In keeping with our newly minted tradition of highlighting the best (and worst) reader call outs for the Letter of the Week, we’re spotlighting this nuclear missive from Jennifer Garcia who lambastes assistant editor Ric E. James’ “east side garage” rundown from our Top 10 issue. Thanks for the letter Jennifer, you can pick up your prize, an Old Mill Pint glass and a Busch Light to fill it at our offices, 704 NW Georgia.
Stick That List
Dear Source Weekly and Ric E. James,
Yesterday I opened a copy of The Source, and I found a feature composed entirely of lists. One of those lists was titled “Top 10 Things You’ll Find In An Eastside Garage.” Now, I understand that you, Ric and company, think this is a very clever concept, but as a resident of east Bend, and a person with generally good taste, I do not think it’s funny. I’m not writing this letter to criticize the lack of humorous material in your “article” because I think it does a pretty good job of demonstrating that on its own, but I do want to address the rather rude nature of the above mentioned piece.
Let us begin with number three on the list of things found in my, and my kind neighbors’, garages: “All those CDs you got jacked out of your car last year.”
Hmm. You’re right. I did steal your CDs. I crept out of my dirty little hole near Boyd Acres, and traipsed over to west Bend to break into your beautiful car. You know what, Ric? I’m glad I did it. And pal, do you want to know what I did with the money I got from your rims(#4)? I used it to fund my little “Sudafed-based chemistry experiment(#8)” Then I took the leftover money and bought a case of Busch Light(#6). Hallelujah, Ric! What a day! Then I sat in my garage and drooled over the images from my 2006 Pep Boys Bikini Calendar(#2).
My God, Ric. Who do you think we are? A bunch of illiterate hillbillies? No, it doesn’t work that way. Do you want to know who my eastside neighbors are? Well, I’ll tell you. They are hardworking, intelligent, kind, and open-minded people.
Heck, the former mayor of Bend lived a few blocks away from me. So what if they drink Busch instead of microbrews and ale? I don’t care. And so what if some people have old Swimsuit calendars instead of, like you, clippings of every newspaper piece they’ve had published? You’re both masturbating to useless crap that should have been thrown away years ago.
I don’t have any problem with east, west, north, or south Bend. I enjoy each part of Bend for different reasons, and I encourage everyone to look beyond the stereotypes associated with different neighborhoods. It isn’t acceptable for people to accuse all westside residents of being rich yuppies, and it’s not okay to call east Bend residents white trash. So please, try and be a little more sensitive. We all have to live in Bend together, and we might as well be decent human beings. But just in case this letter hasn’t changed your mind, remember, we have Costco, and the better movie theater.
Best wishes,
J. Garcia, East Bend Resident
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2009.
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Believe it or not, back in the day (as recently as 25 years ago) it was the WEST SIDE that was unfashionable (because it was close to the noisy, stinky mills) and the East Side was considered a more desirable place to live. The exceptions, of course, were the neighborhood near Drake Park and Awbrey Butte, which had only a few homes on it at the time.
Jen kudos to you, you summed up the arrogance of Mr. James perfectly. He must think himself quite a supreme judge of all that is wrong with the East side of Bend. He should maybe take a hard look at his superior attitude and do some soul searching.
He is supposed to represent a paper that supports diversity not snobbery. The more I read the Source the more I realize that is not the case. Maybe you need someone on staff that represents the “white trash” of Bend.
Way to go, Ric! Must be nice looking down on Bend from your sweet Broken Top crib! Have you ever even BEEN to the Eastside? What’s in your garage? Let me guess:BMW, golf clubs, wine, John Tesh discography, Obama yard sign, among other elitist stuff. Get real, Ric E. James. YOU SUCK!
I know for a fact that Mr. James actually lives on the eastside and the many of the items (if not all) were actually found in his garage. I don’t know if that makes the list more or less offensive, but just thought I’d toss that out there!
“What’s in your garage? Let me guess:BMW, golf clubs, wine, John Tesh discography, Obama yard sign, among other elitist stuff.”
Hey, I live on the East Side (and proud of it) and my garage contains no Beemer, no John Tesh CDs (yuck!) no golf clubs and no wine.
I do have some wine stored in a closet, though, and there’s an Obama sign on my front porch, where it has been lying since the day after the election.
BTW isn’t golf more of a Republican game?
Anybody who knows anything about local journalism knows that NO reporter in this town gets paid enough to afford a home on the West Side (unless he has a trust fund).
Get real. They’re all about tax cuts.
HBM is right. Back in the day, my white trash friends all lived in squalor homes behind what is now Newport Market. The richies lived on larger lots on the city’s east side, with the exception of a few on Awbrey Butte.