Community Safety Initiative Engagement Sessions

Seeking New Voices and Perspectives

At its work session on July 20, 2020, City Council directed the City Manager to convene engagement sessions with organizations representing communities of color to specify changes or additions to the Community Safety Initiative (CSI) that would best respond to the needs of their communities.


The intention for these sessions is to invite a broad cross section of organizations and leaders within communities of color to learn about the development of the Community Safety Initiative and listen to their perspective on how the intended outcomes and proposed uses of payroll tax funds align with the public safety priorities within their communities. Many of these organizations were not specifically engaged previously and the City of Eugene hopes to hear new voices and perspectives as part of this effort. Hearing from communities of color on this issue is important at this critical moment in the community conversation around race, policing and public safety, and this effort will help to ensure the needs and priorities of underserved members of our community are reflected in the CSI.

Engagement Activities

  • Community Safety Initiative Informational Webinar
    Watch this webinar to learn about the Community Safety Initiative. Still have questions about the Community Safety Initiative?  Submit your questions online.
  • Videos: Learn about Community Safety Initiative Program Areas
  • Community Safety Initiative Q&A Document
    Read our Q&A document based on questions submitted by viewers of the webinar.  
  • Focus Groups
    The City in December 2020 conducted focus groups with black, indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) to actively listen to their perspective on public safety and the CSI. 
  • Survey
    The City developed a survey to provide another opportunity for engagement, particularly those unable to attend a focus group or workshop. We also conducted culturally specific outreach with a Spanish language version of the survey to our mono-lingual Spanish speaking community.
  • Community Safety Listening Sessions
    Eugeneans were invited to attend virtual meetings to share their perspective on the Community Safety Initiative strategy and approach. The March 24 and 30 listening sessions followed the same format.

Final Report to City Council

After completing all engagement sessions, staff compiled all information collected through the focus group meetings, workshops and survey and presented a report to City Council at their May 10, 2021 Work Session. 

Related City Council Meetings