Protesters turn out as fencing goes up around Eugene Federal Building

3:50 p.m. April 30: This story has been updated to include information released by police about the arrest that took place at about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

These are updates from April 29, outside the federal building in downtown Eugene, where local city police clashed with a few protesters during the first day of construction of a fence around the facility.

8:45 p.m.

Another worker, still on the job, said he was anti-Trump, but didn’t oppose the fence installation given the protest activity.

“In the long run, it’s probably going to be a little safer for everyone,” Somric Castro said.

8:25 p.m.

Sawyer O’Quinn described walking off the job as an independent contractor after accepting it from a “third-party job app.” From Salem, O’Quinn said no information was given about the job, only that it involved putting up fencing.

It wasn’t an immediate decision, however.

“I picked up one of those fences, fence posts, and set it down and was like, ‘I need the money. I need the money,'” O’Quinn said. “Nope, I don’t need the money as much as I need my morals.

“The Constitution says that people are not supposed to be getting pulled out of their homes and off the streets without any of the proper channels being taken, and that’s what’s happening in our country now,” O’Quinn said, referring to immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. “So I’m not going to be a part of what helps that along in the wrong f****** direction.”

He said some protesters offered help finding a place to spend the night.

“When it comes down to it, I think that’s how our country (is) supposed to run. People are supposed to take care of each other,” O’Quinn said.

8:20 p.m.

Workers placed the fencing next to a row of bollards in front of a mid-block entrance to the federal building plaza area.

8 p.m.

As of 7:50 p.m., traffic cones reduced traffic along Seventh Avenue to two lanes, down from four. No construction work was taking place on that side of the building, however.

7:50 p.m.

A crew of about 10 workers unloaded materials from a flatbed truck at 7:40 p.m., as the few protesters yelled at the workers, urging them to walk away from the job.

7:30 p.m.

Protesters are gathering near the Eugene Federal Building in downtown as installation of a fence around the building started Wednesday evening, April 29.

Police issued a warning earlier in the day about staying out of the construction zone, and there has been a heavy police presence around the building through the afternoon.

“Stay out of the roadway or you may be arrested,” an officer in an Eugene Police Department vehicle with a loudspeaker mounted on top.

Earlier in the day, a man was arrested by Eugene Police near the intersection of Pearl Street and Sixth Avenue (see update below).

Federal Protective Service officers stood at points across the length of the Pearl Street sidewalk. Around 10 protesters yelled from across the street at the officers.

“You’re a shame and disgrace to our city,” one protester called out.

One lane of traffic remained open on Pearl Street between Seventh and Sixth avenues.

Original story

Eugene police clashed with a few protesters Wednesday, April 29, during the first day of construction of a fence at the downtown federal building as federal officers blocked access to a plaza area normally open to the public.

Eugene police took one man into custody at about 4 p.m., as he and others were walking in a crosswalk on Pearl Street at Sixth Avenue toward a group of officers.

The majority of the sidewalk area adjacent to the Eugene Federal Building had been closed off during construction, and there was no other obvious provocation leading to the arrest.

“[T]he person was arrested for Disorderly Conduct,” Eugene police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said in an email. 

McLaughlin said the person was blocking the roadway, though that was not evident from what a Lookout Eugene-Springfield reporter at the scene witnessed and recorded in a video immediately prior to the man’s arrest.

“I don’t have any other details yet, other than he was blocking the roadway,” McLaughlin said. In a statement Thursday afternoon, police described alleged behavior not shown in the video. The man reportedly struck the front of a passing bus with a bullhorn and also “continually” walked into a lane of traffic to yell at officers, police said.

Earlier in the afternoon, at about 3:30 p.m., a Eugene police vehicle equipped with a loudspeaker blared that people may be arrested for trespassing, as a group of approximately 25 people stood in an area outside the orange cones and signs reading “Sidewalk Closed” at the corner of Pearl Street and Seventh Avenue.

While protest activity normally takes place in the federal building plaza, uniformed Federal Protective Service officers on Wednesday afternoon stood in front of the protesters, blocking plaza access. The plaza is not a part of construction activity.

Several protesters declined to give their names, but Carol Van Houten, 88, held a sign that read, “No ICE, No War, No Genocide” and said she visits the site weekly on Wednesdays as part of regular protesting, which for her typically involves two days at the building each week.

“I tried to walk on this sidewalk, and an EPD woman on a bicycle rolled up and escorted me across the street, stopping the traffic so she could escort me across the street,” Van Houten said.

Van Houten said she’s “disappointed in the city,” referring to the Eugene police presence. She also was critical about the plaza being off limits Wednesday.

“They’re telling us that it’s federal property. I think it’s community property,” Van Houten said.