Heady Writing From the Streets of Eugene, Oregon
A federal judge has handed a win for Black Unity nearly six years after the events of July 29, 2020—otherwise known by many in the local activist community as “J29” or “Thurston”—and five years after the protest group’s lawsuit against the City of Springfield, Oregon and the Springfield Police Department was filed.
The investigation was conducted by Rick Braziel, a longtime police officer–including a five-year stint as the Chief of the Sacramento Police Department–and current Vice Chair of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
The complaint says that SPD’s actions included unlawful detention, colluding with and informing violent counter-protesters about Plaintiff’s plans. It also says that SPD [conspired] with violent counter-protesters to amass and use force against Plaintiff’s.
There’s a long history of right-wing militia activity in Oregon, and the areas around Eugene are no different. For as long as Eugene has claimed itself as a progressive paradise, there have been neo-Nazis and white supremacists and militiamen around to counter that claim.
