New forum will focus on Native American issues.

Byline: CITY BEAT/EUGENE By Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

Are you embarrassed that a day after 11 "Talking Stones" bearing Kalapuya words were placed in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park a few months ago, several were defaced by vandals?

Do you squirm when athletic teams choose Native Americans as their mascots, or are you outraged when American Indians are either victimized by crime or targets of criminal investigations because of their heritage?

Marcy Middleton has just the forum for you.

"Ever since I've been on the Human Rights Commission, I've wanted to do a forum on Native American issues," says Middleton, a four-year veteran of the Eugene panel. "I've wanted to bring the native voice (together) and focus on contemporary issues. There are a lot of things out there.

"It's kind of a close issue to my heart, knowing a little bit and keeping in touch with what goes on around the country."

Middleton is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She's also a 16-year resident of Eugene, and has been active in the local Native American community.

So it was a natural progression for her to organize the first Native American Issues Community Forum, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Bascom/Tykeson Room of the Eugene Public Library. Informational displays will be available beginning at 6 p.m.

The forum will feature a speech by David Rogers, a member of Idaho's Nez Perce tribe and program manager of the Circle Project/Tribal Resources Grant Program on Monmouth. It will also include a panel of local Native American community members.

But the idea is to bring together anyone - Native American or not - who is interested in or has a viewpoint on topics ranging from treaty rights to bias crime.

"That's one of the reasons for the forum, is to bring people together to learn, and to discuss," Middleton says. "It's not an easy topic sometimes. But different viewpoints are something we're hoping to hear."

Research park debate

The Riverfront Research Park is back - as a political issue, that is.

The research park on the south bank of the Willamette River across Franklin Boulevard from the University of Oregon campus generated a healthy public debate back in 1985, as the City Council considered whether to create an urban renewal district to support the research park.

Any increases in tax revenue from property taxes levied within such a district are diverted into the urban renewal fund to help pay for development costs, essentially freezing taxes, from the city's viewpoint.

So the debate 18 years ago centered on two points: whether tax money should be set aside exclusively for development - untouchable for other uses even in hard times - and whether the riverfront land should even be developed.

The same issues arose last week when city councilors took up the matter of whether the renewal district should be extended beyond its original "sunset" date of September 2005.

Councilor Bonny Bettman maintained that keeping the renewal district alive should be "predicated on demonstrating the district has been a success." She contended that despite construction of roads and buildings, the area has been less than vibrant - and has drawn money away from other services.

Councilor Betty Taylor had a similar view, arguing that development of the riverfront area has distracted from efforts to rebuild the city's core.

"We keep saying we want to revitalize downtown, but we do things in other places that interfere with that," she said.

But the two councilors wound up on the short end of a 6-2 decision, with all other councilors voting to get city staff started on amendments to the renewal plan that will not only extend the district's life span but its boundaries - by as much as 20 percent.

"Yes, this is about money," Councilor Nancy Nathanson said. "But I think it's also about redeveloping a part of the city that really needs it."