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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2020)
6A | SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS FLOYD from page 1A officers resulted in Floyd’s death and sparked protests in more than 400 cities across all 50 U.S. states — eventually expanding into a global movement. Florence Indivisible is a group at the center of local efforts to publicly recognize the death of George Floyd and bring the issue of racial inequality forward for broader discussion. Beverly Sherrill coordinated what she and other local social justice activists hope will be- come a weekly vigil in support of changing the way law enforce- ment often interacts with citizens of color. “Florence Indivisible felt the need to support this moment in our country and we will contin- ue to support the POC (people of color) community. There is much work to do in the policy arena that Indivisible groups, including ours, will be focusing on,” she said. “We will also con- tinue to stand in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter.” Florence City Councilor Ron Preisler was the only elected city official at the event, and he shared with Siuslaw News his reasons for attending the somber public vigil. “We are living with the con- sequences of yet another black man being murdered by our police forces. This time it hap- pened right in front of our eyes,” Preisler said. “How many other minorities’ lives were lost that we were not aware of? Black and brown children having to be taught to be afraid of the police and maintain a low profile in the ‘white man’s world’ is a deep stain on what this country was found- ed upon.” Floyd can be seen and heard on the videotape, which was re- corded by a bystander. The re- cording shows him begging for mercy while being restrained by former officer Derek Chauvin, who has been fired and charged with murder. Floyd’s death came as a result of Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who appeared to be compliant and cooperative while declaring repeatedly “I can’t breathe” until becoming uncon- scious and unresponsive. Minutes pass and Floyd lapses into silence, unmoving, for al- most three minutes at the end of the video. PHASE 2 from page 1A COVID-19 is spreading through Lane County,” said Lane County COVID-19 Inci- dent Commander Karen Gaff- ney. “Given the complexity of our current situation, Public Health is working harder than ever to investigate cases and isolate contacts. It’s through this work and our communi- ty’s willingness to prioritize health that we prepare for this next phase.” In order to be approved and maintain its position in the phases, Lane County must have been in Phase One for a minimum of 14 days and be able to demonstrate and maintain several key things, including: • Timely Follow-Up: A min- imum of 95 percent of all new cases must be contact traced Florence City Councilor Ron Preisler was just one of the local activists sporting signs in support of #BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd, Breyonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. To learn more, visit blacklivesmat- ter.com: “The official #BlackLivesMatter Global Network builds power to bring jus- tice, healing and freedom to Black people across the globe.” See more photos on B1. since arriving in the United States in the 1960s. “In the sum- mer of 1967, when I first came to this country, I drove by and around cit- ies that were burning — Newark, N.J., and Detroit, Mich. — be- cause of racial MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS unrest. I had None of the four officers on the experienced racism in Europe, I scene rendered any type of aid to knew about apartheid in Africa, the unresponsive Floyd, ignoring and I had always known of the his condition and waiting for an history of American slavery and ambulance and its EMTs to assist the Civil War,” said Radtke. “But I was shocked to find out that the unmoving Floyd. The length of the video, at the American Dream seemed to nearly nine minutes, appears to mainly be for the privileged — provide clear evidence of Floyd’s and mostly white people. “Fifty years later, some want death, and has been cited as suf- ficient evidence by prosecutors to keep it that way — but I know to criminally charge Chauvin from experience that they are in and the three other officers that the minority.” Radtke said that at Tuesday’s assisted him in the detainment protest in Florence, she was resulting in Floyd’s death. The recording, which went “very heartened by the constant viral, was shocking to viewers expressions of approval from passers-by. We are in this amaz- around the globe. In the days that have followed, ing digital age, when we can see Floyd’s death has become a rally- similar events going on in other ing point for hundreds of thou- small and larger towns, where sands now taking to the streets of groups have been gathering peacefully and