A18
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
BLM
Continued from Page A1
These peacekeepers said
they were sympathetic to the
demonstrators’ cause and
agreed that Floyd’s death
was unjust and that America
still has a problem with racial
inequality.
“There’s racism out there,”
Greg Jackson said. “We all
have to admit it.”
Jackson said the racism
goes “both ways.”
“I’ve traveled all over the
country, and I’ve seen black
racists, I’ve seen racist against
Chinese, Japanese and, you
know, Asian races,” Jack-
son said. “Everybody’s rac-
ists. Birds of a feather flock
together.”
He said the racism is not
so bad in America that it justi-
fies the rioting and the looting
that has taken place in many
American cities.
Jackson said, while he
thought the violence could
happen in John Day, it was
unlikely it would. He said he
was also concerned the orga-
nizers would bus in outside
protestors.
“I don’t understand why
they’re coming to John Day,”
Jackson said. “We obviously
had nothing to do with George
Floyd.”
Jackson said he supports a
protest if there is a reason for
it.
“I think we’ve been, should
have been, doing a lot more
protesting with the shutdown,”
Jackson said. “Because that
was constitutionally illegal, in
my opinion.”
Durr agreed with the pro-
testers’ sentiment regarding
Floyd.
“To me, I find it embarrass-
ing for my profession that we
have people that do that,” Durr
said. “We’re not out there to
punish people. We’re out there
to hold them accountable,
Store
Continued from Page A1
access approach to U.S. High-
way 26.
“From my understanding
with conversations with the
Zaremba Group is that this pro-
posed investment and purchase
of the land has already been
approved by the Dollar General
Corporate Office,” Green said.
“It’s real. People always won-
der if this is real, and yes, this is
real. They would not be apply-
ing for a site design review if
they were not ready to make the
investment.”
Right now the preliminary
plat and the final plat for the
Contributed photo/Liz Aleman
Justin Davis, left, and Ashley Stevick Friday after the Black Lives Matter rally in John Day.
Kate Cueno, left, and Darin Toy
march with their two kids along
Third Street toward Chester’s
Thriftway Friday in solidarity
with Black Lives Matter.
and there’s a big difference
between that and what we saw
on the video.”
Durr said all Americans
should also be embarrassed
about the violence and the
rioting that took place during
some demonstrations.
“One of our constitutional
rights is to protest peacefully,”
Durr said. “And I am really
disappointed when a portion
of the crowd decides to burn
buildings, cause property
damage and loot. I don’t see
any excuse for that.”
Grant
County
Sher-
iff Glenn Palmer said he did
not see the images or footage
of Floyd’s arrest and death.
As the march winded down,
Palmer said the protest overall
had been “quiet.”
Another small group of
counterprotesters also gath-
ered downtown. When asked
what they thought of the sit-
uation, Evan Hodge said, “I
think these dumb (expletives)
need to get the (expletive) out
of our town. And if you’re
one of them, you can get the
(expletive) out too.”
Stevick said out of the
nearly 140 people who gath-
ered together, fewer than 10
were not from Grant County,
rant their attention,” he said.
Robertson said he saw the
footage of Floyd’s death.
“I was as horrified as when
I watched the video of LaVoy
Finicum being murdered by
white police officers and the
unnamed Asian shopkeeper
being beaten with two-by-fours
yesterday by five black people
and the internet videos of white
cops being shot and killed by
black drivers pulled over on
the freeway,” he said. “The jus-
tice system will judge the four
officers (charged in relation to
Floyd’s death), hopefully with
more veracity than the court of
public opinion comprised pre-
dominantly of people who pro-
test for entertainment but really
do nothing to solve true social
issues have.”
Robertson said he has
“experienced firsthand the
bigotry and discrimination
directed at all colors of peo-
ple by all colors of people;
nobody has a monopoly on
racism. That’s why I believe
it’s primarily about abuse
of power rather than race.
When people have nearly
unchecked power over other
people, abuse is certain to
follow. These protest marches
are distractions from getting
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
land Dollar General is going to
build on has been approved by
the city.
“As a result of our efforts,
we’ve got a new Dollar Gen-
eral that’s gonna go in across
Napa, and I’m not talking just
the city’s effort, I am talking
about the community at large,”
Green said.
Green added that the city
spent the past four years plan-
ning and financing various
public improvement projects
such as street improvements,
downtown improvements and
the new wastewater treatment
plant to try and encourage pri-
vate sector investment.
He also said the city is work-
ing with local land developers
and they had ties to the area.
Stevick said there was a
definite distinction between
the peacekeepers and the
counterprotesters.
“While it was physically
uncomfortable to walk past cit-
izens and their guns, and while
I do think it was meant to be
intimidating, I also understand
that they were afraid,” Stevick
said, referring to looting and
violence in other locations.
