On Jan. 30, an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building was declared an active riot by the Eugene Police Department. The next morning, protesters showed up again. And the next day, and the day after that.
At one entrance to the federal building, construction crews repaired damage from the previous day. Broken glass was boarded up, and eggs were scrubbed off windows.
The courtyard was littered with the scattered remains of branches from the heart-shaped memorial for victims of ICE, the most recent being Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Chalk drawings and statements covered the ground up to the sidewalk, and graffiti slogans reading “Chinga la migra” and “F*ck ICE” were spray-painted on the concrete walls of the federal building.
On the corner of Pearl Street and Seventh Avenue, anti-ICE activists gathered near the street, holding signs and American flags. The day began with only a handful of people, but by 2 p.m., the crowd had grown to around 150 people, occupying all four corners of the intersection.
Many said they were demonstrating out of fear and anger…