Oregon
Oregon restaurant faces online harassment over vaccine requirement
SALEM — It’s laborious to overlook Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails when strolling by means of Salem’s downtown district. Taped to its home windows are tons of indicators, a few of them handmade. They learn: “Black Lives Matter,” and, “No Place For Hate.”
There are massive portraits of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and in chalk marker, the names of dozens of different folks killed by police in recent times.
There’s additionally a small cardboard signal that reads: “VACCINES REQUIRED FOR SEATED DINING.”
Regardless of that signal, and regardless of having a reservation at a distinct Salem restaurant, Naomi Wolf in late June walked into Epilogue and argued at size with workers about their indoor eating rule.
“So she walked by, noticed our indicators — she determined that that meant that she wanted to trigger a scene,” stated co-owner Jonathan Jones.
Wolf was as soon as a widely known feminist writer — she wrote the 1990 bestseller “The Magnificence Delusion” and suggested Invoice Clinton and Al Gore — who in recent times garnered on-line consideration for spreading misinformation concerning the coronavirus. Her Twitter account has been disabled, however she continues to make use of different social media options, together with one focused to American conservatives known as Gettr.
That’s the place she posted two movies of her late June encounter with workers at Epilogue. In considered one of them, two workers repeatedly ask Wolf to depart. One factors to the vaccines-required signal, and so they ask why Wolf determined to violate that boundary by coming inside and arguing with workers anyway.
“Properly, I imply, to start with, lots of people on this nation’s historical past pushed boundaries like that,” Wolf says within the video. “And it turned out to be the best factor to do.”
Talking to considered one of Epilogue’s Black workers, Wolf goes on to say the indoor eating rule is “completely discrimination.” (By legislation, discrimination is prejudice or bias in opposition to a protected class of individuals with reference to their race, age, gender, sexual preferences, or incapacity standing. Legally talking, COVID-19 vaccine standing doesn’t put somebody right into a protected class of individuals.)
Epilogue additionally affords out of doors seating for individuals who can’t present proof of vaccination.
One other video exhibits Jones telling Wolf that she’s been banned from the restaurant due to the best way she handled his workers.
“You’ve gotten been formally 86′d. If you happen to ever come again, you’ll be trespassing,” Jones says.
Wolf responds: “Properly, I’m solely trespassing if I enter,” whereas showing to face on the sidewalk in entrance of Epilogue’s entrance doorways, close to its out of doors seating space.
Wolf didn’t reply to OPB’s requests for remark.
Wolf’s movies on Gettr have lots of of feedback from folks rallying to harass the restaurant. A number of of them make enjoyable of Jones’ look and name for violence in opposition to him. And lots of extra name on the gang to depart adverse evaluations on the web site’s numerous on-line profiles. That’s when its rankings on Google and Yelp plummeted.
“We’ve had over 150 faux one-star evaluations,” Jones stated every week after the incident. “Most of them dive fairly shortly into racism. Fairly unbridled, gross racism.”
Jones stated about 75 faux reservations have been booked on-line inside every week — made beneath names like “Let’s go Brandon,” a conservative code for an insult to President Joe Biden. Epilogue acquired lots of of prank telephone calls and hateful voicemails; Jones stated he needed to inform workers to cease answering the telephone, so solely he must bear the brunt of the hate.
“I’ll by no means eat at your restaurant now, later,” a girl says in a voicemail that had turn into typical of the sort flooding the restaurant’s inbox. “I hope your small business goes beneath.”
Like lots of the callers, the lady within the voicemail gave the impression to be equating Epilogue’s coverage of requiring vaccines to dine inside with racism. She went on to say Epilogue’s meals in all probability “tastes like segregation.”
Jones, who’s Black, stated the menu attracts inspiration from the Black diaspora. You will get fried duck leg coated in apple butter and fig-chili vinegar, or rabbit confit flavored with jerk spices.
Jones stated he and his spouse opened the restaurant about 12 years in the past to precise themselves creatively by means of meals and artwork.
“Every thing we do is designed to type of present the marks of our arms; to be a chunk of our soul, our coronary heart, our thoughts,” he stated.
A part of that’s not being afraid to indicate what they imagine in, he stated, even when that may draw undesirable — and typically scary — consideration.
“If you happen to sit right here lengthy sufficient, you will note simply unbridled hatred directed on the restaurant,” Jones stated. “Each single day, folks stroll by. They flip us off, they yell ‘All Lives Matter.’”
Since its beginnings, Jones stated, Epilogue has suffered racist graffiti and violent assaults. A lot of this has been recorded on a restaurant safety digital camera and posted to Epilogue’s Instagram account.
