The City of Keizer
A Deeper Look Into the Community
Created and Compiled By: Kevin Saunders, Tia Howell, Bergen Rueck, and Jessica Brookens
6/4/2014
ED 446- Environments for Diverse Learners
Dr. Wangeci
Empirical Ethnographic Information (including visual information):
While the city of Keizer has only been around since the 1980’s, the history in the
area goes back much farther. From the farming community with the one room school
house, to the city it is now, the Keizer area has changed much since people began
settling in the area. Now there are more than 36000 people living in Keizer. It is difficult
to get to know a community using just statistics, but they add the big picture that can
serve as a context for the personal experiences in the community.
The most recent information available is from the 2000 census. According to the
census data, the average income per household is $45,000 with 9% of the population
below the poverty level. (U S Census Bureau, 2000) In comparison, the average
household income in Oregon is between $45,000 and $49,999, according to the 2012
census. (U.S. Census Bureau, September, 2013) To show the distribution of income
among the population of Keizer, this pie chart was created.
(U S Census Bureau, 2000)
As seen in the pie chart, most families live at a comfortable level or better. This is
not to say that there is no poverty in the community. However, the poverty in this
community is not overwhelming to the point that it cripples the schools or the public
services.
Another measure of stability in the community is the living situation of the people
in it. The city of Keizer has a high percent of home ownership. This provides the
community with a good tax base to support public services like the schools in the
community. This chart compares home ownership with other living situations in Keizer.
(U S Census Bureau, 2000)
As seen in the chart, 61% of the families in Keizer live in a house that they own.
Diversity is another aspect of the community that has great influence on the ‘feeling’ of
the community. The diversity of the community and the attitude of the people in the
community affect the diversity and attitude of the school. In Keizer, most of the people
are ‘white’. This chart shows the distribution of people groups in Keizer.
When you consider that the total population of Keizer is 36,575, approximately
82% of the population in Keizer is ‘white’, about .7 % of the population is African
American, and about 18% of the population is Hispanic. One of Keizer’s goals is to
diversify; because of this, even though the diversity level is fairly low, the people in the
community are largely accepting of ‘diverse’ people.
While these statistics build up the background understanding the community,
these do not show everything. In an effort to identify some of the issues in the
community, some of the students were given a survey. There were four questions on
the survey, two of them apply to this project. These questions were; 1. What do you like
to do? And 2. What is the biggest issue in your community? The first question reveals
aspects of the community because what the students like to do must be available in the
community. Students who do not have access to an ice rink typically will not list ice
skating as something that they like to do. In this way, the students are not only painting
a picture of themselves, but their community as well. The second question obviously
relates to the community, but because students focus on different things then the adults
in the community, the students might see different aspects of the community, and the
problems in it, than the adults do.
This pie chart shows the responses to the question, “What do you like to do?”.
As this graph shows, the three biggest activities chosen by the students are;
sports and working out, being with friends and family, and videogames. Following not
far behind these three is music; many students in the schools are in band. It is
interesting that one student answered ‘history’ as a favorite activity or interest. The city
of Keizer has a strong emphasis on history; the city has elders come in and record their
stories about the past, they preserved the original school building as part of the city hall,
and the reason that the City incorporated was to prevent the area from becoming part of
Salem. It appears that this emphasis has been communicated to some of the students.
This pie chart shows the students’ responses to the second question, “what is the
biggest issue in your community?”
The biggest issue, according to the students, is homelessness. This seems to
contradict the census data, and this may be the case in the community. The census
data may under-represent certain groups of people to create a false picture of the
community. Because of this perceived contradiction, the statistics listed on each
school’s report card were consulted. Of McNary’s students, 49% are economically
disadvantaged, of the students at Clear Lake, 33% are economically disadvantaged,
and of the students at Whiteaker, 38% of the students are economically disadvantaged.
It is important to consider that these percentages are counting students, while the
census counts households. It is possible for more than one student to come from one
household, so the census data may not show the number of children whose family
struggles economically.
When the school statistics were considered, there was a curious disconnect
between the census data and the school data regarding diversity in the community.
There are more than ten languages reported in all three schools, and yet the number of
people in groups other than Hispanic, white, and African American makes up less than
one percent in the census data. It may be that the schools are pulling students from
outside of the community (especially in the case of McNary), which would explain why
the statistics for the schools and the community are so different. This would be an
important piece of information for teachers to consider in their practice because these
students may feel even more disconnected if they are attending school outside of their
own community.
