RtR Community,

Tell the LO City Council to support open access to Oswego Lake! A Clackamas County circuit judge recently ruled that Oswego Lake must be open to the public. This was a huge step towards creating a more inclusive LO, yet the Lake Oswego Corporation, which represents many high value homeowners, is appealing the decision. The Lake Oswego City Council is weighing whether to join that appeal, which would waste taxpayer dollars on protecting an exclusionary and frankly embarrassing policy.

RtR Executive Director Bruce Poinsette standing in front of Oswego Lake)

Much of the public comment so far has trafficked in classist tropes, but fights over access to bodies of water have a deep history with racism as well. Specifically, restricting access to these blue spaces has been a supposedly colorblind strategy for either keeping communities of color out all together or charging them exorbitant fees to use them.

We need people who believe in an inclusive LO to make their voices heard. LO City Council is holding a special meeting on March 31 at 6pm at City Hall to gather public comment. You can sign up to speak at the meeting, including via Zoom or by phone, by emailing a request to CityRecorder@lakeoswego.city by noon on March 31. You can also submit written comments to CouncilDistribution@lakeoswego.city at anytime.

RtR community, this is a prime opportunity to create the change we wish to see!

Latest Developments:

https://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/townnews/civil_law/readers-respond-60-40-split-on-public-oswego-lake-access/article_2db0e846-fac0-11ef-a437-ff65d5ae9d57.html?gift=1&gift_token=61198031-c9b6-4f15-af9d-7098f94732b4

Other Relevant Reading:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/americas-segregated-shores-beaches-long-history-as-a-racial-battleground#img-1

In solidarity, 

Troy