Saturday, September 30, 2017
DVDs hidden at
Baker City library
cited in report for
Banned Book Week
and wide-brimmed hat)
taking a young monkey out
of Africa could be racist.
“There are potential
At first, the Baker
County
Library
staff racist undertones interpreted
thought it was a mistake. by readers,” the patron
Several DVD movies from wrote (the library redacted
the library’s collection were the patron’s name from its
turning up in odd places. report). “Taken from Africa
Staff discovered many of by a white male triggered in
them stuck behind rows of me the horrific slave history
shelved items or in rooms our country has. Also, some
far from the other DVDs, of the things that George
jammed behind Spanish experiences, such as he
smokes a pipe or is thrown
language items.
Then Library Director in jail for trying to run away,
Perry Stokes realized it is inappropriate for the age
wasn’t a mistake. For nearly group this book is intended
seven months, someone had for.”
The patron asked that
been deliberately hiding
DVDs of movies with the library take the book
lesbian and gay themes. out of circulation from all
Between October 2016 and its branches. “Our racial
March 2017, seven DVDs climate is very sensitive,
were scattered around the and at the time this was
Baker City library, some written and enjoyed it was
so well hidden that staff another climate,” the patron
had to buy replacement wrote.
Library Director Vailey
DVDs (a few were found
after the replacements were Oehlke wrote in an August
2016 response to the
purchased).
“It started to look request that the classic book
very purposeful, not that was still very popular with
someone just misplaced many patrons. “The library
them on a shelf,” Stokes entrusts parents to decide
for their children what
said.
After a little “good is best suited for them,”
old-fashioned
detective Oehlke wrote.
This isn’t the first time
work,” Stokes and his staff
“Curious
discov-
George” or
ered
the
one of the
culprit: a
off-shoot
“retirement
titles from
age” man
the classic
who was
book have
a regular
been chal-
at
the
lenged
in
Baker City
libraries.
library, and
who had a
— Complaint filed in Port- During the
history of land about “Curious George” past seven
years, library
complaints
patrons
a b o u t
books, movies and other have challenged the Rey
material. When confronted, classic (and other “Curious
the man readily admitted George” titles) a handful
the subterfuge, saying he of times. “Curious George
“didn’t think it was that Gets a Job” was challenged
big a deal,” Stokes said. several years ago because
“He figured we’d find them a library patron thought an
eventually, so he didn’t episode in which George
think he was doing anything knocks over a bottle of
ether and then falls asleep
wrong.”
Stokes told the man he promoted drug use.
Other library patrons
was banned from the library
for six months. Stokes also have also claimed the
reported the hidden DVD original H.A. Rey book had
episode to the Oregon racist overtones.
Shoved ‘down my
Intellectual Freedom Clear-
inghouse and the American throat’
But Baker County’s situ-
Library Association as one
of the state’s 20 library book ation was different. Instead
and material challenges of challenging the DVDs,
between July 2016 and June the patron took great care
to hide them. “This is a new
2017.
Baker County Library one,” Stokes said.
The county library
District’s incident was
included in the annual district has five branches
clearinghouse report on and a bookmobile to serve
challenges to library mate- nearly 16,000 residents.
rial, which was released In Baker City, a “really
in late August to coincide cosmopolitan” town of
with national Banned Book about 10,000, the library
had 9,000 cardholders.
Week (Sept. 24 to 30).
When Stokes talked with
“This
was
very
unusual,” said Stokes, who the culprit, he said hiding
has director of the Baker the videos was his way to
County Library District for push back on what he saw
10 years. “We periodically as society “shoving” LGBT
get informal complaints lifestyles “down my throat.”
“He said he was an
because somebody didn’t
person
like a book or they give us old-fashioned
informal feedback about who wasn’t raised where
a book or a movie. But this kind of content was
accepted,” Stokes said. “He
nothing quite like this.”
Racist
‘Curious didn’t like seeing it himself,
and he didn’t like children
George’?
Six public libraries seeing it on the shelves.
“It wasn’t an overt chal-
around Oregon reported
20 challenges to books, lenge, but certainly because
movies and recordings this he wanted to get away with
past year. Library patrons it, it was a challenge to this
in Portland (Multnomah kind of film genre.”
It’s not the first time
County), Grants Pass,
Bend, Beaverton, Corvallis someone has complained
and Baker County filed about the Baker City
complaints in the past year. library’s DVD collection,
Grants Pass patrons filed he said. The library district
five complaints, the most in expanded its collection
the 2017 report. Multnomah “after all the Blockbusters
County library branches closed,” focusing on “diver-
sity of content, including
fielded four complaints.