After homelessness, the students listed drugs as a problem in the community,
followed closely by ecology and economy. There are also adults in the community that
are concerned about the use of drugs by the students and others, so it seems that this
is a concern that spans the age groups. Everyone is feeling the economic ‘pinch’ that
seems to affect schools and communities everywhere.
Because the students were so concerned about drugs, and other misbehaviors, it
seemed prudent to check the crime statistics available from the Keizer Police
Department. This is a pie chart showing the various crimes ‘by type’ that were recorded
in 2013.
The statistics used to create this chart come from the Keizer Police Department.
(Keizer Police Department, 2013).
The total number of thefts over a one year period was 916. (Keizer Police
Department, 2013)There were a total of 57 sexual assaults in the year, and 88 hit and
run events. When considering this number, it is important to remember that there are
several major highways that run from Salem to Portland and other locations, going
through Keizer to do so. This can allow people who are moving through the city to
commit crimes while within the city limits so these crimes are not necessarily committed
by people who live in the community.
The major motorways that run through the city have an effect on the schools;
there is an occasional lockdown initiated at the schools when a person has robbed a
convenience store, or committed another crime, and then chooses to flee in the
direction of the school. The school is notified and locks down. This lockdown consists of
locking the outside doors and restricting access, and doesn’t drastically affect the
operations of the classrooms, but it’s announced over the speakers and seems to excite
the students to a degree.
For the most part, despite this problem, the families seem to feel safe having
their students walk to school and home. After school, many clumps of students can be
seen traveling up and down the road together. There are crossing guards supplied at
intersections near the school when the students are released to aid their safe travel.
The students listed drugs as a problem on the survey, this data from the police
department shows that there were 196 arrests for drug use/possession. In addition to
this, there were 33 arrests for minor-in-possession of drugs/ alcohol for a total of 229
drug arrests. Compared to the City of Salem, with a total of 288 drug arrests (City of
Salem, 2014) for a population of 157,770. (City of Salem, 2014), compared to the
population of Keizer at 36,575. (Keizer Police Department, 2013) It does appear that
Keizer has more than its fair share of drug arrests for the number of people in the city,
using Salem as a comparison.
A teacher at one of the schools, who was in charge of a program to help ‘at risk’
students, remarked that while other teacher’s students were sometimes glad to see
them in the store or other venue, her students always tried to hide because they were
usually doing something illegal. It would make sense that this problem is less in the
grade schools and more prevalent in the middle and high schools, meaning that
different community influences affect students at different ages and maturity levels.
It seems that the majority of activity consists of the Keizer police helping out
other departments in their activities, and investigating suspicious activity. Again, it is
important to remember that the reported numbers do not always reflect what really
happens in the community itself.
Another interesting find from the survey was that many students mentioned
bullying as a problem in the community. Many answers seemed to indicate that this was
in the school, though several students mentioned online bullying as a factor as well; this
illustrates several important points. First, the school is a large part of the student’s
community – while adults might think of the city or a portion of the city as the
community, for a student, the school is the community. Another point is that the
community does not just consist of the physical space and real objects in the physical
space, it’s also the ‘cyberspace’ that the students ‘inhabit’ on their devices. It is no
longer enough to survey the physical and real objects; it would be an interesting future
investigation to look into the electronic world that the students build their community in.
Wherever and whatever the community consists of, apparently bullying is still a
problem and it always has been and always will be. The schools have anti-bullying
posters and campaigns, but it is unknown how effective these are. This also illustrates
how the student’s community is different from that of the adults.
Keizer Community Survey:
Results of survey given to 9 community members about Keizer community: 4 male, 5
females, ages ranging from 28 to 63. Question responses coincide with surveyor’s
general information number.
Surveyor’s gender and age:
1) Female, 43
2) Female, 42
3) Male, 46
4) Female, 63
5) Female, 28
6) Male, 37
7) Female, 55
8) Male, 40
9) Male, 61
Question 1: What are strengths/assets/values in our community?
1) involvement and pride in our community
2) Small community works together
3) Peoples willingness to be involved in community activities
4) People care and want to keep keizer a place where people want to visit or live.
5) community involvement, willingness to be involved in projects to improve the
community.
6) Close knit community, strong community involvement
7) Public service, rotary is active, chamber of commerce, and other service groups.
8) River road. (one main road through town), Keizer station
9) Education, family values
Question 2: What are things, no matter how small, that need to be changed/fixed in our
community?
