • A ugust 31, 2017
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