Eugene’s ‘Sacred Fence’ at Old Federal Building Comes Down

The work to dismantle the contentious fence began around 6:30 p.m. on July 1, the night prior to the 7 a.m. deadline for it to be completed, and Double Sided Media was, of course, present for what was, without question, a significant moment in the history of activism within the city.

The fence’s removal did not occur without fanfare. There was a “watch party” of activists, community members, and plenty of passersby. There was even popcorn!

While there was at least one instance of a passing motorists flipping-off those present and showing support of the fence, most that passed by expressed the opposite sentiment. Then there’s the instances when law enforcement drove by.

“Victory,” one motorist was heard yelling as they drove by on Pearl Street, next to the now-extra-wide sidewalk the city constructed to accommodate the now-gone fence. We hope the tree that was torn out to do so was put to a productive use.

According to Lookout Eugene-Springfield, the Eugene Police Department—who were, notably, absent in a stark contrast to when the fence was erected—were called twice. One time for people obstructing workers and another a couple hours later for another interference that led to a “verbal dispute.” In both instances, no action was taken.

In fact, DSM heard those at the watch party directly ask workers, multiple times, if they needed to move to ensure the fence still came down and were enthused to oblige, if so. And they did once lanes were blocked — which was good because the forklift driver struggled to operate within the two closed ones.

However, those present repeatedly expressed that they were not mad at the workers dismantling the fence.

The work continued through the night and was reportedly completed by the court-mandated deadline with just less than three hours to spare.