Activist Alert 3-27-2014

• Lane County is gathering public input on proposed rules for outdoor events on county property. A second informal “listening session” is planned for 3 to 7 pm Thursday, March 27, at the Lane County Customer Service Center, 3050 N. Delta Hwy. in Eugene. See wkly.ws/1pg for more information and to take an online survey.

• Author and historian Steve McQuiddy will speak on “World War II Conscientious Objectors on the Oregon Coast — Seeds of the Sixties” at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, March 28, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St. McQuiddy teaches writing at LCC and has been a contributing writer to Eugene Weekly and numerous other regional and national publications. He wrote about his new book Here on the Edge in our Oct. 31, 2013, issue. See wkly.ws/1pn.

Rep. Peter DeFazio will be among the speakers at a fundraiser hosted by the Democratic Party of Oregon and the Democratic Party of Lane County. The event will be at 6:30 pm Saturday, March 29, at LCC’s Center for Meeting and Learning on the main campus. $40 admission, $35 for college Democrats. Tickets at dplc.org. The fundraiser is in part a response to a Republican event with Gov. Mike Huckabee in Eugene Wednesday, April 2, with $150 admission. Deadline for tickets is Thursday, March 27. See huckabeeineugene.com or call 833-0648. 

 • Public meetings are scheduled to discuss the design of three new schools in District 4J. The first will be from 5:30 to 7 pm Tuesday, April 1, at Roosevelt Middle School, 680 E. 24th Ave. The next will be the same time Tuesday, April 8, at Howard Elementary, 700 Howard Ave. The last will be the same time Tuesday, May 6, at River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary, 120 W. Hilliard. See 4j.lane.edu/bond. 

• A forum on “Economic Disobedience: Taking Action to Challenge the Status Quo” will be at 6:45 pm Wednesday, April 2, at First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. Speakers include Erica Weiland of the National War Tax Coordinating Committee.  Sponsored by CALC, Taxes for Peace Not War, WAND and ESSN. Call 485-1755 or email calcpeace@efn.org. Free but donations will be accepted.

• The nationally syndicated public radio show Philosophy Talk will visit OSU April 2 for a live taping.
Show hosts Ken Taylor and John Perry will discuss “The New Surveillance Society: Big Brother Grows Up.” Guest will be Christopher McKnight Nichols of the School of History, Philosophy and Religion in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. The event begins at 7 pm in the Austin Auditorium at the LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis. Free and open to the public, with an opportunity for audience participation.

• The 12th Annual ¡César Chávez, Presente! community celebration begins at 5:45 pm Thursday, April 3, at Hamlin Middle School, 326 Centennial Blvd. in Springfield. This free, family-friendly event will feature performances by ¡Mariachi del Sol! and the A3 Dance Group. Community groups will also be offering children’s activities and information. Sponsored by Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect (SAfER) and the Springfield School District.

• Boston law scholar, author and TV commentator Wendy Murphy will present the 2014 Lorwin Lecture on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties from 6:30 to 8 pm Thursday, April 3, at Columbia 150 on the UO campus. Her topic is “How Title IX Finally Won Its Rightful Seat at the Civil Rights Table of Justice — and Why the Legs are Still So Wobbly.” See WendyMurphyLaw.com.

• LCC’s annual Peace Symposium will be April 25-26 and one of the keynoters this year will be John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. The Pachamama Alliance and Move to Amend will also participate. The symposium will merge with the Global Climate Convergence this year. To get involved, contact Stan Taylor, chair of the Lane Peace Center, at 463-5820 or email taylors@lanecc.edu.