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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2017 Proposal from 1A of the state shall use agency moneys, equipment or person- nel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizen- ship present in the United States in violation of federal immigra- tion laws.” In February, Florence Mayor Henry said, “That statute has been in place since 1987, and unless the Oregon legislature changes it, that law will contin- ue to prohibit Oregon police officers from acting as immigra- tion enforcement officers.” At that time, Henry said a recent legal analysis of ORS 181A.820 by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association supported that position. A lively but civil discussion between councilors, city staff and the mayor took place prior to Preisler’s withdrawing the proposed agenda item. Preisler said the reason he wanted to have the proposal on Speck from 1A workplace. Siuslaw is one of a limited number of libraries across the nation to be given the units for use by their patrons, the agenda was because, “I have heard from a number of Latinos — people here in Florence — that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has come into town and has upset many of them. “People are afraid they will be picked up in an immigration raid, whether they are undocu- mented, or documented. We need to show the citizens of our city that we care about them.” Henry said he was concerned that the current administration in Washington, D.C., indicated that it would withhold funds to sanctuary cities. “Whether that will come to pass, I don’t know,” he said. “Should it come to pass, and we apply for grants, how is that going to affect our grants down the road?” In response, Preisler said, “I’ll be honest, I don’t know. I do know that it is illegal for them to do that. And I do know that Oregon is a sanctuary state.” Henry said, “What we are being asked to do, as other sanc- tuary cities have been doing is ignoring a portion of law. Is that anarchy or is it not?” Preisler responded, “That’s a question above my pay grade.” City Manager Erin Reynolds said, “This comes down to a matter of addressing people’s fears. That is why we issued that press release on Feb. 3. Simply put, City of Florence personnel and the police department are not tasked to enforce federal immigration law. There is already a state law that states that.” She quoted Florence Police Department’s policy manual: ‘This department does not par- ticipate in routine immigration investigations and enforcement activities. Members shall treat all individuals equally and with- out regard to race, color or national origin in any way that would violate the United States or Oregon constitutions.” “There is no legal reason for city council to take action in this area, because state law already governs the city’s actions,” Reynolds said. She added, “If the city coun- cil wants to take further action on this, it is really a policy deci- sion that would generally reaf- firm the city’s position, but would draw attention to this subject, with no legal impact.” Henry said, “Why bring all this havoc when we are already doing what we are supposed to? It wouldn’t be changing a thing, except be putting a sign up that says we are a sanctuary city.” Police Chief Tom Turner said, “Operations are not chang- ing. We are following state law. We have a strong ally in our governor. She is going to follow state law and that is what we are going to do.” According to Turner, ICE is a separate law enforcement agency that does not work with or coordinate with local law enforcement. Councilor Suzy Lacer said, “I am sympathetic to concerns that our residents might have.” She suggested the possibility of a proclamation or other ges- ture of support, and Henry said he would be happy to do a proclamation that would rein- force the position stated by the police department. Florence resident Cal Applebee said the 20 percent of the Florence population that are veterans might take offense at such a proclamation. Henry said, “I predict we will see a huge backlash, if this goes forward, not just from the mili- tary, but we have a lot of retired people in this community that will go ballistic. I don’t think it is worth it, when we are already doing it, according to state law.” Henry then asked Preisler if he still wanted to move forward with the proposed ordinance. Preisler said, “Right now, it looks like the temperature of the council is against me, so I will say no.” Councilor Joshua Greene was out of town and did not partici- pate in the discussion. After the meeting, Preisler said, “I wish that the full coun- cil had been present and had had the opportunity to study the pro- posal before it was voted upon.” according to Linda Weight, technology coordinator for the library. “Library staff saw a notice on a nationwide public library list about the Speck Monitor pro- gram. The article indicated that only 100 libraries across the U.S. could participate, so we immediately applied to be one of the 100,” Weight said. “We emphasized