Letters to the Editor, Week of Nov. 5, 2026

Disappointed in our Bend Police Response

On October 26, I attended the student-led protest in Bend, and I could not be more proud of the young people who showed up, raised their voices, and stood together against gun violence.

Local students staged a mass walkout from their respective schools and met in downtown Bend on Monday, Oct. 26. Credit: Dallas Finn Calvert

One of the sweetest moments was watching elementary students wave from school bus windows as the older students made heart signs, smiled and waved back. It was a beautiful reminder of what this movement is about: protecting our children and giving them a safer future. Kids should be worrying about their grades, not whether they will be safe at school.

What was incredibly disappointing was the Bend Police response. The overwhelming police presence, intimidating behavior and looks of disapproval were completely uncalled for. As someone who has attended numerous protests throughout Central Oregon, I have never witnessed that level of police presence. Our officers should have been standing arm in arm with these students, showing support, compassion and solidarity — not making peaceful young people feel like a threat.

Any tickets or warnings issued to students participating in this peaceful protest should be dismissed.

As a mother, coach and educator, I believe our community deserves better. We need real conversations about gun safety, responsible access to firearms and protecting children from gun violence. We need police leadership rooted in trust, care, and community — not intimidation.

Our youth are showing up, speaking out and demanding change. We need to listen, stand beside them and do better.

To the students who showed up: thank you for your courage and determination. You give me hope.

This mama stands with you!

The City of Bend and our police leadership must do better. As parents, we should all be demanding it.

— Konnie Handschuch

Gun Safety

Following the Silver Rail school shooting we are feeling shock, sadness, anger… and gratitude for our community. We are deeply saddened that such a violent event has happened in a school in our community, again in our state, again in our country. As we work through our grief, our community is coming together and showing strength. Individuals, families, local organizations and businesses are pulling together to offer support and provide resources to the families affected. We recognize that despite the heartbreaking tragedy that has occurred here, we still live in a place surrounded by beauty and filled with compassion.

As we continue to support one another, we are beginning to ask critical questions. What can we do to help prevent such an event from happening again? How can we work together as neighbors to influence our local, state and federal officials to take effective action? Let’s agree to agree that no child should ever have to endure what was endured on October 15 at our local elementary school. And let’s agree to work together to support solutions that will reduce gun violence in our community.

Let’s continue to talk with our neighbors, our friends, and our coworkers about some first steps to improve gun safety that we can all agree on, like locking up guns and spotting warning signs early. For those of us who own firearms, locking them securely when not in use is one of the most effective things any of us can do to keep our kids safe. Check with Bend Police and some local schools that offer free gun locks or lockboxes, no questions asked. If you’d like to do more, contact your state legislators and ask them to support stronger measures to help keep our children safe. Additional gun safety resources:

centraloregongunsafetyadvocates.org, agreetoagree.org, sandyhookpromise.org

—Kenneth Cameron

RE: (Not!) ‘Central’ library an exercise in excess. Letters, 10/15

I’ve been a reader my whole life, but I’ve barely thought about a library in 40+ years.

Now, way over here on the east side, where I’ve lived since 2011, we have the Central Library. It is the most magnificent gift of an experience I’ve known in quite some time. I LOVE this place. I cannot get enough.

Every time I enter, I stop to take in its vastness, a huge smile on my face. And a coffee shop? Yes! Books and coffee go hand in hand! I will happily stand in that line before I hike up three gorgeous flights of stairs beneath soaring art. I arrive at the third floor, hamstrings singing, and find my spot at the far end, where so many windows make me feel like I’m suspended in light.

Richard asks why a library needs a playground. I’d say it’s a parent’s dream: a free, soft, safe place for little ones to play, right beside the quiet stillness of books upon books. That’s how new readers are made.

I connect with people here. We hold our books and admire the library, sharing our gratitude. It feels like abundance. It uplifts.

I paid for this, and I’m extremely happy with what my money helped create.

The parking lot is full because this library is stunning. While I circle, I do it with glee. I’m about to walk through those doors once again.

—Aowyn Jones

Push for zone changes

In case you haven’t heard the County Board of Commissioners – two outgoing Commissioners are pushing to hurry through applications for zone changes. That means changing forest or agriculture lands to development for the most part. There are 18 hearings planned between now and the end of December. That is not the normal process for these hearings. Commissioner DeBone is even looking at having hearings the day before Thanksgiving. Why is this happening? Well, we will have a new set of ears and eyes in January when we will have a total of five county commissioners. Developers know this and know that currently there is a whole lot of rubber-stamping going on in hearings which are not in the best interest of the County, our landscapes, or serves the residents. A case in point is a request from Thornburg to lease 80 acres of County land to develop solar which would only serve the resort, not the county or regular residents. Solar is great and needed — on top of buildings — not taking up precious landscapes.

These actions are unprecedented and the only way to bring a halt is to raise your voices. You can do this with public input at hearings, in person, via Zoom or send in your comments. The Board needs to hear loud and clear that to change a process because two commissioners are on their way out instead of how hearings are normally scheduled is a disgrace to their position. This also puts a huge burden on staff who have to schedule these hearings, review applications and present to the Board. That’s a huge workload. Use your voices now.

— Mary Fleischmann, Leader, Central/Eastern Oregon Chapter of Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Letter of the Week:

Thanks for helping keep people informed, Mary. Letter of the Week!

—Nicole Vulcan