Eugene activist says federal building unrest is a sign that ‘we’re winning’

Federal agents’ clashes with demonstrators at Eugene’s federal building on Tuesday signaled to local activists that their movement is growing, community organizers said at a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 27.

The conference outside Springfield City Hall had been planned before Tuesday’s demonstrations. Activists wanted to highlight local plans for Friday’s “National Day of Action” and general strike, as organizers in cities nationwide plan protests against federal immigration operations and the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

But members of the Lane County Immigrant Defense Network and other local groups also addressed the chaotic scenes that unfolded at the Eugene Federal Building the previous night.

Organizer Rob Fisette told Lookout Eugene-Springfield that federal agents detained at least seven demonstrators during the clashes, which began in the early afternoon and continued after demonstrators, health care workers and elected officials gathered for a vigil for Pretti at dusk.

Organizers do not have exact numbers of arrests or the charges associated with them, he said. All detained demonstrators were released later Tuesday, demonstrators said.

“We’re winning,” Fisette told the crowd of about 15 people, many of them organizers, who had gathered in person for the conference. “They’re scared of our winning, and want to try to continue to intimidate us.”

He said demonstrators will continue to be present at the federal building throughout the week, though events for Friday’s “Day of Action” are planned to begin at Springfield City Hall.

“Protesting directly at the federal building is important,” he said. “We do want to think of the Friday shutdown as in conversation with that.”

Later on Wednesday, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson asked protesters to gather across the street from the federal building, instead of on the building’s property, as the city leaders seek to de-escalate tensions.

In response to a Lookout question on what response organizers want to see from local leaders, Fisette demanded that the cities of Eugene and Springfield shut down nonessential services on Friday as part of the strike.

“We will be reaching out to them directly with that request,” Fisette said. 

Organizers understand that local authorities have limited control over the federal government’s actions, he said, adding that city leaders have given what he called “patronizing” civics lessons to activists who are demanding local governments do more to protect residents from federal operations.

“The thing that I’m asking is that city, state leaders just respect the fact that we know what’s going on,” Fisette said. “We have that knowledge and creativity, and they should actually listen when we bring it and act on the things that we say.”

Wednesday’s press conference featured spirited speeches from clergy, as well as a University of Oregon professor, an educator with the Bethel School District, a local immigration law attorney and leaders of local advocacy groups.

Lonnie Douglas, a member of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network who said he was representing labor at the press conference, urged demonstrators to join the general strike planned for Friday.

The strike calls for “No Business As Usual,” meaning the closure of businesses, workers and students staying home from their jobs and classes, and a boycott of all commerce.

“If you support democracy, if you support freedom, if you stand against fascism, if you stand against the beating and murder of our neighbors, call in sick that day,” he said.

Seven local Latino small businesses have already pledged to close for the day, said organizer Johanis Tadeo. Fisette added that “a few” businesses in Eugene have also committed to closing. 

Demonstrators will canvas businesses in Eugene and Springfield until Friday to continue to gather support for the strike, Fisette said later.

An eyewitness account of Tuesday clashes

Ky Fireside, a co-founder of local privacy advocacy group Eyes off Eugene who is running for a seat in the state Legislature, was at the Eugene Federal Building on Tuesday and at the press conference on Wednesday.

They offered the following details about Tuesday’s events in an interview with Lookout Eugene-Springfield:

The altercations began around 1 p.m., when several agents emerged from the federal building in an apparent show of force and detained two demonstrators. A group of activists were singing and chanting in protest, part of a scheduled weekly event.

Fireside said an unusually large number of federal agents were gathering inside the federal building on Tuesday morning, which they speculated could have been a preparation for the Pretti vigil scheduled for that evening.

But nothing occurred during the demonstrations outside the federal building on Tuesday afternoon that explains agents’ subsequent detainments and shows of force, they said.

“No one was posing a risk to anybody,” they said. “These protesters have been peaceful the entire time. Nobody’s ever been violent or threatening or a risk to anybody else. The escalation was really out of character, even for them.”

Fireside described the chaotic scenes that unfolded as night fell. Federal officers appeared “totally disorganized” and were behaving “completely differently” than usual, they said, pointing to how they ran through the federal building plaza en masse and exited the building from side doors.

Fireside said one protester was knocked out in the evening after being hit in the head with a projectile, adding that she was transported from the scene in an ambulance.

“I have a photo of the canister with the dent in it from where it hit her in the head,” Fireside said.

Fireside said another protester was hit in the face with a pepper ball, wounding the area by his eye, and his mother transported him to a medical facility. Organizers called for multiple ambulances, though only one showed up, they said.

Fireside said many protesters have minor injuries, like scrapes, bruises and sprains, as well as respiratory discomfort from chemical gases and pepper spray.