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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2019)
letters THAT NIMBY STINK There is a nasty class war going on in Eugene and most of the rest of the coun- try, although locally no one wants to talk about it outside of Facebook pages de- voted to the homeless and renters, who are half of Eugene residents. It’s our lo- cal elephant in the room. On one side we have the rich business people and middle-class homeowners, on the other side working-class renters and the homeless. Homeowners, and the neighborhood associations they dominate, have a long history of keep- ing us out of “their” neighborhoods, including all kinds of rentals and home- less shelters. For working-class people, they’re the enemy. So after reading the July 25 opinion piece “Long Day’s Journey From Dark- ness to Light” — what a bizarre title — by Jacqueline McClure and Julie Hulme, I have no sympathy for the position of Greenway Guardians and neighborhood associations against Homes For Good’s plan to sell land they say is legally un- suitable for public subsidized housing and use the proceeds to further their work. It all smells like NIMBY to me. For once I’m glad that a local govern- ment agency doesn’t have to answer to their opponents or go through any kind of public process before they take ac- tion. That’s how the NIMBYs stop any- thing from happening. We are in a housing crisis. I would like to cram large apartment buildings into every neighborhood in Eugene. It’s time to move. Lynn Porter Homeless Action Eugene MOVED TO TEARS hear ye, hear ye !! LEGAL NOTICES Place your legal notices in the Eugene Weekly! FAST, EFFICIENT SERVICE call: 541.484.0519 email: offi ce@eugeneweekly.com fax: 541.484.4044 Eugene Weekly qualifi es for posting legal ads 4 A U G U S T 1 , 2 0 1 9 I am so glad at least one noteworthy organization is treating homeless indi- viduals like the people they are. Elisha Young’s story on Teague and Leo in your Pets issue (EW, 7/25) moved me to tears. I often look for her stories and reviews because something about her voice speaks to me. But this article was her best. She man- aged to tell an artful story full of emotion that got a very important point across. With all of the recent regulations and licensing restrictions, I’m proud to see some one campaigning for our vulner- able community members. Kudos to Elisha, and kudos to the Weekly. Vance Avery Eugene GET THE HINT, JIM Jim Torrey doesn’t seem to under- stand that elections have consequences. The recently rejected candidate for re- election to the Eugene School District 4J School Board has put his name in for appointment to a vacant seat (Slant, 7/25). Martina Shabram defeated him just two months ago by a solid margin of 53 percent to 46 percent of the vote. The Oregon Working Families Party supported Shabram, Gordon Lafer and Deanna Chappell Belcher because we wanted change and new progressive voices on our school board. Let’s hope that his former colleagues don’t vote to put Torrey back on the board. If they do, it will be a nasty slap at the 16,280 people who voted against him. Stefan Ostrach Eugene NO HOAX, FOLKS I want to thank Linda Perrine for her Viewpoint piece (EW, 7/18) and her activism with 350.org. I applaud her ef- forts. Having said that, I wish to share some things not commonly understood about addressing climate change. Even though this issue has been wide- ly known for 30 years, the human family is burning more fossil fuels than ever be- fore. This is because fossil fuels provide an extremely useful, compact energy density that solar and wind do not. Try pushing your car the distance you can drive on one gallon of gasoline. Amazing! There are countless things we do with fossil fuels that are far less easily achieved with solar and wind generated electricity. It is for this reason that the personal responsibility Perrine alludes to is not enough. Some may voluntarily drive less, etc., but most will not. For this reason, we need leaders who will actually lead and force the dramatic and sweeping changes in our world that meaningfully addressing climate change calls for. People will complain bitterly, but they need to be told: “Here’s what we’re doing, and this pallet of document boxes is the scientific research support- ing our decision. So, please stop shout- ing and start reading.” Robert Bolman Eugene GUARDING GREENWAYS I would like to commend Jacqueline McClure and Julie Hulme for their July 25 Guest Viewpoint regarding the pro- posed Lombard Apartments project in the Willamette River Greenway. In addi- tion to the many important points they make, I would like to add that this parcel of land is critical to protect because of these community values: Its unique location adjacent to the Willamette River and the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path; the beauty of its 28 ma- ture trees and its wetland vegetation; the scenic qualities of its open space and vegetation that are seen by the thou- sands of people who walk or bike the riverbank path every year; and the fact that protecting this land, or at least the eastern half of the site, is consistent with adopted goals and policies of the state of Oregon, the city of Eugene and the River Road Community Organization. Allowing this land to be sold to an out-of-state developer for market rate housing would be a continuation of business-as-usual decisions that are de- stroying our planet. It’s time to make a wiser choice. Steve Goldman Eugene SHAPING GROWTH Thank you for the Greenway Guard- ian Viewpoint regarding Homes For Good’s sale of 3.59 acres to Evergreen Housing. HFG’s mission is to develop low-income housing in Lane County; it has held this site located between the river and River Road for 20-plus years. River Road neighbors are not knee- jerk anti-development. We simply want to have a voice in shaping necessary growth. River Road Community Orga- nization has promoted St. Vincent de Paul’s low-income apartment project on River Road just south of Howard Av- enue, and has welcomed infill ADUs and “rolling homes” on commercial sites. We say yes to inclusion, to community, to development designed with respect. High density, high rise, (overpriced) mar- ket rate apartments that guarantee on- going turnover? Please, no. That’s been the fallout from Ever- green’s previous development, Ecco Apartments, half a mile north on River Road. It’s a treeless expanse of out-of- scale blocks looming over the surround- ing neighborhood, creating parking strife, traffic gridlock and a stream of disgruntled short-term residents. The Greenway site offers access to bike path, bus service and the tree-lined river. Wouldn’t this be a great place for affordable cottages or row houses? Is there some reason that low income, el- derly or disabled people can’t be housed on prime land? Lynne Lockhart Eugene QUITE A STRETCH I find no difference between “white supremacy” and “male supremacy,” as far as they are both unfair and discrimi- natory. So will the Eugene City Council now vote to condemn those patriarchal organizations that consign females to secondary roles — organizations such as the Catholic Church? If not, then the city council is indeed saying it is perfectly okay to discrimi- nate against women. It is the right and privilege for any in- dividual in Eugene to hold the view that their group deserves “supremacy,” for it is their human right to have private thoughts and perspectives. The city cannot hold such beliefs, as condemning individuals for their beliefs is unconstitutional. Hugh Massengill Eugene A NEW PEACE Great to hear about the Nobel Peace Park in Eugene; it’s worthy of celebra- tion (“Celebrate Peace,” 7/11). It is said, “Peace begins when hunger ends.” We call all to take action to bring this about. We have what we need to end hunger and poverty; the only thing lacking is the E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M
