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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2022)
A4 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 Drazan Christine Drazan, center, Republican candidate for governor, hosted a discussion in Bend on homelessness Thursday at the Veterans Village, a low-barrier shelter for unhoused veterans. Continued from A1 Drazan said Thursday, and pre- viously, that it is not a crime to be homeless, but she said she’d encour- age the enforcement of local ordi- nances for people who live unshel- tered. “I don’t hand anyone anything on a silver platter,” Drazan said Thurs- day. Included in the discussion were Cheri Helt, candidate for Commis- sioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, Deschutes County Com- missioner Patti Adair and Erik To- biason, the executive director of the Bend Heroes Foundation, the orga- nization that helped build the Veter- ans Village. Also in attendance were David Nieradka, a coordinator at Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, Slavery Continued from A1 “The idea that you could ever finish the sentence ‘slavery’s OK when ... ’ has to rip out your soul, and I think it’s what makes this a fight that ignores politi- cal lines and brings us together, because it feels so clear,” said Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises, a criminal jus- tice advocacy group pushing to remove the amendment’s con- vict labor clause. Nearly 20 states have consti- tutions that include language permitting slavery and invol- untary servitude as criminal punishments. In 2018, Colo- rado was the first to remove the language from its found- ing frameworks by ballot mea- sure, followed by Nebraska and Utah two years later. This November, versions of the question go before voters in Alabama, Louisiana, Ore- gon, Tennessee and Vermont. In Oregon, the Legislature referred Measure 112 address- ing slavery and servitude to the November ballot. The measure would eliminate lan- guage in the state Constitution that allows slavery and invol- untary servitude as criminal punishment. In Tennessee, Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Democrat from Memphis, was shocked when a fellow lawmaker told her about the slavery exception in the Tennessee Constitution and immediately began work- ing to replace the language. “When I found out that this exception existed, I thought, ‘We have got to fix this and we’ve got to fix this right away,’” she said. “Our constitu- tion should reflect the values and the beliefs of our state.” Akbari had to work with the state Department of Cor- rection to ensure that inmate labor wouldn’t be prohibited under her proposal. The proposed language go- ing before Tennessee voters more clearly distinguishes be- tween the two: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are for- ever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly con- victed of a crime.” “We understand that those who are incarcerated cannot be forced to work without pay, but we should not create a situ- ation where they won’t be able to work at all,” Akbari said. Concerns over the financial impact of prison labor also led California’s Democrat- ic-led Legislature to reject an amendment eliminating in- dentured servitude as a possi- ble punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s admin- istration predicted it could re- quire the state to pay billions of dollars at minimum wage to prison inmates. Scrutiny over prison labor has existed for decades, but the 13th Amendment’s loop- hole in particular encouraged former Confederate states after the Civil War to devise new ways to maintain the dy- namics of slavery. They used restrictive measures, known as the “Black codes” because they nearly always targeted Black people, to criminalize benign interactions such as talking too loudly or not yielding on the sidewalk. Those targeted would end up in custody for minor actions, effectively en- slaving them again. Fast-forward to today: Many incarcerated workers make pennies on the dollar, which isn’t expected to change if the proposals succeed. In- mates who refuse to work may be denied phone calls or vis- its with family, punished with Anna Kaminski/ The Bulletin Megan Martin of nonprofit Furnish Hope and Randy Fenimore, a land- owner near China Hat Road where a substantial portion of Bend’s un- housed population live. Local leaders talked about the prevalence of fentanyl, inadequate mental health and substance use services and an overall lack of hous- solitary confinement and even be denied parole. Alabama is asking voters to delete all racist language from its constitution and to remove and replace a section on con- vict labor that’s similar to what Tennessee has had in its con- stitution. Vermont often boasts of be- ing the first state in the nation to ban slavery in 1777, but its constitution still allows invol- untary servitude in a handful of circumstances. Its proposed change would replace the cur- rent exception clause with lan- guage saying “slavery and in- voluntary servitude are forever prohibited in this State.” Oregon’s proposed change repeals its exception clause while adding language allow- ing a court or probation or parole agency to order alterna- tives to incarceration as part of sentencing. While Oregon State Sher- iffs’ Association makes clear it does not condone slavery or involuntary servitude in any form, the organization op- poses Measure 112, according to the state Voters’ Pamphlet. The association says the mea- sure would eliminate reform programs in Oregon jails and increase costs for jail opera- tions. Louisiana has had its pro- posed amendment draw or- ing as major barriers to moving to- ward solutions for homelessness. “It’s a sad situation,” said Nieradka, who is a veteran. “I don’t see an end in sight.” People have been living in Bend’s Veterans’ Village for almost a year. Twelve of its 15 units are currently occupied, and since it opened its ganized opposition, over con- cerns that the replacement language may make matters worse. Even one of its original sponsors has second thoughts — Democratic Rep. Edmond Jordan told The Times-Pica- yune/The New Orleans Advo- cate last week that he’s urging voters to reject it. The nonprofit Council for a Better Louisiana warned that the wording could technically permit slavery again, as well as continue involuntary ser- vitude. Louisiana’s Constitution now says: “Slavery and invol- untary servitude are prohib- ited, except in the latter case as punishment for a crime.” The amendment would change that to: “Slavery and involun- tary servitude are prohibited, (but this) does not apply to the otherwise lawful administra- tion of criminal justice.” “This amendment is an ex- ample of why it is so import- ant to get the language right when presenting constitu- tional amendments to