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.
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kitties. I am a bit shy with
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break out the laser light or
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If you would like to meet Jupiter or any of his
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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
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