A
Beaverton
City indie films as well as major
Library patron challenged domestic productions.”
“So, people are seeing
the 2014 Norwegian film
“Blind,” because of nudity things they aren’t used to
and explicit sex. The library seeing,” said Stokes, whose
retained the film in its office is close to the DVD
collection. “That makes
collection.
One
Portland-area some people uncomfort-
complaint this year was able.”
Stokes’ report on the
a parent’s concern that a
copy of H.A. Rey’s 1941 incident was also a way to
children’s classic “Curious warn other libraries that it
George,” could be racist could happen to them, no
and was inappropriate for matter where they were. “I
young children. The Kenton wanted to let people know
branch patron wrote in a that this is another tactic
statement of concern that that may be employed and
the book’s image of a white it’s not one we’ve seen
man (in a bright yellow suit before,” he said.
By KEVIN HARDEN
Portland Tribune
“There are
potential racist
undertones
interpreted by
readers.”
REGION
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PILOT ROCK
Turkey options on council plate
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Pilot Rock City Council
will gather Tuesday night
to again chew on the town’s
turkey situation.
City leaders plan to
discuss ways to control the
growing population of wild
turkeys, which number
somewhere around 70 in the
small town.
Some residents have
complained about turkey scat
and property damage from
the fowl.
Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife biologist
Greg Rimbach in a council
presentation earlier this month
said killing the birds under
a state-issued permit is the
surest way to end the bother.
Rimbach also said the city
needs to institute local laws
before the state can help.
To that end, drafts of two
ordinances come before the
council.
The first prohibits feeding
wildlife, declaring it a public
nuisance, and recommends
$50-$250 fines for each
offense. The city law would
make an exception for bird
feeders, providing the “bird
seed shall be contained in
receptacles which are reason-
ably designed to avoid access
to wildlife.”
The second law would
allow the city to issue permits
to trap problem animals,
with penalties for violations
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A gaggle of wild turkeys forage in a field Tuesday on the westside of Pilot Rock.
A couple dozen of the birds have taken roost in the area and are causing some
concerns with local citizens.
ranging from $20-$250.
While the animal control
ordinances do not authorize
killing, that option remains
on the table for the council,
along with harassing the
turkeys and allowing local
property owner Tom Gibson
to trap and relocate the birds.
Gibson, according to the
council memo, offered to
leave a horse trailer filled
with feed in a popular turkey
spot. Once many birds are
inside, he would close the
door and haul them to his 500
acres in the Meadow Creek
area near Indian Lake.
The council also could
decide not to do anything
with the turkeys — the option
Milton-Freewater took —
while still passing the law to
ban wildlife feeding.
The
council
meets
Tuesday at 7 p.m. at city
hall, 144 N. Alder Place.
Among other agenda items,
the council will introduce
amendments to the city’s
traffic code for police to
better enforce the ban on
storing vehicles on public
right of way.
And the council has some
reorganization to consider.
City Recorder Teri Porter
said she is retiring and
moving to Arizona — where
she’s from — to be closer to
children and grandchildren.
She has worked in the posi-
tion since May 2011. Rather
than rushing out the door,
she told the council in a letter
her last day will be April 27,
2018. That should be enough
time for the council to decide
whether to stay with the
city recorder, public works
supervisor and police chief
as the three department heads
or hire a city administrator or
manager.
UMATILLA
Students GEAR UP for end of high school
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Umatilla High School
students learned that when it
comes to college, they’ve got
options. This week was the
high school’s annual “GEAR
UP” week, which steers
students to start thinking about
the opportunities available to
them while they’re still in high
school, and after they graduate.
GEAR UP, which stands
for Gaining Early Awareness
and Readiness for Undergrad-
uate Programs, is a federal
grant program funded by the
U.S. Department of Educa-
tion. It focuses on getting
low-income middle and high
schoolers ready for post-sec-
ondary education.
That can include more
than just the four-year college
degree.
“GEAR UP makes kids
aware of alternatives to the
four-year education,” said
Umatilla’s GEAR UP coordi-
nator, Sean Franks. “Two-year
programs, technical education.
This week, we teach kids —
what is GEAR UP, and how
can we help you?”
Franks said during this
week, students also get to hear
about the paths of some of
their teachers.