voters,” the nonprofit group said in a statement urging voters to choose “No” and lawmakers to try again, pointing to Tennes- see’s ballot language as a possi- ble template. Supporters of the amend- ment say such criticisms are part of a campaign to keep ex- OBITUARY doors last November, seven peo- ple have graduated to permanent housing. Those involved in building Veterans Village say it was — and still is — the epitome of community collaboration when little help from state and federal government was available. “One of the things that makes homelessness so hard to approach is that you need an entire community to fix it,” Helt said. Helt, of Bend, worked with Dra- zan in the Legislature when she was the Republican representative from the 54th District and Drazan was minority leader from the 39th Dis- trict. Helt said less rhetoric and more results are needed when it comes to homelessness, and she thinks Drazan can do that. █ Reporter: 541-633-2160 akaminski@bendbulletin.com ception clauses in place. “If this doesn’t pass, it will be used as a weapon against us,” said Max Parthas, state operations director for the Abolish Slavery National Net- Snow Continued from A1 Sereni said the Mt. Bachelor of- ficials receive regular weather fore- casts, and they expect about 13 inches on the summit by the end of Sunday, and perhaps about a foot of snow down on the base of the mountain. “Time to wax up the skis and boards, get them ready,” Sereni said. “It is a little ways off yet when we fully open up the lifts. It’s a good reminder: Let’s get our gear ready.” The ski season on Mt. Bachelor is expected to begin on Nov. 25, which is plenty of time for even more snow to fall. Last season, Mt. Bachelor opened for the ski season on Dec. 13. █ work. The question stands as a reminder of how slavery con- tinues to bedevil Americans, and Parthas says that’s reason enough to vote yes. Reporter: 541-617-7820 jsiess@bendbulletin.com “We’ve never seen a single day in the United States where slavery was not legal,” he said. “We want to see what that looks like, and I think that’s worth it.” OBITUARY Joan Louise Peterson September 3, 1930 - October 7, 2022 Joan (Joanne) Peterson, née Medford, a longtime resident of Sunriver and Bend, passed away, peacefully and with family at her side, at Partners in Care Hospice House on Friday, October 7. The cause of death was complications of Leukemia. Douglas “Uno” York March 15, 1958 - October 5, 2022 Douglas “Uno” York of Redmond, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2022. He was surrounded by his loved ones. Douglas courageously fought cancer for eleven months. He was 64 years young. He had a passion for Harley Davidsons. He enjoyed snow skiing, RV camping and watching ice hockey. Born in Stayton on March 15, 1958, he and his family resided in Milwaukie until he was 4 years old. The family then moved to Lakeview. Douglas reached the age of 9 years old after which the family moved to Portland until Douglas graduated from David Douglas High School in 1976. After high school, he held various jobs and landed his dream job working for Tidewater Barge Line out of Vancouver, Washington. He would talk nonstop about the Tugboat “stories” for hours with his brother Danny, his Tugboat buddies as well as close friends. Douglas is preceded in death by his parents David and Joann York and son Jason York. He is survived by his wife, Mindy of Redmond; sister Debbie Yusiatalo of West Lynn; brother Danny and sister- in-law Renee York of Vancouver, Washington; and sister Diane Ross and brother-in-law Dave Ross of Vancouver, Washington. Additionally, nieces Tracy York; Jamie York; Hilary and husband Jonathan Greene; Kelly Ross and fiancé Victor So; and great nephews Harrison and Shepard Greene. Services were held on October 14, 2022. Final resting place, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Douglas to Partners in Care or at www.partnersbend.org. Born to Louise Jacobs Medford and Kenneth Medford in Coquille on September 3, 1930, Joan was raised primarily in Idaho and graduated from high school in Twin Falls in 1947. She attended college briefly until meeting the love of her life, Jim Peterson with whom she shared 61 years of marriage and a life of purpose, grace and adventure. Soon after their marriage in 1948, Jim and Joan moved from Idaho to Salem where Jim attended Willamette University. Joan and Jim went on to be business partners in the grocery industry. They began their career in the Eugene area where they lived from 1951 until they moved to Bend in 1970, and established an innovative discount grocery store they operated until 1976. Subsequently, the Petersons owned and operated Grocery Outlet Stores in Medford and Fresno, California. Hard work was always balanced with play and after the Petersons retired in 1986 until Jim's passing in 2010, they embraced 23 years of adventure-filled retirement with one another, often including family and countless friends. They traveled extensively in pursuit of the best golf and fishing the world could offer, from Mexico to Alaska to Australia and all across the U.S. Jim always referred to Joan as " the best catch of his life," but as devoted as she was to Jim, Joan was a fierce competitor and it was often all about the sport! Joan was a consummate hostess and her Roquefort dressing and signature clam dip may be two of the most-requested and shared recipes in history. The great food, her easy laugh, warm spirit, open door and open heart, made her home one of the most welcoming. Peterson parties were legendary, as was Jim and Joan's evident love for one another. Joan's love of life was very often informed by her love of animals. Of course, there was always a pet dog, often a cat and once a mynah bird with a vocabulary so extensive it surpassed some humans. Pets as unique as Joan herself were a must in the Peterson family home. Factor in deer, raccoons, pigeons and rainy night shifts as a Sunriver Toad Crossing Guard and you assume Joan had a trace of St. Francis in her. There were even wisely thwarted attempts to domesticate a baby panther and an orphaned Alaskan moose. Mostly, Joan fiercely believed that each person and each creature was deserving of care and love. Joan Peterson is survived by her daughter Connie Peterson and Connie's partner Dave Calvert of Bend, and her daughter Diane Max of New York City. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Alythea Davidson, Mackenzie Mathis, (Alexander Mathis) Garrett Weygandt, Hannah (Jessie Jacobson), Jonah and Ezra Max; two great grandsons, Kyle and Ryan Davidson, plus her longtime family friend and companion John Ducich. She is predeceased by Jim, a beloved third daughter Pamela and Diane's late husband Adam Max. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to any Planned Parenthood or Mary's Place-Saving Grace in Bend.
