The Eugene city council held a public meeting Monday, where residents took to public comment to urge councillors to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety and prevent the construction of a rumored Amazon warehouse.
All councillors were present for the meeting, with Councillor Keating calling in from Zoom.
Forty-six residents signed up for public comment, with the majority speaking on Automated License Plate Readers, an e-commerce warehouse rumored to be an Amazon fulfillment center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
Many residents expressed shock that the Automated License Plate Readers installed in the city have not been removed or further discussed by the council since City Manager Sarah Medary agreed to temporarily pause the cameras until a later work session.
Members of Say No To Amazon, an organization dedicated to speaking out against the rumored Amazon center, and other concerned residents took to public comment to ask councillors to prevent the warehouse’s construction near the Eugene Airport.
“Amazon and Flock are connected, their appearance in our town is the result of powerful corporations, ignoring our rights to self governance, and of local governance procedures that are fundamentally undemocratic and readily exploitable by such corporations,” Christina Beggan, a doctoral student at the University of Oregon, said. “They are both broadly and viscerally unpopular, and the council’s inability or unwillingness to take action on these issues delegitimizes the city government as able representatives of the will of the people.”
Other commentators spoke of the environmental impacts a possible Amazon warehouse would have on Eugene.
“People choose to live and travel to Oregon because of the amazing natural environment that we all love. California once had the same natural beauty, but it was ripped away by speculators, greed, corruption and leaders looking for short-term gains,” Mark Peabody, one commentator, said. “Don’t destroy this beautiful state, this city, the businesses we love, by caving in to Jeff Bezos.”
Kamryn Stringfield, a member of the Party of Socialism and Liberalism, urged councillors to declare a state of emergency relating to immigration enforcement.
“Woodburn, Hillsboro and Portland all recently declared a state of emergency and took necessary steps to combat Trump’s deportation agenda. I’m calling on you to do that,” Stringfield said. “Declare a state of emergency related to the impacts of federal immigration enforcement. These families need support right now, put the money where your mouth is and pass an emergency response fund for families impacted by deportation.”
After public comment ended, Councillor Leech expressed a desire to learn more about the city’s ability to declare a state of emergency regarding immigration enforcement in the city.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8th.