interacting with America. The resulting protests that be- law enforcement officers without gan in Minneapolis have spread the use of force.” Sally Wantz, another partic- to dozens of American cities, as well as throughout Europe and ipant at Tuesday’s vigil and a prominent progressive voice in beyond. Differing levels of anger and the community, said she was outrage expressed by protesters pleased with both the turnout for have erupted into violence in Los the event and the response from Angeles, New York, Atlanta and the passing cars. “I was overwhelmed with emo- Washington D.C., as well as Port- tion as passers-by waived and land and Eugene. In contrast, protests in Florence shouted and offered thumbs-up are being designed as non-con- in such a positive response to frontational. Participants include our appearance on all four cor- members of the Florence Area ners in support of all lives that Democratic Club, whose Chair- matter,” Wantz said. “As I recall, person Karin Radtke says she has there was no hostility towards us, often seen the results of racism which is a first for all the times within 24 hours as reported in the state’s system over the pre- vious 7-day and 14-day time periods. • Successful tracing: A min- imum of 70 percent of new COVID-19 positive cases must be traced to an existing positive case over the previ- ous 7-day and 14-day time periods. • No increase in incident cases or positivity; there can- not be a 5 percent or greater increase in new cases in the county over the past 7 days; or a significant increase in the percentage of positive cases out of total tests taken in your county over the past seven days. More information, includ- ing a copy of Lane County’s blueprint for reopening can be found at www.LaneCoun- tyOR.gov/blueprint. I’ve stood on the corner to share my passion for what is right and what is wrong in our country and the world. I appreciated the fact I could peacefully assemble to share my thoughts.” Florence Police Commander John Pitcher was aware of the Floyd Vigil and the turmoil sur- rounding the actions of other police departments, noting there were no problems at the local vigil that required police atten- tion. “They exercised their rights in a peaceful and professional manner and there were no issues that we had to deal with,” he said, adding that the feedback that his department has received in the wake of the Floyd death has been mostly positive. “Our community is very sup- portive of the department and our officers, and we appreciate that support. The protestors have every right to express themselves and the Florence Police Depart- ment recognizes and supports that right,” Pitcher said. The shift in many areas of the country from peacefully pro- testing to looting and arson has been attributed to differing levels of prior police conduct in cities where protests have turned vio- lent, as well as local law enforce- ment reactions to those ongoing protests. There is also an element of true criminal behavior using the pro- tests as an opportunity to steal and vandalize. In a radio interview Friday af- ternoon on KCST Coast Radio, Florence Police Chief Tom Turn- er addressed social media specu- lation suggesting that individuals from other locations were travel- ing to the Oregon coast to partic- ipate in vigils and protests. “We just haven’t found any of those rumors to be credible and we haven’t heard of any of that being true anywhere along the coast,” Turner said. “It is hard to combat the information put out on social media platforms be- cause most of it is misinforma- ‘Dress Up Your Pet’ costume challenge ends soon CROW (Children’s Reper- tory of Oregon Workshops) is working to come up with ideas to break up the monotony of people staying at home during COVID-19. This time, CROW is challeng- ing all kids and adults to dress up their pets as one of the characters from one of CROW’s shows. Peo- ple can pick any character from: • “Beauty & the Beast” • “The Music Man” • “The Little Mermaid” • “Once Upon A Mattress” • “Shrek” • “The Addams Family” • “Tarzan” • “The Wiz” • “Mary Poppins” There will be a prize for the top entry, with the winner receiving a $25 gift card to Mini Pet Mart. The top two runners up will re- ceive a pet toy or bag of treats for their pet. All dogs, cats, birds, liz- ards and otherwise are eligi- ble for entry. “CROW does not dis- criminate based on fur col- or, belly size, claw length, nose wetness, appearance of scales, growl volume or fluffy tails,” said CROW Artistic Director Melanie Heard. “This contest is open to all in the community, and we encourage everyone to play along.” CROW will share pictures of all of the entries on the CROW Facebook page, www.facebook. com/crowtheatrekids/, and will send them out all by email to our list of 1,000+ supporters and fans. “Your adorable fluff ball can be ESTATE JEWELRY AND ANTIQUE FURNITURE!!! All departments are open by appointment. Thank you for your