PHOTOS: City of Eugene, EPD Sweep Willamette River Camp
On Tuesday, Mar. 9, the City of Eugene attempted yet another sweep of an unhoused camp, this one along the north bank of the Willamette River near the Ferry Street Bridge. The city was met by a crowd of around 50 to 60 people, who had organized an early morning action in hopes that they might prevent the city from clearing the camp, in accordance to CDC guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.
With help from a squad of EPD officers, the City managed to keep the activists at bay for several hours while officers and parks and recreation employees threw the campers’ belongings onto a trailer and hauled them away.
Eventually, mutual aid groups were allowed into the camp to assist with the cleanup – but only on the condition that protesters clear the area and, presumably, stop yelling at the police.
James Croxton reported live from the scene that morning, while John Adair snapped these photos.
A protester with the “Stop the Sweeps” movement confronts EPD officers on the north bank of the Willamette River on Tuesday, Mar. 9, 2021. The City of Eugene has continued their campaign of sweeping camps of unhoused people, flaunting CDC guidelines and their own promise to leave campers alone so long as they follow some basic rules. (John Adair // Double Sided Media) 
At least five EPD officers and several representatives with the Eugene Parks and Rec. Department were on hand to displace a camp that had been set up along the banks of the river. Approximately 50-60 protesters and activists arrived at 8:30 a.m. to confront them. (John Adair // Double Sided Media) 
In addition to displacing a camp full of homeless people, EPD received complaints from cyclists and other pedestrians who noted that the barricades set up by police made it difficult for them to complete their walks and commutes. EPD officers remained unmoved. 
James Croxton spoke with one resident of the camp, Suzanne White, who has been houseless for nine years. “I thought Arkansas was bad. This is worse. I’ve lost daughters to the state all because CPS would not help. I’ve seen them offer more help to those drugged up than to those sober.” (John Adair // Double Sided Media) 
After being blocked from entering the area around the sweep, a crowd gathered on the Ferry Street Bridge in Eugene to call attention to the ongoing sweep along the north bank of the Willamette River. (John Adair // Double Sided Media)
