4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| APRIL 3, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
We must agree to hear the deafening silence of suicide
stances, financial status,
blue collar or white
collar, urban or rural,
male or female.
There is, however, one
common thread that
In 2019, more than
900 people in Oregon
took their own lives. In
2020, suicide remained
the second leading
cause of death among
our young people (ages
10-24). Sadly, this past
week, the suicide of a
local student was a stark
reminder that statistics
are ultimately com-
prised of names and
faces from among any
community — includ-
ing our own.
According to a 16-
year study released in
2019 by Lane County
Health and Human Ser-
vices, Florence — along
with Cottage Grove and
Junction City — had
twice the rate of death
by suicides of any other
communities in Lane
County.
Bottom line? Suicide
is a problem that cuts a
large swath through our
youngest and brightest
to our oldest and wisest.
It isn’t limited to a
particular set of circum-
able to discuss openly
and, as a result, people
often suffer with those
thoughts silently —
planning death without
anyone knowing until
From the Editor's Desk
Ned Hickson
runs through the sad
and growing tapestry
being woven by suicide:
It’s the fact that we rare-
ly talk about it.
While as a society we
champion and openly
support those battling
life-threatening diseases
whose physical impacts
are apparent to the eye,
we struggle to discuss
the less apparent yet
equally life-threatening
battle that many face
each day living in the
shadow of depression,
despair, personal loss,
bullying, drug addiction
and psychosis.
That’s because talking
about feelings of suicide
has been taboo and
often associated with
being weak and overly
dramatic, or simply
isn’t taken seriously.
Many times, thoughts
of suicide aren’t accept-
it’s too late.
For decades, the
media has played its
own role in perpet-
uating those notions
by not reporting on
suicides except in rare
circumstances, such as
when involving a public
official or suicide oc-
curring within a public
place. Until just a few
years ago, the common
belief was that reporting
on suicides can create
a “contagion effect,” as
well as cause additional
trauma to surviving
family members.
Good reasons to be
sure, except that current
research indicates
thoughtful report-
ing and discussion of
suicide can actually
help prevent suicides by
creating an atmosphere
supportive of the kind
of dialogue needed to
end suicide’s deafening
silence. In 2018, the
Siuslaw News made the
decision to acknowl-
edge the circumstances
of death by suicide in
our reporting and will
continue to do so with
as much respect and
sensitivity as possible.
Some agree with our
decisions and others do
not.
However, experts
agree the best way to
prevent suicide is by be-
ing aware of the warn-
ing signs and encourag-
ing someone we suspect
might be contemplating
suicide to talk about it.
And the only way
that conversation can
take place is by turning
the perpetual silence of
suicide within our com-
munities into the sound
of hopeful and helpful
dialogue.
If you or someone
you know might be
contemplating suicide,
here is the link to Lane
County Public Health,
which offers multiple
resources available
to residents in Lane
County:
www.preventionlane.
org/suicide-resources-
family-youth.
To the dedicated volunteers
of the Environmental Man-
agement Advisory Committee
(EMAC), and to the Florence
City Council:
Climate change is, in the
words of The Atlantic, “The
Most Interesting Problem in the
World.”
It is very complex, multifacet-
ed and controversial. Our town,
like others around the world,
will need guidance and support
as we feel its effects.
I want Florence to have a sus-
tainability advisory committee
that gathers and presents in-
formation to the city leadership
and the citizenry on national,
local and global trends, fund-
ing, projects, dangers, preven-
tion ideas, safety drills and so
much more.
Yet what I really want to ask
the EMAC and the City are
these questions:
Will the new hotel across from
the Events Center, or the Burger
King slated for 35th Street and
Highway 101, use solar panels
to lessen their carbon footprint?
Will this Tree City allow
Burger King to cut down those
last few beautiful trees on its
huge lot?
What about the new subdivi-
sion at 35th and Rhododendron
streets? Are they going to be al-
lowed to strip the land bare be-
fore they start building?
Are any of these three proj-
ects going to be encouraged to
install EV charging stations in
their parking lots as they are be-
ing constructed?
What is the Environmental
Management Advisory Com-
mittee’s role in these projects?
It seems like it should be more
than the Planning Commission,
Economic Development and
city council involved.
Our town is an ecosystem and
all activity is interconnected.
EMAC and the proposed Sus-
tainability Advisory Committee
(yet to be formed) should have
a seat at the table as new growth
is considered and implemented.
—Ivy Medow
Florence
This is the time to
de-escalate hostilies
My husband and I are glad we
moved to Florence. There are
a lot of good people here. The
air quality is far superior to our
previous home in San Francis-
co’s North Bay. The scenery and
nature here are superb.
Any day you take a walk on
the beach or in the forest you
are rewarded with the beauty
and bounty of nature. We love
the picturesque first look of
downtown Florence, historic,
sheltering and welcoming.
There are shops and restau-
rants that define what hospitali-
ty and goodness look like.
Great thanks to all those who
bolster this community with
their love of it!
Through our COVID-19 ex-
perience here — a year of lock-
down and masks (for some, not
all), isolation (for some, not all)
— we experienced what was
not so apparent at first look: the
down-and-out get short shrift
here.
We want to live in community
that does right by all who come
here.
Homelessness finds no better
safe harbor here than in many
other communities. There is no
shelter for homeless youth. The
county, not the city, provides
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
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Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Cathy Dietz
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For Advertising: ext. 318
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87439
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Letters to the Editor policy
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as part of a community discussion of issues on the
local, state and national level.
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Political/Election Letters:
LETTERS
Florence is ecosystem
needing sustainability
USPS# 497-660
a very minimal shelter in the
most extreme temperatures.
There are those who be-
grudge even that much. Most
homeless sleep in their cars, if
they are lucky enough to have
a car. Food insecurity requires
Herculean efforts to overcome.
Food Share, Free Lunch (a
once-a-week voucher program
for a Subway sandwich) and oth-
er local outreach exists. Count-
less volunteers, those who can
offer charitable donations, their
service, try to stem the rising
tide of human suffering.
Always we seem to fall short
of the need, but no one is giving
up.
Climate deniers at the very
top of our local government re-
main resolute and dismissive of
those who say we only have one
planet and we need to change
our ways. There are gun owners
here who grow so furious at the
idea of common sense gun con-
trol, they would upend our en-
tire government and everyone
with it.
There are neighbors who want
theirs and feel aggrieved by the
least restriction in getting it.
A time to deescalate hostili-
ties seems to be required.
Our common ground is we
love Florence. Who wouldn’t?
Is it even possible to hope and
pray our leaders will see the
time for a conversation that fair-
ly considers what is the highest
and best for all of us?
And will they do all they can
to ensure that conversation hap-
pens, without prejudice and in
justice to all who find them-
selves here in Florence?
It can happen.
What a tragic missed oppor-
tunity if it does not.
—Darlene Norwood
Florence
Election-related letters must address pertinent or
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dates based on personal experience and perspective
rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhet-
oric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to
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As with all letters and advertising content, the
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Email letters to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Rep.
Boomer Wright (Dist. 9)
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Salem, OR 97301
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email: Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244 | 541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750
Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
& Mayor Joe Henry
Florence City Hall, 250
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439
(4th Dist.)
541-997-3437
2134 Rayburn HOB
ci.florence.or.us
Washington, DC 20515
Email comments to Florence
202-225-6416
City Recorder Kelli Weese at
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us
www.defazio.house.gov