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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2020)
PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 KPD Lt: Misinformation not helpful to any active case, fi re or otherwise GRASSROOTS GOVERNMENT Changing street design standards sparks debate The Keizer Traffi c Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee had its most recent meeting Sept. 10. Here’s what was discussed: • Chair Mike DeBlasi at- tempted to get a discussion off the ground regarding the standards Keizer uses when designing streets – it met with resistance from City Councilor Dan Kohler, the council’s liaison to the com- mittee. DeBlasi and past mem- bers of the committee have championed a different blueprint than the ones the city currently uses. Keizer’s roads generally are designed according to standards is- sued National Association of Transportation Offi cials (NACTO), a set of guide- lines that focuses on rural road and highway safety. DeBlasi and others would like the city to consider al- ternative standards, issued by the American Associa- tion of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials (AASHTO), that considers multimodal and pedestrian safety to a higher degree. “AASHTO would be more bike and pedestrian friendly and a lot of it is in traffi c-calming design,” De- Blasi said. DeBlasi noted that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been open to experi- mentation with the guide- lines in other cities, but that it requires local leaders to sign off on the proposals be- fore advancing. Kohler said there didn’t appear to be much polit- ical will when it comes to changing the standards at all. “When I ask city or county (offi cials) about the standards, I haven’t found a whole lot of interest in changing the standards,” Kohler said. DeBlasi countered, “I un- derstand that there is some inertia, but we can come up with a plan and fi gure out how to compromise.” Kohler said emergen- cy service offi cials contend changing the standards would make it harder for emergency response. DeB- lasi cited a recent example of the city council going against the wishes of the Keizer Fire District when it approved a gas station devel- opment in the parking lot of Safeway. The Keizer Fire District chief spoke out against the development on multiple occasions. “These kinds of designs are used in lots of larger cities, like Portland, and the emergency vehicles still get around,” DeBlasi said. Committee members moved on to other agenda items without pursuing the issue further. • DeBlasi suggested looking into applying for a community program called Tree City USA, which of- fers grants and other fund- ing for planting trees in ur- ban communities. “We’ve all been driv- ing down the streets in the blinding sun, and this pro- gram offers money to put in a canopy,” DeBlasi said. • Committee member Wayne Frey reported on his investigation into the Oregon Community Paths Program, a new ODOT program offering funding to connect Oregon commu- nities with pathways. The committee would need to identify a project and sub- mit a letter of interest by Oct. 31 to be eligible for the fi rst round of grants. 13 days left to take part in U.S. Census a need to follow up. There is no question about citizenship status. Census results determine congressional representation, the allocation of Electoral Col- lege votes, and is used to draw boundaries for state and local election districts. Nonprof- its and businesses use Census data to help determine where to build health care facilities, child care and senior centers, grocery stores and new facto- ries. The demographic infor- mation informs how the cities like Keizer engage with the its residents at nearly every level. Police Department (KPD) Lt. Bob Trump. (NOTE: The KPD is not di- rectly involved with the handling of the wildfi res across the state. The Keizertimes chose to speak with them about the dangers of misinformation in ongoing inves- tigations in general because they are a local agency.) “In a general sense, wher- ever the conversation would come up we would remind people that it’s not helpful to the investigation to speculate and spread things,” Trump said. Various county sheriff ’s of- fi ces have taken to social media to plead with people to stop spreading rumors. According to a post made by the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Offi ce peo- ple have been overwhelming 9-1-1 and the non-emergency line asking about a false report claiming six Antifa members were arrested for arson. It de- layed people experiencing ac- tual emergencies from getting help. “We join with our law en- forcement partners in basically reminding people not to spec- ulate as to the cause or origins of fi res until there can be a complete investigation done,” Trump said. Trump said the KPD has not ever been overwhelmed with calls about a particu- lar case in the way Douglas County described, but he does think social media plays a role in the rapid spread of unconfi rmed or not true in- formation. “People have a voice, a direct voice to the commu- nity and they can say literally whatever they want to say,” Trump said. Though everyone is free and able to express their opinion, that doesn’t mean every opinion is helpful—or even rooted in fact. “There may be facts or cir- cumstances about a case that we want to communicate to the public and that story is al- ready being told across social media before I, as a spokesper- son, have all the facts of what happened,” Trump said. Social media gives users the ability to spread information quickly, but investigation and fact fi nding take more time. “I need to report things based on what actually oc- curred and so I’m gathering all of that and there is al- ready some speculation, peo- ple talking about things that I just know patently aren’t the facts,” Trump said. He said the department then has to play “catch up” and attempt to stop the spread of the false information and promote the spread of the actual facts. In cases like the Clacka- mas County deputy, who was placed on administrative leave and then resigned after shar- ing a video in which he made claims that Antifa was setting the fi res, misinformation can harm the relationship with the community and damage a de- partment’s reputation, though Trump said it is diffi cult to measure that damage. As far as the KPD is con- cerned, its leaders want to be transparent. Trump encour- aged community members