An afternoon of protests at the federal office building in downtown Eugene Friday ended with police in riot gear and tear gas flooding the area.
Protesters lined the streets around the building throughout the day, holding signs and chanting in opposition to federal immigration enforcement. The demonstrations came as part of a nationwide "general strike" called by people critical of federal agencies, including ICE.
Among the participants in the first hour of the events was Vivian Kelly, a disabled nurse who was doing beadwork while protesting.
"This is not a protest against Democrats or Republicans," Kelly said. "This is a protest against right and wrong."
By late afternoon Friday, some protesters had pushed up against the building, banging on doors and windows and spraying graffiti on the walls. According to the Daily Emerald, at least one window had been damaged.
Eugene Police declared a riot around 6 p.m.. EPD parked multiple vehicles in the street, and broadcasted repeated warnings to protesters gathered in the courtyard to leave using a speaker.
"This is the Eugene Police Department. You are engaged in an active riot," said an EPD officer. "You are ordered to disperse the area immediately. Failure to disperse will result in the use of tear gas and/or impact munitions. You may be subject to arrest."
Eugene police officials said they were trying to de-escalate the situation. A release from the department said “some protesters breached the building and went inside.” KLCC couldn't immediately confirm that claim.
"The last thing we need is deadly confrontation between protesters inside a federal building and our federal agents who are using a level of force that they feel like is necessary to protect the people inside of the building," said EPD Chief Chris Skinner in a Jan. 30 video.
A group of dark-colored vehicles entered the underground parking area beneath the building after 7 p.m.. Then, just before 7:30 p.m., federal law enforcement tear-gassed protesters.
KLCC wasn't immediately aware of any arrests at the building during the event as of early Saturday morning.
Springfield
Meanwhile, a protest at Springfield's City Hall earlier in the afternoon drew hundreds of people. Speakers shared their personal stories, called for the audience to shop locally, and criticized the city governments of Eugene and Springfield for not directly participating in the strike.
Rob Fisette with the Party for Socialism and Liberation said organizers knew of more than 60 local businesses that had closed on Friday in solidarity.
Some of those gathered at the rally said they took time off work or skipped class to join in.
"We're sending a message to the Trump administration that we are done with our neighbors being brutalized," said PSL organizer Chris Case. "And we are taking, as workers, one of the only kind of levers of power that we have, which is to withhold our labor and actually make it hurt the pocketbook of the folks that bankroll all of this."
However, there was also tension during Friday's event, as several armed counter-protesters showed up with an "I <3 ICE" sign, prompting jeers and shouting matches with attendees.
One of those counter-protesters, Springfield resident Tyler Alford, shouted that "civil war" was coming. He told KLCC he brought his gun to protect himself from getting beaten up by protesters.
"We came out here to show our Second Amendment right, First Amendment right as well, and have some conversations with some people," said Alford.
Anti-ICE protester Dharmika Henshel appeared to help diffuse the situation when she calmly engaged with Alford, discussing his views. She said she fears constitutional rights in the U.S. are being eroded.
“I never thought I'd see our country like this, and it's scary, and we don't really know what to do. We don't really know how to fix it," said Henshel. "That's scarier than talking to a guy on the street."
After the rally in Springfield, some of the anti-ICE participants left on a "car caravan" around the local area, ending at the Lane Events Center in Eugene.
Elsewhere in Oregon
Hundreds of high school students walked out of their classes across Portland on Friday to protest an immigration enforcement crackdown nationwide, following the recent deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Students from McDaniel High School in Northeast Portland thronged the street in the early afternoon as they marched west in a light rain. Many carried signs that read “Stop ICE Terror Now” as they chanted “This is what democracy looks like!”
Across town, students from Roosevelt High School walked out and marched down North Lombard Street, also mirroring actions across the Pacific Northwest and the country.
Roosevelt senior Jasmin Reyes-Contreras was among those marching along Lombard Street.
“We as students care about this issue,” said Reyes-Contreras. “We as students care about the funding that’s going to ICE because this is impacting everybody. I mean there’s been students who’ve gotten their parents taken away who go to Roosevelt High School.”
The Portland portion of this story was reported by OPB, with contributions from Kyra Buckley, Elizabeth Miller and Rob Manning. This content comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