In a single video, a person and girl seem to make a white energy image on the digital camera, then stroll away. In one other video, a person seems to be making an attempt to interrupt the glass entrance doorways, slamming into them a number of occasions. Jones stated the incident cracked the glass.
Chris Younger, a daily buyer and good friend of Jones, stated racist incidents appear to have turn into extra prevalent in Salem for the reason that 2020 racial justice protests, however there hasn’t been a lot recognition of it from metropolis leaders.
“Each occasionally, you’ll have a metropolis councilor have some stern phrases in the midst of a gathering or one thing,” he stated. “However so far as one thing tangible taking place, one thing particular to handle this concern, you very not often, if ever, hear something about it.”
Salem Mayor Chuck Bennet and Metropolis Councilor Chris Hoy, who’s slated to turn into the following mayor, didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Jones stated he’s gone to the Salem police previously, however he didn’t really feel listened to, so he hasn’t reported the Wolf incident or the following harassment.
The way in which he sees it, people who find themselves pushed to violence in opposition to his restaurant are angered by his very existence.
“The native hatred comes from the truth that we dare to talk our minds; we dare to create areas and push again in opposition to the established order of a traditionally white utopia,” Jones stated. “And we are also glorious on the merchandise and the service that we do, and that simply completely drives them up a wall.”
However whereas that will draw hate from some folks, others appear to like Epilogue twice as a lot. Madalena Martin, a staffer at Epilogue, stated the restaurant has turn into a gathering place for individuals who may really feel like misfits due to their race, gender, or political beliefs, particularly in an space that tends to lean conservative.
“Now I’m right here and I’m surrounded by different activists and other people who’re centered on the disruption of the oppression in our society … It’s simply therapeutic,” Martin stated.
Jones — who’s initially from the Philadelphia space — stated it doesn’t matter what occurs, Salem is his group now, and no quantity of harassment or violence will scare him away.
“They will bash our home windows, they’ll threaten my life,” Jones stated. “… I’m nonetheless going to be the wonderful individual that I’m.”
For an athlete, a loss can shake even the strongest mental foundation. For Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, those feelings bubbled up after losing to the Oregon Ducks 32-31 at Autzen Stadium in early October.
While interviewing with ESPN before Ohio State’s semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns for the College Football Playoffs, the quarterback reflected on that feeling of loss.
“It’s been a rollercoaster. Some of the ups and downs that we did go through are why we’re sitting here today in the semifinals and probably playing our best ball right now,” Howard said. “There have been some tough moments. I’d say that Oregon loss early on in the season was rough.”
Howard, who went 28-35 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns, remembers what he did after that fateful quarterback keeper turned slide that sealed the fate of the Buckeyes during that regular season encounter with the Ducks.
“Coming out of it I felt like I played a good game but it was really just the ending. I sat there and stewed over just how could I have done that differently. But when we got back here I think it was about six in the morning. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was kind of at a loss. I went into the indoor and I just laid there for about an hour – hour and a half. I was in a dark place. I just wanted another crack at them so bad. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the next chance I could get,” Howard said.
It wasn’t too long before Howard got his second chance with Oregon. After winning the Big Ten Championship, the No. 1 ranked Ducks were seeded for the Rose Bowl. With the Buckeyes easily beating Tennessee at home the previous week, Ohio State faced the Ducks once more.
“Before every game, I listen to two voicemails that my late grandmother sent me and I’ve been doing that every game for the last three years now,” Howard said. “I listened to the voicemail and it just brought this immense peace over me. This year for the playoffs it actually probably got me going even more. It really helped.”
Those voicemails helped Howard correct his headspace before facing Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Howard went 17-26 in passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes completely shut out Oregon in the first quarter, with the Ducks only responding at the end of the second quarter with a touchdown and two point conversion. Howard reflected on the point in the game where the Buckeyes were up 34-0 against the No. 1 team in the nation.
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“Ecstatic. I mean, at that point it felt like it was almost not real. It was like ‘Man, are we really up on the No. 1 team in the country right now that we were in a dog fight with at their place?’” Howard said.
The Buckeyes won against Oregon 41-21, advancing to the Cotton Bowl Classic against the Texas Longhorns, where Howard and the Buckeyes are knocking on the door of a National Championship.
“You take a big National Championship ring and hoisting the trophy up. It takes a lot of the hardships and bad things that happened this year and kind of go out the window,” Howard said.
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Lewis & Clark College is opening up its residence halls early to students impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles. Odell Annex pictured here, is a residence hall on the Lewis & Clark campus in Portland.
Adam Bacher courtesy of Lewis & Clark College
Some private universities in Oregon are offering extra assistance — from crisis counseling to emergency financial aid — to students who call Southern California home.
This comes amid the devastating wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles.
