Social Justice

If you’ve been at marches and protests across Oregon lately, you might have spotted – or even hugged – an unmistakable, fluffy figure: Caesar the No Drama Llama.  Tall, white, and furry from head to toe, Caesar and his handler, Larry McCool, have tried to be a calming force in a year of unrest.  KLCC’s Brian Bull produced this self-narrative of the duo.

In an opinion piece this week, the Managing Editor at Eugene’s Register-Guard says the newspaper- and its corporate owner- have made a pledge to diversity in staffing and reporting.

The Eugene-Springfield NAACP branch unveiled two community support projects at Our Reedemer Lutheran Church Monday morning.

After years of criticism, the University of Oregon is covering up four murals.  They’re considered dated works that promote white supremacy.

Hundreds of people marched through Downtown Eugene Saturday in support of Black Trans Lives. The goal of the event, hosted by Black Unity and Eugene Pride, was to highlight the intersection between the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Hundreds of people rallied in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Corvallis Saturday.

This year has seen the Black Lives Matter movement gain greater national prominence, through protests over police brutality and systemic racism. Native Americans have had their voices elevated as well, owing to a shared history of oppression, cultural stereotypes, and conflicts with the federal government. 

Civil rights protest groups continue to challenge and lead their communities to reform two months after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. On Thursday, a group protested outside Sundance Natural Foods claiming it had wrongfully terminated an employee based on race. Some protestors in Eugene have resorted to unorthodox tactics to force change.

A Eugene journalist is suing police for hitting him with tear gas and other non-lethal crowd control devices at a protest in late May. The suit also names the City of Eugene and some of its leaders.

Last night, more than 100 people gathered outside Eugene’s federal courthouse to protest federal intervention in Portland and other cities.  The event was called, “No Fed, No Fascists.”

A new group is forming in Eugene that’ll show support for Portland protesters and provide protection for local activists during more confrontational events.  Wall of Moms: Eugene is already drawing up lots of interest.

Saturday afternoon, Washington Jefferson Park in Eugene was teeming with the sound of basketball games and chants for Black justice.  It was all part of the “Speak Up and Dribble” event.

Black Unity held a protest last night starting at the Springfield Public Library and urged participants to come armed with pots, pans, and blowhorns.

A Black Unity activist suspects “pure anger” was behind a driver’s motive for striking him with his vehicle at a children’s march last month.

A gathering in Eugene’s Owen Rose Garden Sunday afternoon called 'Indigenous Solidarity with Black Liberation' was held to show support with the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as highlight an issue that’s haunted the Native American community: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#mmiw).

Black Unity protesters marched in Eugene Wednesday night in what the group calls an education protest. Approximately 150 people marched through the Whiteaker neighborhood.