theTorch stories that matter
FEB 28, 2018
VOLUME 53, EDITION 8E
EUGENE, OREGON
Ending with a BAM / pages 2 Silence please / page 3 Titans catch Roadrunners / page 4
Combating violence against women Warrior Sisters work to empower and support the vulnerable Charlene Venette Reporter Warrior Sisters is a group of volunteers that set out to fill the gap that traditional women’s crisis groups could not. Every Sunday, they teach free self defense classes to ladies of all ages so that they can feel safe and empowered in all aspects of their lives. Rachel Collins and Elizabeth Hayes are two of the small group of women that came together to create WS. “After working in a variety of women’s shelters, on crisis lines, and at rape centers, we felt there was a need to fill in the gaps,” Collins said. They feel that the emotional support battered women receive is imperative, but it doesn’t teach the skills to empower women with the confidence and ability to resist physical violence. “We believe that all women have the right to access free verbal and physical defense training. Services to provide support and healing after violence or abuse has happened are essential. Accessible training to recognize red flags and resist abuse as it’s happening is another essential part of ending violence against women,” Collins said. After Wendy Watson, a Lane Community College graduate, experienced attempted robbery, she decided to get a gun. After contemplating her decision she thought,
“But if I am too scared to use my phone to call for help in imperative and crucial for all people to become empowered this situation how am I going to handle a gun?” Watson verbally and physically.” A mother of two small children, decided not to get a gun and instead, began attending WS Elliot is committed to self-defense for the sake of modeltrainings. “Now that I have found Warrior Sisters, I feel ing it for her children and community. “Thanks to the more confident and empowered to make the right decisions Warrior Sisters, I am able to unfold and embody my power in an escalated situation,” Watson said. responsibly,” Elliot said. In addition to reality-based physical Collins and Hayes are excited defense techniques, trainings include about the work they are now doing “Thanks to the practice in awareness, using one’s voice, with teens. They are currently working Warrior Sisters, identifying red flags of verbal coercion, with two groups: the Academy of setting strong verbal boundaries, and Arts and Academics in Springfield I am able to unfold even using de-escalation techniques and Spencer Butte Middle School. and embody my with someone who has become aggresCollins says that the parents love it power responsibly.” sive or violent. and have been very supportive. These techniques are practiced in Word is spreading about this orga— Amy Elliot, the classes. During the training, the nization. They did almost 100 trainWarrior Sisters member coaches sit down with the participants ings in 13 states last year. Individuals and discuss possible scenarios for vioand group organizers find them on lence or unsafe situations. Then they demonstrate how to Facebook, Instagram, and their website. They welcome remove oneself from these situations with moves that they opportunities to work with women’s groups in the local have the participants practice. “Practicing these moves helps area and across the nation. you remember them, it’s called muscle memory,” Hayes said. The trainings are open to women of all ages and physiAccording to Collins, a majority of abuse and rights cal fitness levels. They are free so that everyone may have violations women experience begins as verbal abuse or access to them. WS receives support from a variety of coercion, then later turns into physical violence. “Self- different sources: donations of equipment, free spaces for defense programs that only include physical techniques are workshops, and items raffled off in fundraisers. They also missing a huge piece of the puzzle,” Collins said. accept donations on their website. In order to address these verbal abuse and coercion Free trainings are Sundays 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m through pressures that many women face daily the group splits off Dec. 30 at Art of War MMA, 251 W. 7th Ave., Eugene. There into smaller groups and practices how to say “no” in a very is also a class on Tuesdays from 8 a.m.- 9 a.m. for which determined and straightforward way. They want students to there is a fee usually on a donation basis. Collins suggests know that they do not always have to explain themselves. that people attend the free class then if it feels right for Amy Elliot, a regular student of the classes feels “It is them they can sign up for additional classes.