Lewis & Clark College, University of Portland and Reed College sent out messages of support to students with home addresses in Southern California this week.
Administrators at Lewis & Clark contacted around 250 undergraduate students in the region affected by the blazes. These students represent close to 12% of the college’s current undergraduate students.
The school, which begins its next term on Jan. 21, is opening up its dorms early for Southern California students at no extra cost.
“We will keep communicating with students in the weeks and months ahead to know how this impacts their next semester and beyond,” said Benjamin Meoz, Lewis & Clark’s senior associate dean of students. “That will mean a range of wraparound academic and counseling support.”
Lewis & Clark also pushed back its application deadline for prospective students from the Los Angeles area to Feb. 1.
Oregon crews arrive in Southern California to aid wildfire response
Reed College began reaching out to about 300 students who live in Southern California on Wednesday. In an email, the college urged students and faculty impacted by the fires to take advantage of the school’s mental health and financial aid resources.
Reed will also support students who need to return to campus earlier than expected. Classes at Reed do not begin until Jan. 27.
Students at University of Portland will be moving back in this weekend as its next term begins on Monday, Jan. 13. But UP did offer early move-in to students living in the Los Angeles area earlier this week. A spokesperson with UP said four students changed travel plans to arrive on campus early.
Students are already back on campus at the majority of Oregon’s other colleges and universities, with many schools beginning their terms earlier this week.
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Four Oregon lawmakers are calling on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to help stop a plan that would kill 450,000 barred owls in an effort to save endangered spotted owls over the next 30 years.
The entrepreneurs were named by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
In a letter sent Tuesday, state Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Lincoln County, Rep. Virgle Osborne, R-Roseburg, and Sen.-elect Bruce Starr, R-Yamhill and Polk counties, asked the incoming Trump administration officials to stop the reportedly more than $1 billion project, calling it a “budget buster” and “impractical.”
Environmental groups Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy in late 2024 filed a federal lawsuit in Washington state to stop the planned killing of the barred owls.
Here is why the Oregon lawmakers are opposed to the plan, what the plan would do and why it is controversial.
Why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to kill barred owls
In August 2024, after years of planning, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service came up with a proposal to kill a maximum of 450,000 invasive barred owls over 30 years as a way to quell habitat competition between them and the northern spotted owl.
Spotted owl populations have been rapidly declining due in part to competition from invasive barred owls, which originate in the eastern United States. Northern spotted owls are listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
According to the USFWS plan, barred owls are one of the main factors driving the rapid decline of northern and California spotted owls, and with their removal, less than one-half of 1% of the North American barred owl population would be killed.
The plan was formally approved by the Biden administration in September 2024.
Why environmental groups want to stop the plan to kill barred owls
Shortly after it was announced, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy immediately responded in opposition to the plan to kill barred owls. They argued the plan was both ill-conceived and that habitat loss is the main factor driving the spotted owls decline.
“Spotted owls have experienced significant population decline over decades,” a news release from the groups filing the lawsuit said. “This decline began and continues due to habitat loss, particularly the timber harvest of old growth forest. The plan is not only ill-conceived and inhumane, but also destined to fail as a strategy to save the spotted owl.”
In their complaint, the groups argued the USFWS violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to properly analyze the impacts of their strategy and improperly rejecting reasonable alternatives to the mass killing of barred owls, such as nonlethal population control approaches, spotted owl rehabilitation efforts and better protections for owl habitat.
Why Oregon lawmakers are asking Musk to stop the plan to kill barred owls
The four Oregon lawmakers are siding with the environmental groups and calling for Musk and Ramaswamy to reverse the federal government’s plan to kill the barred owls. It was not immediately clear how the two could stop the plan.
The lawmakers letter stated the plan was impractical and a “budget buster,” with cost estimates for the plan around $1.35 billion, according to a press release by the two groups.
The letter speculates there likely isn’t an excess of people willing to do the killing for free: “it is expected that the individuals doing the shooting across millions of acres – including within Crater Lake National Park – will require compensation for the arduous, night-time hunts,” according to the press release.
“A billion-dollar price tag for this project should get the attention of everyone on the Trump team concerned about government efficiency,” Diehl said. “Killing one type of owl to save another is outrageous and doomed to fail. This plan will swallow up Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars for no good reason.”
USFWS says they aren’t trying to trade one bird for the other.
“As wildlife professionals, we approached this issue carefully and did not come to this decision lightly,” USFWS Oregon State Supervisor Kessina Lee said in announcing the decision in August. “Spotted owls are at a crossroads, and we need to manage both barred owls and habitat to save them. This isn’t about choosing one owl over the other. If we act now, future generations will be able to see both owls in our Western forests.”
Statesman Journal reporter Zach Urness contributed to this report.
Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.
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