“Every teacher has a
different story,” Franks said.
“It’s good for students to see
everyone from the janitor to
the superintendent, how they
got to where they are.”
Franks said after this week,
they will start hosting some
more specific events that
help student understand the
application and financial aid
processes better, such as a
FAFSA (Free Application for
Federal Student Aid) night.
Students also had a GEAR
UP pep rally on Wednesday,
where Superintendent Heidi
Sipe talked about the impor-
tance of going after goals.
She showed students a
photo of her hometown, Kettle
Falls, Washington.
“It makes Umatilla look
like a big city,” she said. “I
had to make a lot of my own
opportunities.”
Sipe asked students to
think about the opportunities
available to them in their
own school, between the
after-school program and the
college credit classes.
“In your freshman year
of high school, you all had to
take Success 101,” she said.
“You get a college credit for
that. How much did it cost
you? Zero dollars.”
She encouraged students
to get their Associates of
Arts Oregon Transfer degree,
which they can do in high
school.
“Then you’re halfway
to your dream,” she said.
“You have the opportunity
to have two years of college
completely free.”
She said living in a small
town gives students the chance
to do unique things.
“All you have to do is make
sure you’re taking advantage
of your opportunities, paying
attention and working hard,”
she said. “That’s your end of
the deal.”
BRIEFLY
Tobacco ban, event
business licenses on
docket for council
PENDLETON — There
are no action items for
Tuesday’s Pendleton City
Council meeting, but council
may set themselves up for
further action at the Oct. 17
meeting.
The meat of the agenda
is three first readings of
ordinances, two of which
involve a smoking ban in
city parks and the expansion
of the city’s temporary
business license rules to
include vendors at Pendleton
Bike Week and Pendleton
Whisky Music Fest.
The smoking ban would
prohibit the use of all
tobacco products at city
parks, carrying an enforce-
ment power that wasn’t
included in an administrative
rule passed in 2013 that
banned smoking within 20
feet of a public playground.
When a non-enforceable
rule applicable to all parks
was put before the council
at its last meeting, only
Councilor Paul Chalmers
voted for it.
The vendor business
license ordinance would
add Bike Week and Whisky
Fest vendors to the list of
temporary businesses that
pay for a license.
Vendors with a permanent
location in city limits are
required to pay $100 while
vendors without one pay $160.
The council will meet
at 7 p.m. at the council
chambers in city hall, 500
S.W. Dorion Ave.
Driver in Canal
Road crash ID’d
HERMISTON — The
driver injured in a crash
on Canal Road Thursday
evening was Kyle Naillon,
20, of Hermiston.
According to Umatilla
County Sheriff Terry Rowan,
Naillon was northbound on
Canal Road near Christley
Lane when his Dodge Neon
crashed head-on with a
tractor driven southbound by
Craig Parks about 5:30 p.m.
Naillon was transported
to Good Shepherd Medical
Center by ambulance.
Rowan said the location
of the crash was at a “pretty
good curve” and Naillon may
have been going “a little too
fast for conditions.” He said
no citations had been issued.
“People just need to use
caution in that area,” he said.
CTUIR lifts burn
ban Saturday
MISSION — The
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian reservation
will lift its burn ban Saturday.
According to a CTUIR
press release, Tribal Fire
Chief Rob Burnside said the
lower temperatures and higher
humidity allowed the tribes to
reinstate burns, which includes
burn barrels and yard debris.
Questions or concerns can
be directed to either Umatilla
Tribal Dispatch at 541-278-
0550 or the CTUIR Office of
Air Quality at 541-429-7080.
Just west of the reservation,
the city of Pendleton’s burn
ban will be lifted Sunday.
Open burning will also be
allowed in the Rieth Water
District and the fire districts of
Lower McKay Creek, McKay
Dam and Riverside.
Seats open on
irrigation boards
HERMISTON — The
Butter Creek and Echo
irrigation districts are
looking for candidates to
run for two available seats
on each of their respective
boards of directors.
Though separate bodies,
the districts do share an office
at 28790 Westport Lane in
Hermiston and meet one
after the other on the third
Thursday of every month.
Directors must be members
of that district. The deadline
to apply is Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Anyone interested in
running for these offices
should call the office
541-289-5201.
HEY! LOOK WHO’S
50 !!!!
Still Missing You
Jeremy Kurtis
Shipton
September 13, 1983 -
September 30, 2003
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Kenny Gibbs!
From All your Family and Friends!