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Wednesday, Febtruary 28, 2018
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Whether any of these were suicides is unknown. “We’re going to be putting in measures at the cost of ten million dollars to protect against the type of accidents that we’ve never had while at the same time increasing the likelihood of the types of accidents that we have had which is train-pedestrian P.W. Braunberger collisions,” Hahn said. Reporter Hahn believes that if more pedestrians are hit, the Federal Rail Administration, which has ultimate say over quiet zone On Feb. 26, Eugene city councilors locations, would likely revoke approval and train horns would voted 6-2 to spend millions making the necessary infrastructure blare again. upgrades to qualify for a railroad quiet zone at ten crossings LCC student Ian Kersey, who lives two blocks from the in downtown Eugene. tracks, believes train horns are important warning signals for Three of the crossings are between Hilyard and Pearl. The the Whiteaker’s homeless population, some of whom camp rest extend from Lincoln to Van Buren Street in the Whiteaker along the tracks. neighborhood. “If it’s in the middle of the night and they don’t hear the Eugeneans in the Whiteaker and as far away as the South Hills train they could get hit. That concerns me a lot,” Kersey said. have petitioned the city for decades to create a quiet zone, citing Trains don’t wake Kersey at night. “I like the sound of the the adverse health effects of interrupted sleep and loud noise. trains. It’s kind of comforting to me. It’s something you get According to a 2015 petition on used to,” he said. change.org signed by 779 supporters, Not everyone acclimates to the horns. “Constant, unnecessary, or harsh noise Tamara LeRoy, who lived two blocks from “We saw feasibility has been shown in numerous studies to study after feasibility the tracks while attending Lane Community cause undue stress which can affect all College, moved her family out of Whiteaker study and proposal areas of life.” partly because her oldest child was so sensiafter proposal after But some who supported the creation tive to the noise. of a quiet zone ten years ago now oppose “It’s disruptive, especially if it’s two or three proposal. But really the current proposal, citing costs, safety o’clock in the morning when you’re trying to the railroad is holding sleep,” she said. concerns and fears that it would raise all of the cards.” rents in the Whiteaker neighborhood. Nevertheless, LeRoy said she would probAccording to Sam Hahn, who chairs ably be against the quiet zone if she still lived — Tamara LeRoy, previous the Whiteaker Community Council and in Whiteaker. She believes the money would Whiteaker neighborhood resident also serves on the city’s Railroad Quiet be better spent on grants that would allow Zone Advisory Panel, “It was actually people to soundproof their homes. the Whiteaker Community Council LeRoy, who once sat on the Westfir city that ten years ago initially brought a proposal for a quiet zone council, recalls the money and effort spent trying to get two to the city council in the name of livability. At the time, that crossings designated as quiet zones. It took a decade and Westfir project only cost two million dollars.” only got one. In the current proposal, the quiet zone advisory panel estimates “We saw feasibility study after feasibility study and proposal needing between 6.8 and 7.4 million dollars for infrastructure after proposal after proposal. But really the railroad is holding upgrades at the ten crossings. Hahn believes the number will all of the cards,” LeRoy said. be closer to ten million. Union Pacific, which owns the tracks at all ten proposed He is also concerned that the proposal focuses on infra- crossings, opposes quiet zones, citing safety concerns. structure that protects motorists while neglecting protection “You know it’s like a David and Goliath situation,” LeRoy for pedestrians and bicyclists. Under the current plan, the city said. “I think those efforts are better spent doing other comwould only put pedestrian gates in at the Hilyard and High munity development stuff.” Street crossings. According to the city, there has not been any Hahn calls for the city to put in place measures that he said vehicle-train collisions in the past five years but trains have would aid the homeless and combat “the rapidly rising rents hit four pedestrians and one cyclist, resulting in three deaths. in Whiteaker and the city at large.”
City council approves funding for railroad quiet zone infrastructure
Ending Black History Month with a BAM Black Student Union returns with arts and music festival Fiona Watkins Corrigan Reporter Lane Community College’s Black Student Union is hosting the BAM Slam event at the Longhouse on March 2, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event is centered around celebrating 400 years of Black history, art and music. LCC’s BSU adviser Mark Harris explained that the event was mostly student driven. “BSU did a Black Arts Festival a year ago, and basically this year’s BSU is attempting to recreate that by doing the BAM Slam,” Harris said. He explained that the event would “design and showcase some of the past BSU work.” The BSU aims to promote cultural unity within the student population by hosting events on campus or in the community. In the past, BSU has been involved with local black history projects such as the Wiley Griffon memorial, the Tent City illustration by Cat Frink / Design + Media Center Re-enactment, and the Rite of Passage. BAM Slam stands for Black Arts and Music and is part of the BSU’s Black History Month Celebration. Black Lives Matter posters that were recently rejected from Churchill High School’s hallways by the Churchill principal will be showcased at the event. The event can be found in the Longhouse Great Room, Room 101, and the Longhouse Kitchen, Room 103. It will feature a visual arts exhibit from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and live entertainment from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will be catered by Tony’s BBQ. The BAM Slam is open to all students and community members.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
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FEATURES
Lane hosts Jeff Merkley town hall Senator introduces new school bill, fields questions from constituents Marek Belka Reporter
