Correction: Last week's story, "Over Bend's Dead Bodies" was incorrectly labeled as News. It should have been labeled as Commentary. We regret the error.
Guest Opinion: Ongoing Concentration of Poverty in Bend
We are a group of concerned neighbors trying to shine a light on the issue of Economic Segregation in Bend. City of Bend and Deschutes County governments appear to be concentrating poverty in the Larkspur neighborhood on the east side of Bend. While we support more facilities and services for the poor, we do not feel that a single neighborhood, especially one that is the poorest and most diverse in the city, should repeatedly be targeted for those facilities. The most recent activity includes the city selling two lots (sold for ~ $20k each) in Larkspur for "affordable" housing and the county trying to establish a "low-barrier" shelter for male parolees, to include level 2 & 3 sex offenders, at 640 SE Wilson Ave. On our website, eastsidevotes.org, we're trying to outline specifics and provide facts about what's happening. On our Economic Segregation page, there's a map that shows the concentration of facilities in Larkspur.
This has happened in other cities. Consider Old Town in Portland, the Tenderloin in San Francisco, and Skid Row in Los Angeles. As we've seen in these cities, this concentration of services for the poor is a recipe for failure, not success. When government intentionally concentrates poverty in a single geographic area, it reinforces the generational cycle of poverty, and it negatively impacts the socio-economic makeup of targeted neighborhoods and their schools. It perpetuates, rather than solves the problem! There is a lawsuit moving forward in San Diego which addresses exactly this issue: "San Diego housing policy worsens poverty, segregation," in the San Diego Union-Tribune. We can do better than this in Bend and Deschutes County! This article from The New York Times suggests that a real solution lies somewhere outside the world of segregation: "Vast New Study Shows a Key to Reducing Poverty: More Friendships Between Rich and Poor."
What's happening in Bend is complex and multi-layered. It partially involves what the City Council has done to exclude public input from the process of siting shelters and other housing for the poor. It also involves the city's propensity for repeatedly targeting the Larkspur neighborhood for every type of facility for the poor imaginable. It involves what the county is trying to establish at 640 SE Wilson Ave. It also involves a decades-long history of neglect and marginalization of neighborhoods on the east side of Bend.
We believe dispersing shelters and transitional/affordable housing into all parts of the city will create a healthier and more sustainable future for all. We don't have to keep doing what's been tried before and failed elsewhere. Let's work together to end the status quo that is concentrating poverty in Larkspur. We can start by relocating the county's new sex offender-centric shelter on SE Wilson to a location that is not inside 1,000 feet of two park facilities and not within 60 yards of the homes of approximately 12 children. What do you think? Please share your thoughts & ideas with the Bend City Council and Deschutes County Commissioners.
—Thomas Gugg & Ashley Schreiber, Volunteers, eastsidevotes.org.
RE: Over Bend's Dead Bodies. Commentary, 2/29
It is stated in the article that Greenwood Cemetery was dedicated in perpetuity in 1925 for exclusive use as a cemetery. In perpetuity means forever, now and in the future and that condition extends to any and all present and future owners. And that condition would encompass all of the property included in the original perpetuity agreement. It would seem that any zoning change would not change the perpetuity clause. The River's Edge golf course mediation case is a good example of the use of the perpetuity implication and the resulting success of enforcing that implied use.
The cemetery has been used as a cemetery since 1925 which that alone establishes an implied zoning status similar to easements established by uncontested community use. Not only is it a cemetery, but an established green space also. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a green space and leaving it as a space. It is a carbon cleansing space, a wildlife space, a climate mitigating space, a moisture gathering space, a calm space. It is a cruel myth that Bend will ever have so-called affordable housing. The thin veil of this developer that they have no plans to build is laughable and will not fool anyone. Ultimately their plan is to make money and affordable housing is not a money maker for any developer in this town.
—Joselyn Houk
Slow the F@#% Down
I'm not sure who ran this ad, but thank you. Very visual, and it needed to be said. Hope it runs again.
—Tracy McGill
Sustainability in Schools
Guess what?!? I just found out that the Bend-La Pine Schools district has a Sustainability Coordinator! I was absolutely thrilled to hear this "news," which apparently has been underway for two years. As a taxpayer in the District, I applaud this sensible approach to management of district resources. There is strong evidence that sustainability measures result in cost savings over time, meaning more money for direct educational services. District-wide reductions in energy demand, water use and consumer waste are smart, and demonstrate a commitment to the future of the children served by the District. I'm stoked to hear about these current efforts in our schools, and eager to see more innovation in sustainable practices in the years to come. Bravo, Bend-La Pine!
—Kevin Tanski
Letter of the Week:
Kevin: Thanks for sharing a bit of positivity in the Letters section this week. Letter of the Week!
—Nicole Vulcan
