4A | JUNE 18, 2020 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR |
Opinion
541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
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“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
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Letters to the Editor Policy
The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor as part of a
community discussion of issues on the local, state and national
level.
Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters
must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address
and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters
should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to
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volume of letters received.
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readership area will only be published at the discretion of the
editor.
Political/Election Letters:
LETTERS
Local officials must
evaluate equity
George Floyd died in police
custody in Minneapolis more
than two weeks ago, sparking
protests and calls for justice In
Lane County and across the
country.
The members of the League of
Women Voters of Lane County
join in solidarity with commu-
nity members and our fellow
Leaguers nationwide grieving
George Floyd’s death.
We call on Minnesota law
enforcement officials to ensure
transparency during their in-
vestigation, and to seek justice
for George Floyd, his family and
his community.
We acknowledge the anger
and anguish so many of us are
feeling, in particular the Black
community and other com-
munities of color already ex-
periencing
disproportionate
impacts from COVID-19 as a
result of systemic racism.
We urge government officials
in Lane County and Oregon to
listen to communities of color
and to adopt meaningful re-
forms that will address systemic
racism, the heart of these tragic
killings that disproportionately
target Black people.
Elected officials must be re-
sponsive to the calls for change
that have long gone unheard.
We also ask local officials to
continuously evaluate programs
and services, including police
use of force, to ensure our own
communities are protecting hu-
man and civil rights.
Every American — every
Oregonian — must be willing
to stand against racism and
oppression, and to support in-
dividuals, organizations and
leaders working for change. We
cannot afford to lose focus. We
must re-commit ourselves to
addressing injustice in our sys-
tems and institutions, and to in-
creasing our efforts at building
equitable communities where
everyone feels safe and is treat-
ed humanely.
—Charlcie R. Kaylor, President
League of Women Voters
of Lane County
We must learn from our
past for better future
I believe that we need to educate
our younger generations about past
protests, riots and killing in our na-
tion.
Everyone should go onto the in-
ternet and search them out to edu-
cate themselves about cause and ef-
fect — something that should have
been taught in school:
• Watts Riots in 1965 — South
Central Los Angeles.
• Chicago 1968 Democratic
Presidential Convention
• Kent State 1970
• “LA 92” The Documentary:
The aftermath of Rodney King
Until we know what went on be-
fore, we will not be able to under-
stand and fix what comes ahead of
us.
—Winford Jolle
Cottage Grove
Protests are about more
than police policies
I believe everyone condemns the
looters and rioters; I know I do.
But the looters should not be
confused with the tens if not hun-
dreds of thousands of peaceful pro-
testers who see inequality in this
country and want it to end.
The property destruction is bad,
but it is also bad that the looting
gives people permission to ignore
the real issue.
Although George Floyd was the
flashpoint, the real issue is not ex-
clusively Floyd’s death but rather
the systemic racism in the Ameri-
can criminal justice system, in ed-
ucation and in employment; it’s not
just about the police.
What about the woman who
called 9-1-1 because an Afri-
can-American birdwatcher asked
her to leash her dog? How about
Ahmaud Arbery, the man who was
murdered by three vigilantes when
he was out jogging?
Anyone paying attention to the
news knows I could give too many
other examples. It’s easy to support
the police, who by and large de-
serve our support.
It’s much harder to take an hon-
est look at our society, acknowl-
edge the inequalities and vow to do
something about it.
We’ve heard the point of view of
a white male. Perhaps the point
of view of a person of color would
now be appropriate.
—Vic Phalbin
Cottage Grove
Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely
issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns
on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information
about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand
knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and perspective
rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor
column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes;
this constitutes paid political advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper,
at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and
editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow
the above criteria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite
2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
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