Stevick said a few of the
armed peacekeepers came
back to her house and talked
with the protestors after-
ward. She said it was very
encouraging.
“I ask now that we don’t
antagonize and that we engage
in thoughtful discussion with-
out demonizing either side,”
she said.
Stevick said afterward that
the demonstration had been
peaceful, and the group shined
a light on the racial inequality
across the country.
Shaun Robertson, the pres-
ident of the Grant County
Farm Bureau, said he believed
the protest was hypocriti-
cal. In town shopping, he said
he joined friends among the
counterprotesters and stayed
because he “wanted to see the
demonstration of hypocrisy”
himself.
“Some of the marchers are
the biggest bigots in Grant
County,” he said. “Teachers
who plaster their walls with
so-called ‘progressive’ mes-
sages, lecture on their per-
sonal opinion not within their
curriculum and then bully stu-
dents who have contrary opin-
ions. Government employees
who hide behind their employ-
ment protections and use their
power and privilege for retri-
bution against critics. Elitists
who lecture about inclusive-
ness and respect for diversity
but treat locals with disdain
and contempt and who really
only consider more extreme
versions of their own voices.”
Robertson said news of
looting and violence else-
where was concerning. He said
“extremist groups will resort to
anything to disrupt other peo-
ple’s lives.”
He said he was not aware of
police brutality being an issue
in Grant County but misuse
of police powers for personal
agendas was a problem.
“Apparently, since that dis-
crimination is directed at white
people, it doesn’t fit the march-
ers’ narrative and doesn’t war-
and firms like Iron Triangle,
Len’s Drug, the Sheedys, the
Priday hotel group and other
business owners to encour-
age and incentivise growth and
revitalization along Main Street
and that it’s great to see these
projects coming to fruition.
“There’s always some ten-
sion between new businesses
coming in and our existing
businesses,” Green said. “I
want to recognize the efforts
our local businesses are put-
ting in to improve our commu-
nity as well. These investments
will benefit all of us in the long
run by increasing our land val-
ues, widening the tax base and
making our community more
attractive to new residents.”
Reopening
Continued from Page A1
Oregon Health Authority Director Pat-
rick Allen said that the state would come
up with the guidelines, but it would be up
to local school districts to decide how best
to implement the rules.
“Every school and every school district
is different,” he said.
Decisions on colleges and universities
have not yet been finalized. Phase 2 would
allow for sports training by college football
teams and others, following rules on social
distancing and contact. But Brown said she
wanted “our Ducks and Beavers ready to
tackle the Huskies and Cougars” anytime
the OK was given for games.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state’s health
officer and epidemiologist said the state
at the real heart of the issues.”
John Day resident Jus-
tin Davis, who is black, said,
while he does not speak for
all African Americans, he felt
compelled to participate in the
protest.
“I’m not going to try and
speak for all black people
because I don’t,” Davis said.
“But I am the only one here,
and if these people are here
doing this for me, I could show
up.”
Another African American
resident who requested not to
be named had a different view.
“I do realize some people
are trying to help, and I appre-
ciate the efforts they are mak-
ing for change, but at the same
time in my eyes, what are a
few white folks from John Day
going to change?” he said.
He said he had been pulled
over three times this month,
and every time, the offi-
cer walked up with a weapon
drawn even when both of his
hands were on the wheel.
“I don’t even own a
weapon,” he said.
He said on multiple occa-
sions in Grant County, he has
heard residents refer to “col-
ored people.”
“I had an older lady come
into my work with her hus-
band, and when I was done
helping them, the lady said to
her husband as they were walk-
ing away she didn’t like a col-
ored person serving her food
and that they needed to come
back when I was gone,” he
said.
But he said he felt like the
protest in John Day was people
jumping on a trend on social
media — virtue signaling, at
best.
He said the gun-carrying
“peacemakers” also weren’t
helpful.
“How is someone of color
supposed to feel when, whether
it’s at work or on the streets or
at home, someone is carrying a
gun?” he said.
would be watching statistics in each county
closely. If goals are not met, he said that
counties would not revert to Phase 1, but
would have to institute heightened mea-
sures to curb any problem areas.
“Reopening is not an on-off switch,” he
said. Upticks in any numbers would be a
“caution light.”
“We may need to dial back permitted
activities,” he said.
In earlier phases of the crisis, the state
urged people to stay at home and not ven-
ture out for any but the most crucial needs,
such as medical appointments or buy-
ing food. Sidelinger said that if people do
leave home, they should enjoy the out-
doors, where transmission of the virus is
less likely.
“Being outside is safer than being
inside,” Sidelinger said. “We’re very good
at doing that in Oregon in the summer.”
Michael B. DesJardin
Dentistry, PC
Preventive, Restorative & Endodontics
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