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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2019)
OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, August 17, 2019 East Oregonian A11 Violence: Gun violence is an issue even here in Eastern Oregon Continued from Page A1 around the “driving forces” that true research would identify. Education and pre- vention strategies then need to be developed to specifi- cally touch all age levels and cultures that have blended together within our great nation. As an immediate inter- vention, New Directions Northwest Inc., which pro- vides mental health ser- vices in Baker County, used a grant focused on suicide prevention to purchase gun trigger locks. New Direc- tions offers these devices at no cost to any individual or family throughout Baker County. The prevention program also is working with other local communities through- out the county to identify locations to provide access to the free gun trigger locks. Greg Smith State Rep. R-Heppner Rather than passing addi- tional gun restrictions that end up punishing law-abid- ing citizens, I think it’s time we make a serious effort to address the growing mental health crisis in our communities. Earlier this year, I worked with Uma- tilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan, Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, to secure $1.6 million in upgrades for the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton. A portion of these upgrades will be used to ensure that violent crimi- nals, including those suffer- ing from mental illness, can get the treatment they need rather than being treated like ordinary offenders who might be returned to the public. Investments like this are crucial to ensuring peo- ple get the help they need, while also saving taxpay- ers money in the long run as those receiving treatment are less likely to reoffend in the future. Americans broadly agree that investing in mental health services is a worthwhile approach when it comes to addressing vio- lence. A 2018 survey by Gallup found that 56% of Americans viewed bolster- ing mental health screen- ings and security as a bet- ter strategy for addressing violence in schools than passing new restrictions on gun and ammunition sales. This opinion is shared by Americans of all politi- cal stripes and shows that there is room for agreement when it comes to violence The Dallas Morning News Photo via AP/Stewart F. House, File McKinney, Texas, resident Lesa Perry weeps during a candle light vigil at Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Park in McKinney, Texas, Aug. 5, 2019, for the victims of recent shootings in Ohio, Texas and California. AP Photo/John Raoux, File In this July 11, 2016, file photo, a makeshift memorial continues to grow outside the Pulse night- club in Orlando, the day before the one month anniversary of a mass shooting, in Orlando, Fla. A group of survivors and family members of those killed have formed an organization to oppose the building of a private museum to honor the victims of a mass shooting at the Florida nightclub three years ago. Members of the Community Coalition Against a Pulse Museum say the nightclub should be torn down and the nightclub’s owner shouldn’t build a private museum. prevention policies. Earl Pettit Cove School District superintendent Pettit said he believes one key to protecting a school from possible gun violence is having a school resource officer. School resource officers are law enforcement offi- cers who work in schools. The Cove School District is part of a consortium of school districts in Union County that share the cost and services of such as offi- cer Tony Humphries, a dep- uty with the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Ambulance: Tax hike for service to be on the Nov. 5 ballot Continued from Page A1 unfunded mandates from the state eat away at the district’s ability to pay for ambulance maintenance. Koklichi also blamed Oregon’s status as a sanc- tuary state for encourag- ing more people to move here and relying on the service, although he pro- vided no evidence to back up the assertion. Milton-Freewater Emergency Medical Ser- vice averaged 1,024 calls a year from 2016-18, according to data it pro- vided to the county. The data also show the com- pany’s calls for service would be in that ballpark again this year. Milton-Freewater EMS owner Rick Saager did not attend the hearing, but district board members said Saager is threaten- ing to pull out unless his business receives more money. Ed Chesnut, Mil- ton-Freewater city coun- cilor, questioned how that might work because the county’s franchise deal for ambulance service does not expire until at least 2021. Under the proposal for the new rate, the ambulance district also changed its name to the Milton-Freewater Valley Ambulance District. Kaila Rodighiero Gib- son, an elementary school teacher in nearby Col- lege Place, Washington, spoke in favor of the tax increase. She said she saw first-hand how the service saves lives. “We cannot go without an ambulance services in this district,” she said. County Commissioner George Murdock said he did not think state law allowed a void in ambu- lance service and noted the city of Milton-Free- water does not want to take on the responsibil- ity. Milton-Freewater City Manager Linda Hall con- firmed that. The county board voted 3-0 in favor of put- ting it on the Nov. 5 ballot. Koklichi said now the district board has to con- vince voters to support the higher tax. Humphries began serving as an school resource officer for the Cove, North Powder, Union and La Grande school districts during the 2018-19 school year and will con- tinue doing so in 2019-20. Pettit said Humphries’ presence is welcome because of the personal connections he makes. “Tony Humphries is not a cop on patrol. He is devel- oping relationships with stu- dents,’’ Pettit said. “He is bridging the natural gap that exists between students and adults in a school.’’ Pettit said this healthy relationship is making the Cove School District safer. Larry Glaze InterMountain Education Service District director of operations Glaze of La Grande said a better approach to resolving disagreements is one key to curbing gun violence. “We need to teach our children how to resolve con- flict in a non-violent way,” said Glaze, who served as superintendent of the La Grande School District from 2008 to 2017 and has worked more than 40 years as an educator. The education adminis- trator said this has to start with schools and children’s families working hard to instill values and provide support and direction. He said parents should limit the time their children spend on their electronic devices doing things like playing violent video games and instead do healthy activities together. “In the rush of life, mov- ing from activity to the next, we forget to do things like having dinner together,” Glaze said. Jason Edmiston Hermiston chief of police Contrary to what people may see on television, police officers have very lim- ited access to state or fed- eral databases. Protections afforded via HIPAA com- pound matters even further, but local cops know what is going on in their com- munities. So, would it not make sense to create a pro- cess where police officers have the ability to complete a simple form with spe- cific criteria and submit that form to flag a person’s crim- inal history record should they ever try to purchase a gun? A process much like that of the stalking order process. By law, when a police officer believes a stalking order is warranted due to information known to the officer, the officer fills out a temporary order, provides both parties with a copy and a court date, and records/dis- patch enter the order into the state system, which creates a flag on the person’s record. The court must hear the mat- ter within 72 hours. If the person receiv- ing the complaint does not appear, the order is upheld as they were given ample opportunity for due process. If the person does appear, a judge must weigh in and decide. In no way, shape, or form is this the solution to the much larger prob- lem. This would only per- tain to legal gun purchases, but at least it could be the first step in a process that engages all sides and gives some justification to the can that has been kicked for years, by elected officials. This state-approved pro- cess would allow officers to continue to take action within their community. Society has empowered us as police officers, now let us protect. School: $12,500 grant to go toward restoration Continued from Page A1 The building eventually fell into the hands of Roy Golden, who turned it into an antique store and then a stor- age shed. By the time the Hamp- tons acquired the property, Golden had also bought an old sawmill breakhouse and housed it on the land. Leading a tour of Umatilla County officials that included Commissioner Bill Elfering, Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator Gail Nelson, and Eastern Oregon Business Source President Susan Bower, Hampton said the insurer recommended scrapping the breakhouse. “I told my insurance com- pany, ‘I’m not going to tear it down,’” she said. The new owners ren- ovated the interior of the breakhouse, adding a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system while using local lumber to redo the floor, walls and ceiling. Addi- tionally, the table tops are decorated with brands from Pilot Rock ranchers. To service the renovated breakroom, Hampton and her husband bought the Class 5 Coffee Works drive-thru coffee shop in Maupin and transported it to Pilot Rock. Hampton said the cof- fee shop was originally Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Janelle Hampton uses a paint brush to coat the building’s trim work in a contrasting color. While Hampton hired paint- ers to spray the building, she and a collection of others will work to hand paint the building’s trim. called Class 5 because it was near Class 5 rapids on the Deschutes River, but it also worked well with the school- house theme. The owners are now try- ing to market their new business to the surrounding community. Hampton said Class 5 was able to bring in some of the bikers passing through town as a part of Pendleton Bike Week and the breakhouse has been rented for reunion groups as a part of Pilot Rock Community Days. Although the Hamptons have already made improve- ments to the public school property, Janelle said it will take a lot more money for it to reach its full potential. Hampton anticipates a restaurant, bar and meeting space could all be housed in a building with the basalt rock formation that gives Pilot Rock its name. But the main obstacle, Hampton said, is access to capital. Hampton has estimated it would take $60,000 alone to do new HVAC in the school- house, and she doesn’t want to spend her entire savings trying to fix up the place. The Hamptons, who own and operate a window cover- ing business north of Seattle, explored establishing a non- profit to support the school- house, but they decided it wasn’t feasible. Elfering told Hampton that the county offers some small grant awards to various businesses, but for projects of this scale, the county’s main role was to connect them with resources from the state or organizations like Greater Eastern Oregon Develop- ment Corp. One of the organizations that already has a stake in the old Pilot Rock Public School is the city itself. City Recorder Teri Bacus said Pilot Rock approved a $12,500 grant to go toward the restoration effort. Even without a fully restored schoolhouse, the addition of Class 5 and the accompanying breakhouse represents an improvement for the town’s scant dining options. When Archie’s Restau- rant closed in October 2018, Bacus said it left a coffee shop on Main Street as the last place to sit down and grab a bite to eat. Once it’s fully real- ized, Bacus said the Pilot Rock schoolhouse proj- ect could become the city’s anchor business.
