Attitude Adjustment: Our Eugene Neighborhood (Part 2)

What bugs me about the city of Eugene is a collective self-consciousness that plays out as narcissism, self-congratulation, smugness, eternal adolescence, and an undying high regard for the word "unique".

But, I know, from walking our neighborhood and from my years teaching at Lane Community College, that for many, Eugene is a pretty regular town. Most people in Eugene don't have time for the Slug Queen pageant or to wear glitter on their faces and most don't regard cafes that serve rice and beans with special (Yumm) sauce or pumpkin enchiladas as particularly special or unique.

As in Part 1, I took all of these pictures within five minutes of our front door.


Central to our neighborhood is Monroe Park. When I first moved to this neighborhood in 1993, I never could have taken this picture because the park was enclosed my lush vegetation. But, that lush perimeter was a boon to drug dealers and users and neighbors suggested that sight lines be improved. So the city keeps the bushes and other growth trimmed:

But, public agencies can only do so much. The drug problems persist. This public restroom in the park has been repainted to cover up tagging and graffiti, but is locked. Too many drug users shot up behind these doors:

Most of us in the neighborhood don't know exactly what tags mean. We can't tell the difference between tags marking turf and graffiti that is a merely a visual nuisance. But, we do know that over the last twelve years or so, our neighborhood keeps getting marked:


Other signs exist along with the graffiti and tagging. These two signs speak for these two next door neighbors' hopes for a more peaceful world:



The churches in our neighborhood make contributions to serving those in need. The Eugene Evangelical Church once opened its doors to homeless teens who could be seen lining up outside the door for meals served inside, meals with no spiritual strings attached. I don't know if this program has continued. It's a small church and such feeding programs can be very difficult to maintain.
The crosses on top of Eugene Evangelical Church stand for the hope for resurrection

and are visible from the porch of the Jackson-Wayers House where Sponsors does its work as a half-way house helping recently released convicts make transition back into society. I've had several students in my classes at Lane Community College come to school after going through Sponsors' program. They were resurrected and came to school determined to stay clean and live straight. I don't know of any one of these students having returned to a life of crime.

At the same time that our neighborhood houses agencies of service, many people walk our streets impoverished, without hope, and homeless:

These two guys are standing in front of a shelter for abused women. The red-hooded guy's sign says, "Smile if you can". He's hoping for contributions from drivers passing by. The other guy is bidding him farewell



and is seeking aid at the Salvation Army Center across the street:

This guy also is at the Salvation Army Center, in front of a different set of doors, and out of sight of the guy above.


A couple blocks south of the Salvation Army is the Church of Nazerine. A public bus rolls by and life in our neighborhood also keeps rolling along.