ln case you're wondering why the Proud Boys hate group is planning to come to Salem five times, one reason is that City officials have been welcoming them with open arms.
Below is an email interchange citizen activist Jim Scheppke had with Salem's City Manager, Steve Powers, who oversees all City of Salem employees, including those in the Police Department.
You'll see that Powers makes some clearly false statements about previous Proud Boys marches on city streets without a permit.
Steve Powers, Salem City Manager
First, here's Scheppke's message to Powers. I highlighted Scheppke's "fact check" remarks in red.
Mr. Powers:
Thank you for your reply to my petition. I respectfully disagree with your decision to suspend the requirements of SRC Chapter 104. When this was done in the summer in response to the “Salem Awakening” event in Riverfront Park it made some sense given that the City did not want to go to the expense of COVID-19 requirements.
I’m sure your intention was that the organizers of this event, having lost their permit, would stop their gatherings. That decision turned out to be a bad one, didn’t it? Salem Awakening continued to hold their super spreader events throughout the summer without a permit. I wonder how much of the surge in the pandemic in Salem has resulted from your decision to allow that group to gather all summer without masks and without a permit.
I fail to see any logic at all in suspending Chapter 104 when it comes to street marches. If anything the pandemic should cause us to double down on not allowing street marches without masks and social distancing.
It is time for the City Council to revoke your authority to suspend SRC Chapter 104, and for all gatherings on City property and street marches to require a permit. Permits can be denied on various grounds spelled out in SRC 104.070, including events that would obstruct emergency vehicles, “present a substantial safety or traffic hazard,” and for other reasons that would have applied to the recent Proud Boy marches in the Fairmount neighborhood.
Once SRC Chapter 104 is in force, the Council should make clear that they expect the Salem Police Department to enforce it. Enforcement should apply equally to all groups and all gatherings and marches henceforth.
I don’t think it’s too much for citizens to demand that City staff respect and enforce the Salem Revised Code without exception. Using the pandemic as an excuse for not doing this makes no sense and is totally unacceptable.
I call upon the Salem City Council to listen to the 300+ Salem citizens who signed my petition and take what actions are necessary to enforce our laws.
Sincerely,
Jim Scheppke
PS: As a retired librarian I cannot resist a fact check on your email below …
The City cannot prevent assemblies or marches absent a specific, direct, and actionable threat of violence or property damage.
Not true. SRC 104.180 states that “it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in an activity or event for which a community event permit is required under this chapter without first obtaining a permit.” SRC 104.220 states that "any person who violates SRC 104.180 shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $250."
Groups who have marched to Governor Brown’s residence have not made actual threats of violence.
Not true. Watch the videos. Many threats to the Governor have been made (“We are comin’ for ya”).
Many of these events have been spontaneous, while others are planned.
Not true. All of the gatherings by the Proud Boys and their allies have been announced on social media well in advance.
Many of these events have been spontaneous.
Not true.
Second, here's the message from City Manager Powers that Scheppke critiqued above.
Mr. Scheppke,
Thank you for the email demanding the City stop protests and demonstrations, specifically a march announced for January 1, 2021. The City cannot prevent assemblies or marches absent a specific, direct, and actionable threat of violence or property damage. Groups who have marched to Governor Brown’s residence have not made actual threats of violence. Language has been offensive, obscene, and personally objectionable, but has not risen to a level to preemptively stop a march.
You demand the City prohibit unpermitted protests or marches. Typically, when a group intends to use City streets to march in Salem, we ask organizers to obtain the proper permits and pay the appropriate fees. The typical process has been upended over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the proliferation of protests on a wide-range of topics. For the past several months, the City has stopped issuing permits for public gatherings on City property, including street closures in order to comply with public health guidance.
Nonetheless, groups have continued to gather. Many of these events have been spontaneous, while others are planned. When the City is aware a protest or march will occur, the City will try to work with the organizers to maintain order and public safety. In some cases, the groups ignore the City. The Salem Police Department’s primary goal is maintaining public safety. Citations for violating City regulations or Oregon public health rules will be secondary to the goal of having an event occur and end safely and peacefully.
For additional information, please go to the City website (link below).
Steve Powers
City Manager
City of Salem|Mayor/City Manager’s Office
555 Liberty Street SE, Room 220
Salem, Oregon 97301
Powers comes across as yet another spineless bureaucrat. Apparently, he has never met a serious problem he couldn’t solve by avoiding any action, even if it endangers the community that pays his salary. Time for a change. Our next City Manager must be capable of enforcing the law equally, even if it inconveniences her/him.
Posted by: NWB | December 19, 2020 at 07:22 PM
In order to understand what is going on within the current Salem government, it is necessary to understand what led up to where we are now.
In 2003, Salem government was converted from progressive idealism to special interest pragmatism. This continues to this day, although reversion to progressivism is the direction that it is headed.
Linda Norris and Bob Wells acted in the best interests of all citizens. Mr. Powers was brought in to promote the interests of the real estate industry and the Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Powers's recent statement that the campers in the parks would be removed should be instructive. Previous managers would have stated that the proposal to be brought to them would include the option of removal. That is an important distinction.
A primary component of the duties of the City Manager is to advise Council. All powers of the City are vested there. The City Manager should not be acting like a political influencer.
Mr. Powers has effectively served the interests of his supporters and Salem growth was inevitable (although the rate and extent of that growth did not have to be so extreme and there should have been more attention to the repercussions of that growth).
It may be that Mr. Powers can adjust to the arising shift in direction (another staff member, Peter Fernandez, in 2003, had little trouble doing so), but the continuing animosity that remains between the two factions continues to such an extent that common ground will be elusive.
It may or may not be that the City would benefit from the removal of Mr. Powers because the emergency conditions that we now face will make idealism, fairness, justice, and decency seem less relevant for the foreseeable future.
Posted by: Kurt | December 20, 2020 at 02:10 PM
It is time for another citizens' ballot measure, eliminating the city manager system altogether and putting the elected city council in charge.
Doing so would necessitate other major changes as well, but that would be vastly preferable to being ruled over by unelected nazi sympathizers and enablers.
Posted by: Jack Holloway | December 21, 2020 at 11:35 AM
I will agree with Mr. Holloway. This system only works when there is limited divisiveness and highly competent candidates.
People like Bob Moore, Bob Wells, and Linda Norris acted with inimitable skill, knowledge, and integrity. The common purpose that Americans have enjoyed seems to be evaporating so it is unrealistic to believe that future Councils would place a candidate that they did not perceive as an unabashed advocate for their points of view.
Also, we should pay Council members. It would broaden the pool and I would never have to hear "but we are only volunteers" ever again. Being penny wise and pound foolish is ... foolish.
Posted by: Kurt | December 21, 2020 at 02:51 PM