Eugene police say downtown street blockade ‘escalated’; investigation ongoing

Eugene police said Tuesday, March 3, they are continuing to investigate the Saturday evening traffic blockades near the downtown federal building and related conflicts they say resulted in injuries to a driver and a 19-year-old man.

As some drivers pushed through a line of about 20 protesters, some protesters appeared to bang on vehicles, as shown in bystander videos. According to police, a Eugene woman driving an SUV sustained facial injuries after being struck through an open window. No video of that incident has surfaced.

During the evening, police established detours to keep some vehicle traffic away from the protest site. Video and witness accounts show police absent from the scene when at least one driver moved through the protest group in a widely shared video on social media. 

“Initially it was due to staffing levels and available officers,” police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said in an email when asked about the lack of a police response in the early evening. “When things escalated, EPD called in additional officer and team resources to respond, which takes time.”

McLaughlin said Tuesday a detective is reviewing the actions of both protesters and drivers as part of the investigation.

The traffic blockades took place at Sixth Avenue and Pearl Street near the Eugene Federal Building, a site of frequent protests against immigration enforcement activity under President Donald Trump. Hours of protest activity against immigration enforcement, as well as military strikes against Iran, were held at the site and elsewhere Saturday.

One video from that evening appears to show the driver of a sedan at Pearl Street and Sixth Avenue accelerate after some protesters used objects to strike the back and sides of the car. Three other protesters had lined up in front of the vehicle to apparently try and block the car’s movement.

The driver travels a half block, then he gets out to yell angrily at the group. No one appears to sustain any injuries in that confrontation.

McLaughlin said blocking a roadway is illegal under state law and can result in charges of disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.

Police issued a second-degree criminal mischief and disorderly conduct citations to Shane Alexander Novak, 19, from Pflugerville, Texas, who they said hit and damaged a windshield while on the hood of a vehicle. Criminal mischief in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail, while disorderly conduct is also typically a misdemeanor.

Novak was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

A University of Oregon spokesperson said a person by that name attends the university, and, when contacted by Lookout Eugene-Springfield, the UO student said he did not want to comment until finding “legal support.”

The traffic blockade as a protest tactic has a long history in the United States, but perhaps the most visible recent example in Lane County took place April 15, 2024, when protesters, showing support for Palestine, lined up across the southbound lanes of I-5, closing the road for about two hours. Oregon State Police arrested dozens as similar protest events took place in other cities.

McLaughlin said the two incidents are different because they are two different types of roads.

“I-5 is a major highway with high traffic volume, high speed, and is a major corridor for emergency transportation and commerce, which 6th Street is not. Initially as this started, there were alternate routes and EPD used on duty personnel to set up detours and traffic diversion while awaiting additional teams,” McLaughlin said.

The International Center for Not-For-Profit Law tracks state legislation restricting or affecting people’s right to assemble.

The center notes that in Oregon, a bill introduced in January of last year would have expanded the legal definition of a riot to include blocking “the normal and reasonable movement of traffic,” making such an offense a Class C felony. The 2025 bill, HB 2534, never made it to a floor vote, dying in committee.