understanding as we slowly start to provide services. We will keep you updated as we progress through getting our business hours back to normal. For the safety of our community we are following measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. (541) 997-3475 • 2150 Hwy. 101, Florence www.johnstonmotorcompany.com tion — or just wrong — and I am saddened by it.” Turner also said there is no reason for the public to act in any way that would interfere with or compromise the work being done by trained police officers under any circumstances, but particularly during the mix of COVID-19 and civil uncertainty. “Let the public safety profes- sionals do their jobs. That’s what we are trained for,” Turner said. Many of the 50 or so individ- uals that have been gathering at the intersections of Highways 126 and 101 believe there are opportunities for growth in this difficult time. Some of the vigil participants have decided that there should be an official recognition, or clarifi- cation, of the city’s policy regard- ing protests and the use of force in those situations. According to past city council candidate Maureen Miltenberg- er, the protest was accomplished while recognizing and main- taining proper social COVID-19 protocols by wearing masks and staying six feet apart. “Many of us know one anoth- er from other protests, marches and vigils and were glad to have a chance to actually see each other in person and to share our con- cerns over what is happening in our nation,” Miltenberger said. “We are not done and will con- tinue to stand and hold signs re- garding equal rights, Black Lives Matter and Vote for Our Lives until we can actually see perma- nent change.” Change did seem to be the fo- cus of the protestors as the signs being held up and the comments provided to Siuslaw News were hopeful rather than combative. “I see a difference today. The protesters by the millions are from all walks of life,” Preisler said. “Our younger generations are far more open than most of us older folks are. We are run- ning out of time; our country can’t keep this hatred contained. We need to make significant changes in our society. “Our country was founded on the principle that all are created equal. We need to start believing that all people are created equal and acting on it. It is not going away — nor should it.” The next anti-racism vigil is being held today, June 6, begin- ning at 1 p.m. on the corners of Highways 101 and 126. Auto, Home, Life, Business Flood, Antique Auto, RV’s Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare Supplements Health Insurance Phone (541) 997-9497 1234 Rhododendron Dr / Florence We buy, sell and consign quality estate/heirloom jewelry & furniture. Gold, silver, platinum jewelry with precious & semi precious stones. Call 541-997-8104, Florence Antiques & Coast Jewelers These dogs are dressed as “Beauty and The Beast” famous,” Heard said. All entries are due by Sunday, June 7, at the end of day. People can send their pho- to submission to crowtheatre- kids@yahoo.com. Each entry should include the pet’s name and character. For more in- formation about CROW, go to crowkids.com. County Transfer & Recycling Separating recyclables from your trash reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfi lls, saves energy, and reduces emissions! Items that can go into your recycle cart are: • Cardboard (fl atten) and Paper (magazines, junk mail, newspapers, scrap paper, cereal boxes, egg cartons) • Plastic milk jugs and transparent drinking bottles (rinse – no lids) • Metal food and drink cans (rinse – no lids) Florence recycling picked up on same day as your trash. 541-997-8233 5078 Coastwood Ln, Florence OR wasteconnections.com Since 1983 Alva Bracey Broker Your goals are my top priority. Let’s get together! LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTERS Tires • Brakes • Shocks Alignments Call, Text or Email Cell: 541-505-1180 Insect & Pest Removal 4325 Highway 101 Florence, OR 97439 541-997-7178 Trapping • Mole/Gopher Dead Animal Removal • Honey Bee Removal Crawl Space Cleaning • Exclusion Work Fumigation of Antiques and Commodities. (541) 997-4027 Alva@CBCoast.com 541-997-7777 100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR COAST REAL ESTATE MODEL TRAIN ENTHUSIASTS Over ars 50 Ye ce! rien Expe CALL ME TO BUY, SELL OR TRADE! I’M LOCATED HERE IN FLORENCE. 541-255-9822 - Larry landl316@live.com Us TOO Florence Prostate Cancer Education Support on the Oregon Coast www.ustooflorence.org • Tuesday Evening Group (2nd Tuesday) 5-7 p.m. - Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant • Urologist Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff attends. • Tuesday Lunch Group (3rd Tuesday) 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. – Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant • Urologist Dr. Roger McKimmy attends. Contact Bob for more information: (H) 541-997-6626 • (C) 541-999-4239 maribob@oregonfast.net