with questions about ongoing cases to call and ask, though there is a chance that the de- partment may not be able to answer certain questions be- cause it is an ongoing inves- tigation. In times like these it can be confusing on who to trust. While government offi cials tend to be more credible than a friend of a friend of a friend’s Facebook rant, there is a mid- dle ground full of news stories debunking rumors. “The closer the person or speaker is to the facts of the investigation, the more reliable that information is,” Trump said. CHURCH, continued from Page A1 as (CCDRE representatives) toured congregations to raise money,” said Darren Williamson, who has organized the relief effort for the Keizer church. Right before he was interviewed, Williamson was on the phone with a pastor from Mill City and planning how the churches could partner to assist those who lost everything in the fi res. The whole operation got underway about fi ve days prior to the delivery Saturday, Sept. 12. The northwest director of CCDRE reached out to ask if the Keizer church wanted to be part of the relief efforts. After a meeting of the church elders and a night of prayer, Keizer Church of Christ agreed to accept the delivery of relief goods. “The truck arrived at 10 a.m. and we had 28 volunteers who helped unload it in an hour,” Williamson said. A donated forklift from Keizer’s Herc Rentals helped make the task easier. The church can also accept donations from outside organizations to support relief for evacuees. A congregant of Portland- based Southwest Church of Christ, who lived through a fi re that destroyed her home, sent along more wheelbarrows with notes of encouragement from her church’s youth group. “She also donated hard candy so people can suck on those while they clean up. She said one of the hardest things about her situation was the smell of burned plastic,” said Bob Busch, another congregant. Like Colleen, Williamson said he was set on his heels when he realized how many aspects of the potential need the CCDRE delivery covered. “We know people are going to need diapers and food, but then you realize someone is going to have to clean up their garage that burned down,” Williamson said. “So we have all these things we never thought about sending to a disaster relief area before.” Members of the church responded in such overwhelming numbers that Williamson doesn’t foresee the need for additional help to assist in the operation, but Busch said that the donations from CCDRE will keep coming until the need subsides. “They’ve told us they are in this with us for as long as they are needed,” Busch said. Effort (CCDRE) contained buckets full of cleaning supplies, gallons of bleach, long-handled scrubbing brushes, rakes and wheelbarrows. Those in need of assistance can visit the church, 5405 Ridge Drive N.E., Mondays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon or 4 and 7 p.m. or Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Target donated a dedicated phone to the church’s response effort, call 971-375-5285 outside of operating hours. Busch said church elders are making themselves available for counseling, those in need can call the same number to reach a church elder. “Disaster Relief is an effort we’ve supported as a congregation in the past, but we’d only seen what they do on slides during presentations M emorial C enters ◆ C remation & B urial Simplicity - Convenience - Low Cost simple cremation simple direct burial church funeral ASK MR. TRASH Q. I heard about China’s ban on recycling. What IS recyclable now? A. Be very careful to only recycle the things on your hauler’s approved list. PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, AND WAXY CARTONS WERE NEVER RECYCLABLE! ©1986 The deadline to complete the U.S. Census has been moved up a month to Sept. 30. The Keizer Community Library is a resource for any- one needing internet access to complete the United States 2020 Census. Computers will be available by appointment Mondays from 1-4 p.m. and Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. The library is on the ground fl oor of the Keizer Cultural Center, 980 Chemawa Road N.E. To make an appointment, call the library at 503-390- 2370 and leave a message; or 503-363-4548. The email ad- dress is info@keizerlibrary. org. Information is also avail- able at www.keizerlibrary.org. The Census questionnaire can also be completed online, even from a mobile device, at cen- sus2020.gov. Taking part in the Census has an impact on almost ev- ery aspect of government from city to federal levels and, for the fi rst time, completing it can be done online in about 10 minutes. The questionnaire asks for the names, gender, age (includ- ing date of birth) and race/ ethnicity of each person living at the residence, whether res- idents own or rent and for a phone number in case there is By LAUREN MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Even though offi cials have named lightning as the chief suspect in starting the Beach- ie Creek and Loinshead fi res, which are the two deeply af- fecting Marion County, the internet suspects a more sinis- ter hand at play. Social media has been abuzz with rumors that mem- bers of Antifa have been set- ting the fi res that are raging across our state. Both Marion and Clackamas Sheriff ’s Of- fi ces have denied these claims. Antifa is described by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as, “a loose collection of groups, networks and indi- viduals who believe in active, aggressive opposition to far right-wing movements.” When confronted with the fact that no one has been arrested for arson in Mari- on County (at time of press) conspiracy theorists will often throw out the line, “I have a right to my opinion.” While freedom of speech is a First Amendment right, there are consequences for the words people choose. “It’s a tough thing, you’re talking about some govern- ment offi cial saying, ‘Hey, lim- it your speech,’” said Keizer PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING GOOD RECYCLABLES EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY: • Cardboard and uncoated greyboard boxes (Shipping & cereal type). No frozen food boxes! • Print-quality paper - newspaper, junk & office paper, and magazines; • Tin & Aluminum Cans Only - NO foil, trays, or scrap metal; • Plastic Bottles and Jugs Only - NO bags, tubs, clamshells, bubble Pak, or other plastics. 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