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley held a Town Hall meeting on Feb. 21 at Lane Community College’s Center for Meeting and Learning. The meeting touched on topics including the continuing battle in Washington over funding for DACA, President Trump’s budget proposal and the debate over gun control. Well over 100 Lane County residents came out to participate in the meeting, many of whom came with signs and banners voicing their support for DREAMers, the #MeToo movement and a ban on natural gas pipelines in Southern Oregon. Sen. Merkley opened the Town Hall by announcing a Senate bill he authored, named the “BUILD Act of 2018.” The act would restore funding for woodworking and metalworking classes in public schools in order to encourage students to consider careers in manufacturing fields. Sen. Merkley invited Dr. Susan Reike-Smith, superintendent of the Springfield School Board, to introduce the bill alongside him and explain why funding for shop classes is important for public schools. “There are plenty of job opportunities for people in the mechanical fields, we just need to train those people,” Reike-Smith said. “The only thing holding us back is funding.” “This bill [allows] preparation for opportunities in a labor force that may not require a college degree,” Merkley added. Sen. Merkley also took time to honor the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County for their “innovative thinking to the challenge of homelessness.” Merkley presented SVDP executive director Terry McDonald with a flag that once flew over the U.S. Capitol. At the beginning of the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Sen. Merkley asked the gathered crowd about their opinions on increased gun control measures, like tighter background checks that would include domestic violence charges. The crowd exploded in cheers, with the vast majority of the crowd holding up green signs that signaled agreement. Even those with pro-gun stances, like hunter Steven Wilhite, made comments in support of increased restrictions on assault rifles. Wilhite noted that, as a hunter, he has to abide by strict rules during duck hunting season, but assault rifles are relatively unregulated. “If you go hunting for a cape buffalo with an AR-15, you’re going to get killed by that buffalo,” Wilhite said. “An AR-15 has no use but to kill people, and that’s what it does.” Other members of the audience asked Sen. Merkley about the efforts to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program in Congress. Merkley received some pushback from the audience when he acknowledged that Democrats in Congress would likely need the President’s help to pass any immigration reform bill and that “the path to getting there is not clear.” Marie Pompano, a Lowell resident and retired Illinois public defender, came to the Town Hall specifically to hear news about a plan for DACA. She expressed concern about the lack of action in Congress. “It’s frustrating that nothing is getting done, that every chance to get it passed gets
photos by Marek Belka / reporter
Debbie Paine, a Lane County resident, holds a sign voicing her support for women and immigrants. Paine was one of a crowd of hundreds that pressed Senator Jeff Merkley for action on a bill to fund DACA.
blocked,” Pompano said. “I appreciate what Jeff [Merkley] has done, but he needs to be a leader on this, not trying to compromise with Trump.” Merkley, the junior senator for Oregon, holds town hall events in all 36 Oregon counties every year. The Feb. 21 event was his twelfth so far this year, which he followed with a town hall in Benton County later that day. A vote on Merkley’s BUILD Act is expected to arrive on the Senate floor later this year.
Hungry for action Community organizations work together to feed the hungry Mckenzy Gausnell Reporter With Lane County sitting at a 16.5 percent food insecurity rate, local charities and organizations are attempting to put out a helping hand for their community. Lane County can be a challenging area for residents. There are multiple factors that lead to households struggling to find the money to get food on the table. “One is [the] high cost of housing,” Don Marie Woodward at Food for Lane County said. “More than thirty percent of people in Eugene spend half of their monthly income on housing.”
As people around Lane County struggle to pay their bills, many lack the funds to put food on the table for themselves and their families. Certain demographics are more at risk of food insecurity than others. “Older citizens, children and families who are working is primarily who we serve,” Woodward explained. “People on fixed incomes find it harder to pay for food when prices are going up and they have bills to pay.” With so many local residents facing challenges from this issue, the community has come together to support those in need. Lane County has put together various resources for people who need help feeding their households. “We offer food pantries where people can get boxes of food that will last their household 3-5 days,” Woodward said. On top of the various food pantries around the County, there are also sites for ready to eat meals, Meals on Wheels in Eugene, senior grocery programs, community gardens and school programs that work together to feed the community. Lane Community College has the Rainy
Day Food Pantry and a community garden to help fight food insecurity. “We serve approximately 100 students a week in a friendly, supportive atmosphere,” Lisa Carroll wrote on the Southeast Neighbors website last year. “Our intent is to provide students with supplemental food to help get through those ‘rainy days’ when money is tight and food is hard to come by.” With food insecurity in Lane County above the state average, this issue has called for action from the community to help the children, college students, families, and elderly being affected. In some cases, these programs are the difference between going hungry. Even though the programs see a steady flow of people in need, there are some times of the year when people are extra vulnerable. “There is a mini spike when winter heating bills come in, and during summer when kids aren’t getting meals at school,” Woodward said. “Hunger doesn’t take holidays, and we want to be there for the community when they need it.” Lane County residents don’t have to face their struggles alone. Whether someone is getting help every once in awhile or every day, Lane County has programs that are there for the community to fall back on when times get tough.
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stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
Wednesday, Febtruary 28, 2018
SPORTS
Keiron Goodwin drives into the teeth of the defense and converts a contested layup. Goodwin is averaging 24.3 points per game, good enough to be ranked second in the NWAC.