1) competition
2) better bike lanes and lit walking paths. More diversity training for everyone.
3) Better bike lanes and walking paths.
4) To keep businesses open in keizer
5) becoming more diverse in our perspectives when coming up with ideas to make sure
all members of the community are involved.
6) More acceptance of diversity
7) Vacancies in retail, strip malls, etc.
8) Intersections and speed limit on River road towards the south end.
9) Communication-people actually talking with each other
Question 3: What is the best resource in our community? Why?
1) chamber
2) Keizer station had brought more business here
3) The people, because they are always willing to help improve the community
4) People-they help build the community
5) The fact that people are not afraid to step in and help out when needed in order to
improve the community. The people in this community are one of the best resources, no
matter how big or small, there is always someone willing to get the job done.
6) Community pools (kids/family)/KYSA-sports. Community events-iris festival, and
keizer station.
7) Senior’s- historical knowledge
8) No answer
9) Young people and their eagerness to use the electronics of today and they are not
afraid to search many avenues to get their information
Question 4: How long have you been here? How has the Keizer community changed
(better or worse) since you have been here?
1) Almost all of my life, and we have really grown and I love the development of keizer
station but am disappointed in river rd.
2) 10 years. Better community activities (Parades)
3) 23 years. It has grown as far as businesses but that has been a double edge sword
because many local businesses have closed.
4) 30 years.
5) 3 years. We have lost stores like Roths and True Value which are more local
businesses. We are not supporting the local businesses. However I feel the community
itself is becoming more diverse.
6) 13 years. Keizer station-more commerce
7) Two years-losing more businesses
8) Since 1979-crime and neighborhood quality has gotten worse on the East side of
River Rd.
9) 28 years-I think Keizer changed for the better, with many new businesses and
services
Question 5: What do you think about Keizer schools in general? (How do they fit in our
community)?
1) We have room for growth and not all sizes fit.
2) All of the schools in keizer are high performing. Those that are struggling a bit have
great resources/funding and support.
3) Keizer schools are well supported by individuals and businesses.
4) Clearlake is the best!
5) The community really supports the local schools. Our schools benefit from the
involvement of community members and businesses.
6) Schools still have an inequality of haves v. have nots. Clear lake is a great school,
the staff and community work well together.
7) Good school programs. Fit well in community. Good outreach.
8) Good-don’t have kids there (clear lake elementary) but have gone to Cummings,
Whitaker, and McNary. I feel schools don’t get enough volunteer people to help with
grounds keeping and help in general.
9) I don’t live in Keizer but with having my business there, I’ve seen the community
being supportive of the schools’ activities
Assets and Problems Issues:
The Keizer community and school district is constantly evolving to try and
accommodate its residents, and to maintain a community where individuals feel safe
and welcome. Keizer community’s values focus on sprit, price, and volunteerism.
The community has an abundance of assets to its landscape, such as the
recently built Keizer station, which began development in 1997 to “..improve the
economic status of Keizer.” (Profile, 6/2013). However, with every positive, there are
bound to be negatives. From interviewing individuals in the community, there are mixed
feelings about the non-local commerce being brought into Keizer. A 28 year old female
stated, “We have lost stores like Roth’s and True Value which are local businesses.”,
while a 46 year old male stated, “The community has grown as far as businesses, but
that has been a double edge sword because many local businesses have closed.” Nonlocal businesses are beginning to take over River Road as well, which is seen as the
heart of Keizer. (Profile. 6/2013)
Family and child centered assets are seen in Keizer as well, such as the
community pools, KYSA sports, and the renowned Iris festival, which recently returned
to the city of Keizer and brings parades, concerts and carnivals to the city. The
community puts an emphasis on annual events such as the Christmas tree lighting and
festival of lights parade in December, Riverfair in August and weekly concerts in the
park over the summer, all of which welcome individuals residing in the area.
This is not to say that the city of Keizer doesn’t struggle with issues, as there are
downsides to living in the community as well. There is a notable lack of diversity, with
74.7% of the population being white, with 25.3% of the remaining population being .8%
black, 19.2% Hispanic and so on. (Profile. 6/2013) Along with the improvements
community members wish to see put into effect are lit walking paths and bicycle lanes.
