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About The Redmond spokesman. (Redmond, Crook County, Or.) 1910-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
P4 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, July 21, 2021 Parents, activists target race and gender teachings BY NICOLE BALES The Bulletin Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin photos Campers line a section of 17th Street in Redmond. Homelessness Continued from P1 The city is also set to receive two new homeless shelters in the near future after having no long-term options for years. Redmond received $5.8 mil- lion in American Rescue Plan COVID-19 relief funding from the federal government, which can be used for homeless-re- lated projects, according to the city manager. While homelessness is not a new issue in Redmond, the amount of attention it is cur- rently garnering is, said James Cook, a Redmond-based board member of Central Or- egon’s Homeless Leadership Coalition. “I think actually getting things before the council is a unique step, something that hasn’t really happened before,” Cook said. The push to find tangible solutions to address the grow- ing number of people living on Redmond’s streets and public lands came after the city heard multiple complaints from busi- nesses near 17th Street and Greenwood Avenue, where many homeless people cur- rently camp in Redmond. The city heard reports of people wandering onto manufactur- ing floors uninvited, which is unsafe, said Redmond City Manager Keith Witcosky.These issues were raised at another joint meeting between the county and city in May, where Redmond City Councilor Jon Bullock and Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang de- cided to team up to find ways the two public bodies could contribute to a long-term solu- tion, Witcosky said. Several ideas are currently on the table, according to Chang and advocates for the homeless. One idea on the ta- ble is a safe parking program, which would let a church or business offer a parking lot as a safe place for people to park their vehicles or RVs long term. Rick Russell, a pastor at Mountainview Fellowship Church who is behind the pro- posal, said he has seen similar programs in places like Salem. He hopes the City Council will approve the idea and contrib- ute $25,000 to pay for a posi- tion to manage the program. “It’s just one more option,” Russell said. Another idea that will be discussed is a managed camp, said Chang. “We need these places where homeless people are allowed to be,” Chang said. There is currently a proposal to find city or county land to build a tiny-home community, which would be known as Oa- Guy Cavallo, 69, exits his RV parked along 17th Street in Redmond. sis Village. The proposal, sup- ported in part by the nonprofit Jericho Road, would be simi- lar to Bend Hero Foundation’s Veteran’s Village, which is set to open by September, accord- ing to the foundation’s Execu- tive Director Erik Tobiason. The vision is to start with about 10 tiny homes, with communal showering, eating and laundry spaces. It would be a low-barrier shelter, mean- ing someone wouldn’t have to be sober to qualify, and people could live there between six months to two years. Don Senecal with Jericho Road said the village would be monitored 24 hours a day and provide services to help peo- ple transition out of chronic SOLUTION Crossword on Page 2 Ways you can support Thelma’s Place: SOLUTION Sudoku on Page 2 • Vehicle donations • Cash donations • Sponsorships • Volunteer CHILD CARE AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM Your support makes a difference! Redmond: 541-548-3049 Day Respite and Support Groups www.thelmasplace.org homelessness. “We want to get them to the point where they can transition into a place like (Bethlehem Inn) or Shepherd’s House,” Senecal said. To make it happen, the group behind Oasis Village needs land and consistent funding, Senecal said. The group is looking for the county or city to consider donating 2 to 5 acres of land somewhere in or near the city, so people can be close to services. “The problem is after you open the door and you start getting clientele we have to pay for people to be there, you have to pay utility bills … that to me is a much larger challenge,” Senecal said. The virtual meeting be- tween Redmond and Deschutes County leaders is at 5 p.m. Jul 21 online at redmondoregon.gov. e Reporter: 541-633-2160, bvisser@bendbulletin.com Parents and activists who are upset about a curriculum that includes issues of race and gender delivered a stern warning to the Redmond School Board this week: They would pull their children out of schools if the curriculum remains unchanged. Some of the more than 50 people in attendance Wednesday were also part of the organized protest at the Bend-La Pine School Board meeting on Tuesday. Both protests also took issue with the use of masks in schools. “Please know from all the people here tonight and many more that aren’t: This is a warning from parents that you serve,” said Liz Batter- son, a grandmother. “Pushing CRT (critical race theory), pushing LGBTQ ideologies upon our children will de- stroy the brick and mortar system and place all of you into no jobs and no positions to hold as there will be no more public schools if we pull all of our children out.” Some parents at the meet- ing told the board they had already pulled their children out of Redmond schools. Bat- terson said her granddaugh- ter would not attend in the fall and be homeschooled instead. Critical race theory is a col- lection of concepts addressing racial inequity and is taught in higher education. It has be- come a catchall phrase for ef- forts to address systemic rac- ism. The phrase is often used by conservatives in a national culture war that is spilling into K-12 education. Sheila Miller, a spokes- woman for Redmond School District, said critical race the- ory is not taught in Redmond Schools. Issues of race are taught as part of social studies classes. The Redmond School Board created an equity task force for the district in Sep- tember to address inequities in local schools, combat ex- plicit and implicit racism and diversify the district’s work- force. No concrete goals have yet been set by the task force. While speakers at the Bend-La Pine School Board meeting Tuesday took is- sue with teaching related to race and gender, most of them were there to discuss the school district’s plan for masking inside classrooms. The school district plans to follow the federal Centers of Disease and Prevention guidelines. Redmond School District, on the other hand, will no longer require masks to be worn by students and staff inside classrooms. Masks will continue to be required on school buses until the federal requirement is lifted. B.J. Soper, a Redmond res- ident and parent, said that while the Redmond School District has made steps in a positive direction toward mask use, it’s not enough. Soper, a conservative activist, garnered national attention after joining Ammon Bundy during his takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. “Masking children is abuse. Contact tracing is a violation of our privacy,” he said. “My daughter will not be subject to the COVID nonsense, pe- riod. Nor will the Marxist, Communist agenda, such as the the Equity Task Force, be used to manipulate her edu- cation.” e Reporter; 541-617-7854, nbales@bendbulletin.com