Titans can’t keep up with Roadrunners photo by Nathan S. Calkins / photojournalist
Lane loses third conference game in a row Noah Noteboom Reporter After losing their previous two games, the Titan men’s team is hoping to stay in the running for a NWAC tournament berth. On Wednesday, Lane dug itself further into the hole, losing to the Linn-Benton Roadrunners 90-68. With their third straight loss, the team fell to last place in the Southern Region and is now eliminated from playoff contention. The score stood at five apiece early in the first half after a Linn-Benton guard went coast-to-coast for a layup over Lane 7-footer Kylor Kelley. Kelley ended the 5-0 LinnBenton run when he crossed his defender over and made an easy finger roll layup. Mike Swadberg was the first Titan off the bench for Lane head coach Bruce Chavka. Tayler Marteliz wasn’t far behind as he entered the game halfway through the first
half. Less than 30 seconds after coming into the game, Marteliz sunk Lane’s first 3-pointer of the evening. Keaton McKay followed suit and hit another three to cut the once nine-point deficit to just two. Two possessions later, McKay shot-faked as his defender flew by and stepped into his second 3-pointer. The Titans were reminded how quickly a game can get out of hand as the Roadrunners pushed the lead back to eight on a fast break dunk that got the opposing bench up on its feet. The Titans were held scoreless for just under five minutes of action until Swadberg converted on one of his two free throws. Next time down the floor Swadberg pulled up from behind the 3-point arc and rattled in his first attempt. At halftime, the Roadrunners held a slim 39-32 lead. Kelley opened the second half with a monstrous dunk over his shorter defender. But the Roadrunners jumped out to a 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the half. Kelley was the offensive outlet for the Titans as he scored eight of their first 10 points. He finished with a total of 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Lane starting point guard Tre’Var Holland was unavailable for Wednesday’s matchup due to an injury. “Our game plan changes a lot with him [Holland] out because he’s one of our few guys who can create,” Chavka said. “As far as him penetrating and kicking it out, we don’t have many other guys who can do it like him.” Holland’s 154 total assists are third in the NWAC, but Holland leads the conference in assists-per-game at 6.7 in 23 games played. The Titans fell behind by 20 with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. But they continued to fight as sophomore Patrick Goodard was left alone in the corner and swished a 3-pointer with six minutes remaining in regulation. Their battle was short lived as the Titans would fall to the Roadrunners by a score of 90-68. Keiron Goodwin scored 16 on 7-of-22 shooting, while McKay and Marteliz both added 10 points. Marteliz dished out eight assists and grabbed four rebounds to go along with three steals. With only two games remaining, Lane will play their final home game Feb. 28 at 7:30 against Umpqua CC, where the team will honor their current sophomores.
From Roadrunners to roadkill Season-high in points from Lease and Carrier carry Titans Noah Noteboom Reporter The Lane women welcomed LinnBenton Roadrunners, whose conference record fell to 4-10 after Wednesday’s 101-59 loss to the Titans. Head coach Greg Sheley has coached his team to an 11-2 conference record as of Feb. 21, which puts Lane and Clackamas in a tie for second place. Clackamas came out on top of their game on Wednesday night, which heats up the
race for the second position. The Titans wasted no time taking the lead as they raced out to an 8-0 run. Lane point guard Amber Lease scored six of those eight points on two 3-pointers from the top of the arc. Lease passed the ball up court to Taelli Carrillo, who recently returned from injury, and dished the ball to a cutting Rachel Fielder for the Titans’ first fast-break points of the night. Lane was crashing the offensive glass early and grabbed five rebounds off missed shots that led to six second-chance points. Megan Still made her first 3-pointer to extend the Titan lead to 22-10 at the end of the first quarter. Lease had the hot hand Wednesday night
and sunk her third consecutive 3-pointer of the first half. Lane continued to force turnovers and extend their lead, and by halftime, the Titans held a 44-23 lead. Lease had 14 points and six assists at the break while forwards Sarah Hall and Sierra Carrier both grabbed four rebounds. Linn-Benton opened the second half with two consecutive turnovers that turned into four Titan points. Carrillo made her first 3-pointer on the night to push the lead to 58-28. A steal by Carrillo led to her first two free throw attempts of the night. The Titans led 77-44 to open the fourth quarter of play. A visibly frustrated LinnBenton squad continued to get outscored and out-hustled. Sophomore Morgan Newton
came into the game for the first time in the fourth quarter and made a 3-pointer as the Titans took a 94-57 lead halfway through the last quarter of play. In the end, Titans took home their eleventh conference win of the season. Lease scored a season-high 23 points and dished out eight assists. Carrier went 8-for-8 from the field and scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just over 20 minutes off the bench. “It’s just another step going into playoffs,” said Fielder after Wednesday’s blowout win. Fielder scored six points and grabbed six rebounds while also blocking one shot for the Titans. The Titans will return to Eugene for the last home game of the regular season against Umpqua CC on Sat. Feb. 28, when the team will honor the current sophomores.