Salem and Keizer paired up together in 2011 for a mobility analysis and evaluated that
with more varied forms of transportation and adequate resources, there would be a
lighter flow of traffic and would offer pedestrians mutli-modal accessibility. Due to the
lack of availability in funding, the plans to implement more bicycle paths, along with
other resources of transportation, only went into effect less than a year ago in august of
2013. Currently, this project is still underway, and the community it feeling angst about
the lack of progress. (Central Salem. 6/2011)
Overall, for a city that was established in 1982, Keizer is a blossoming and
working through its problems with gumption and assistance from community members
input, volunteerism, and from the assistance of the local Chamber of Commerce.
Community Groups and Organizations:
The City of Keizer may have its problems, but it has a wealth of community
groups and organizations that are doing their part to ensure that Keizer remains a
connected, flourishing community. Firstly is the problem of the use of drugs by some of
the Keizer youth. In a report put out by an anonymous source on
www.transfromationstreatment.com, “Youngsters spend much of their time in clubs at
nights, which is one of the prime reasons for the growth of drug abuse statistics in
Keizer OR...Local dealers initially supply drugs to students at low prices; however,
students become addicted to drugs and crave for them, the price of drugs is [then]
increased by drug dealers.” (www.transformationstreatment.com, n.d.)
This issue was recently brought up at a city council meeting in Keizer, with one
Keizer resident Shabri Vignery voicing her concerns about rambunctious high school
kids who, on a daily basis and between 6:30a- 4p, use drugs, litter, as well as, other
things in her neighborhood; she wasn’t the only one to come forward, as another lady,
Audra Anderson, also spoke to the council declaring that things have only gotten worse
over the years and “...the drug problem has gotten intense and the youth have become
particularly ruthless.” (Keizer City Council Regular Session Minutes, 5/2014) With the
Keizer Police Department unable to really take action due to the lack of evidence left at
the discussed area, it’s up to the community Organization- Drug Abuse Facilities of
Keizer. This organization has a number of rehab centers throughout the Keizer area
and has a primary goal of helping individuals return to normal livelihood and get ‘clean’
of drugs; to do this they offer a selection of different counseling and therapy sessions
(http://drugabuse.com/usa/drug-abuse/keizer-or/, n.d.)
In a citizen survey taken at the beginning of 2014, one of the leading issues
facing Keizer in the next 5 years was considered to be that of population. Keizer is a
unique city in that it has a population of 36,575, but still has the feeling of being a closeknit community . . . the forecast of a ballooning population over the next 5 years
threatens to change this special utopia Keizer residents have formed...this is where the
Elks National Foundation- Keizer Chapter: Lodge 2472 comes in. They pride
themselves in working in Keizer to build a stronger community. On their webpage, they
are quoted as saying “Public service is an integral part of being an Elk. In keeping with
this tradition, Elks create and participate in many programs to better their communities
and demonstrate that Elks Care - Elks Share!” (www.elks.org/programs/, n.d.) They
have different programs promoting a stronger community, including education
scholarships, youth activities, and a drug awareness program; they also provide
opportunities for adults to get together through dancing, food gatherings, and even a
Relay for Life fundraiser, all promoting a connected, family-like community.
When interviewing one female Keizer citizen, age 63, one glaring problem seen
in Keizer was that of small businesses being swallowed up by larger corporations and
subsequently having to close their doors. With Keizer being such a close-knit
community, this is a problem beginning to concern many in Keizer, not just this
individual we interviewed. Thankfully, there is one organization, The Keizer Chamber of
Commerce, which is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes flourish within the
community. In looking at their newsletter Headliner from March 2014, just the title
“Meeting Basic Business Needs” shows that the Chamber of Commerce is out to help
the struggling businesses in the area. In the newsletter’s opening lines, it says,
“...Business operators...come together to take action to insure a healthy business
climate.” (Headliner, 2014) In addition, the Keizer Chamber of Commerce also offers
perks to its members, having three different levels, all of which provide businesses with
key tools like ‘Hot Deal Coupons Listings,’ ‘Business to Business Networking
Opportunities,’ and ‘a listing in Keizer’s Directory;’ these features all help businesses to
establish themselves within the community and to create a more effective atmosphere
to sell their products in.
Finally, a male keizer resident, age 37, voiced his concerns about a lack of
accepting diversity within the city of Keizer. This was a surprising find and, in fact, this
concern was even reiterated in another interview we conducted with a female keizer
resident, age 28, who said she wished there was a more diverse population involved in
the decision making for the city. A weak acceptance of diversity in Keizer seems to be
an issue currently, but there is good news because there is at least one community
organization in action which is encouraging a more diverse community, McNary
HS. This high school currently has the most enrolled students in Salem-Keizer and
about seven active, extracurricular clubs that deal solely with individual diverse
populations; for example, there is a Pacific Islanders Club, Gay-Straight Alliance Club,
and even an Awareness Club, devoted to increasing awareness about sextrafficking. Even though these clubs don’t presently do anything in the community, they
are heavily involved on campus at McNary and are making a big impact on the nearly
2,000 students there. Hopefully, in time, these clubs will spread out into the community,
but for now at least they’re reaching the up-and-coming generations and enlightening
them to the importance of diversity within a community.
