Sandra Hernandez-Lomeli, Latinos Unidos Siempre, addresses this youth-of-color organization's position on School Resource Officers and the removal of two school board officers.

School Board Chair, Satya Chandigiri, talks about recent demands by parts of the community for the resignation of two board members and the elimination of police officers in schools. He shares his proposal for a standing committee on School Climate and Academic Outcomes to address systemic racism and inequity in the schools.

After the interview with Mr. Chandigiri, the school district issued this correction to comments he made concerning an investigation to ensure the board's process in electing its leadership met board policies.  Here is what the school board sent to Melanie Zermer, Willamette Wake Up producer, in an email on July 15, 2020:

Mr. Dakopolos (the district's attorney) participated in the July 1 public meeting in which the election of board leadership occurred.  He has verified that the procedures used in the meeting complied with board policy and state law.  He has not investigated any alleged violations of the public meeting law that are alleged to have occurred prior to the July 1 board meeting.  There is no investigative report.  Any concerns relating to alleged violations of the public meeting law prior to July 1, 2020, public meeting should be addressed to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC).  The OGEC has jurisdiction to investigate complaints related to the public meeting law.

In this Invisible People segment, Jimmy Jones, Exec. Dir. of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, talks about "best practices" for resolving homelessness. He notes that the COVID-19 pandemic is moving policy-makers' focus and resources from the chronically homeless to people on the verge of homelessness due to pandemic-related unemployment. He holds that the Housing & Rental Assistance Program (HRAP) administered by the Salem Housing Authority is the most effective tool to end rather than manage homelessness.

Legislative Matters: Tune In, Take Part relays the conversations legislators and stakeholders had during the July 8-10 hearings about police reform in light of national protests over police abuse of people of color. The hosts distill the discussions and help listeners understand what legislators are considering as they create policies to amend laws governing police training and operations.

Eric Howald, the managing editor of Keizer Times, talks about his love of journalism, how it's changing, and a new partnership with the Keizer Heritage Center to tell residents' personal stories during the pandemic.

Gregg Peterson, the founder of Save Our Selves (S.O.S.), talks about the organization he is forming as the next step to creating the change the people of Salem want to see. Guest host, Vanessa Nordyke, conducted this interview as a special segment to Willamette Wake Up.

John Van Dreal, outgoing Safety & Risk Management program director for the Salem-Keizer School District talks about the history of police officers in schools, current-day "School Resource Officer" (SRO) program, and thoughts on the future of the program in light of a recent call to defund SROs.

Eddy Binford-Ross is an incoming senior at South Salem High School and editor-in-chief of the school's paper The Clypian. She's been covering the Black Lives Matter protests in Salem. Here's her story.

Audra Marsh of Dallas Oregon is part of a group of people calling for the removal of Dexter the Dragon as Dallas High School's mascot. While not definitive, some people believe the dragon is connected with the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group that once had a stronghold in this rural Polk County town.

Discussion of Ranked Choice Voting  with Blair Bobier and how it helps to create more democratic voting and outcomes.