in our application that the community we serve includes a lot of older people who may have breathing diffi- culties for different reasons.” The district’s request for Speck Monitors was approved by the project managers at Carnegie Mellon University and six Specks were granted to the library. Four of these devices are now available to be checked out at the main branch and two are available at the Mapleton branch. The Speck is a small elec- tronic device that can be placed in any room or enclosed space, where it will measure the size and number of pollution parti- cles in the device’s vicinity. According to Weight, it is a tool that will allow library patrons to check the quality of the air in their home with very little effort on their part. “The units are very easy to use. Just plug in the power adapter and let the unit run to get a basic air quality reading,” Weight noted. “The units may be checked out for three weeks, which should give people an opportunity to measure air qual- ity in various rooms at different times of the day.” The importance of clean air cannot be overstated. The CDC warns the quality of the air can vary dramatically depending on a wide array of factors. Some of the factors that may impact air quality are nearby industrial production, annual pollination cycles and wind- blown pollution. The Speck assessment will allow patrons to modify the fac- tors in their home that con- tribute to poor air quality and, hopefully, improve their ability to breathe freely. This will help users to determine if their living environment should be modi- fied in response to the Speck’s readings. The Speck was developed at Carnegie Mellon Institute for Robotic Studies. The distribu- tion program was overseen by the university as well. The broader scientific com- munity has rigorously tested the Speck and test results have been verified as accurate. Demand for the Speck has prompted the graduate students involved in its development and creation to start a company to sell and distribute it nationwide. The response from the public to the performance and availability of the Speck has also been posi- tive, as there is now a backlog for acceptance into the program. For more information on the Speck Air Monitor, contact the Siuslaw Public Library at 541- 997-3132. Do your part and volunteer today to help support these local non-proft organizations in our community! Volunteer•Get involved•Donate Florence Food Share Ask us about volunteer opportunities. 2190 Spruce Street • P.O.Box 2514 Florence, Oregon 97439 (541) 997-9110 info@fl orencefoodshare.org Food Backpack for Kids Together, No Child Will Go Hungry Your tax deductible donations helped us feed 79 Florence/ Mapleton area children in February. Mail donations to: PO Box 3347 Florence, OR 97439. Call 541-997-2497 for more information. Meals on Wheels and Cafe 60 Meals on Wheels are available to people over the age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness or advanced age and who are not eating properly, regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those who prefer to make new friends in a dining room setting. 1570 Kingwood PO Box 2313, Florence 541-997-5673 laneseniormeals.org Peace Harbor Volunteers Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers, you will fi nd an area of interest in a caring organization. 400 9th Street, Florence 541-997-8412 ext. 209 Us Too Florence Saving men one PSA test at a time. “Someone to talk to...who understands!” 541-997-6626 maribob@oregonfast.net www.ustoofl orence.org Fire from 1A The owner went outside and found a fire engulfing the entire back of the motor home. He attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher with- out success. He then went back in to get his wife and two cats out. Barrett said, “The fire was controlled within 15 minutes and extinguished in 45 min- utes. The motor home was totaled and the loss, including 7 A contents, was estimated to be about $200,000.” The American Red Cross assisted the family with a motel room and basic needs. The family is from British Columbia, Canada. Barrett said the cause of the fire appears to be electrical in nature and was in the back of the motor home. “The most important thing to do in case of a fire is to escape. Call 911 once you are safely away from the danger,” Barrett said. ...need a friend? Meet Jupiter Hi my name is Jupiter. And just like that planet is big, I have an even bigger personality. I love to play and wrestle around with the other kitties. I am a bit shy with humans and may run when you try to pet me. But if you break out the laser light or string toys or some food I’ll come running. And with some patience and some TLC I’ll warm up to you. If you would like to meet Jupiter or any of his friends, please visit us at: Siuslaw News + OREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY 2840 Rhododendron Drive • Florence • 541-997-4277 To include your organization in this directory, please call us @ 541-997-3441 www.oregoncoasthumane.org This message brought to you by: email: steve@siuslawtax.com www.shoppelocal.biz