Local Knowledge Sources:
About 65% of the nearly 200 students spread out over six class periods at
McNary High School are currently involved in some sort of sport, be it lacrosse,
baseball, football, basketball, etc. The community of Keizer seems entirely consumed
with sports. In fact, during sports seasons, local businesses will often put words of
encouragement for the McNary sports teams on their reader boards.
The students involved and affiliated with sports not only affects the high school
level, but also the middle and elementary school students, and is an evident factor in
their funds of knowledge. This cultural affiliate for the Keizer families and students is
discussed throughout year, whether it be KYSA (Keizer youth sports association) little
league, or the year round Keizer soccer club. An additional factor that plays into the
sports craze is the Keizer ‘Class-A’ affiliated baseball team: the Volcanoes, and their
stadium, which welcomes high school baseball championships to take place there, as
well as little league games. This is definitely an avenue of knowledge that can be
utilized in the classroom; for example, one could describe a historical event, making a
reference to a particular play call in football or the competitive aspect of the game of
lacrosse. By accessing this source, or any other local “fund of knowledge,” it’s much
easier to make a complex concept understandable for the students.
In addition, another “fund of knowledge” that is prevalent in the Keizer area is
that of farming. In the early years of Keizer, it was primarily a farming town. Though it
has become a lot more urban since its founding, Keizer still has a good 25% of its
population still involved in farming; in fact, it’s just been announced that there will now
be a Keizer Farmer’s Market located at Heritage Park in downtown Keizer. At McNary
High School, about 30% of the students are involved in farming, whether it be on their
family’s farm or working for another farmer on their land. As such, it would be beneficial
to make connections to farming in content lessons in order to make the material more
meaningful and relevant.
Lastly, something to be aware of when planning content lessons is the varying
religious affiliations in the community. In a 7,209 square mile radius, there are 16
churches available for over nine identified religions, with 36% of the population
identifying itself as catholic.
Works Cited:
Better, M. K. (2014). Our Fundraising. Retrieved from Making Keizer
Better:
http://www.makingkeizerbetter.org/fundraising_distribution
Brookens, J. (2014, May). Student Survey.
Central Salem Mobility Study. City of Salem. June, 2011.
http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/PublicWorks/TransportationServices/tr_
planning/Pages/mobilitystudy.aspx
City of Keizer. (n.d.). History. Retrieved from City of Keizer:
http://www.keizer.org/?action=page&name=History
City of Salem. (2014). About Salem. Retrieved from City of Salem:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/About%20Salem/Pages/default.aspx
City of Salem. (2014). Crime Reports. Retrieved from City of Salem:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/Police/HowDoI2/Pages/CrimeStatistics.
aspx
Keizer Chamber of Commerce. (n.d.). Keizer Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved from
Keizer Chamber of Commerce: http://keizerchamber.com/
Keizer Heritage Center. (n.d.). History. Retrieved from Keizer Heritage Center:
http://www.keizerheritage.org/index.html
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Department: http://www.keizerpd.com/Records/2013_Stats/2013_00.htm
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Jobs, Hospitals, Schools, Crime, Moving, Houses, News. City-Data: Keizer
Oregon. June, 2013. http://www.city-data.com/city/Keizer-Oregon.html
Salem Keizer School District. (2013). Statistics. Retrieved from Salem Keizer School
District: http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/about/statistics
Salem/Keizer School District. (2014). Boundary Maps. Retrieved from Salem/Keizer
School District: http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/content/boundary-maps
Schools, S. K. (2013). Statistics. Retrieved from Salem Keizer Public Schools:
http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/about/statistics
Teacher1. (2014). Observation. (J. Brookens, Interviewer)
Teacher2. (2014, May). Observation. (J. Brookens, Interviewer)
U S Census Bureau. (2000). American Fact Finder. Retrieved from US Department of
Commerce, US Census Bureau:
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c=bkmk
U.S. Census Bureau. (September, 2013). Household Income 2012. U.S. Census
Bureau.