Friends, neighbors, and comrades,

You’ve likely seen them. They appear at the Saturday Market, brandishing anti-abortion signs at Planned Parenthood, and anti-gay rhetoric at Pride events. They set up their pulpits, one comically tall, and bring their own children to shout hate speech at ours, traumatizing everyone involved. The common refrain is that these are random pop-ups, impossible to stop, best ignored. But I’m here to tell you that this is simply not true.

These aren’t random acts. This is a well-organized and well-funded hate group. And while their machine is fueled by emotional reactions, it also thrives on our silence and non-engagement. Effective strategies exist to disrupt them, and it’s time we put them into action.

Unmasking the “UnHoly Trinity”

This group operates as an intertwined, unholy trinity, all based out of Roseburg, Oregon.

First, there’s Wellspring Bible Fellowship, led by Pastor Bryan Carver. Bryan is known for his aggressive megaphone preaching, even bizarrely offering to adopt fetuses outside Planned Parenthood clinics. He recently had a very public, and seemingly very fake, falling out with Mason Goodnight over the “Satanic nature” of Halloween. Despite their supposed rift, they’ve been seen gleefully spreading hate across the tri-state area.

 

Then we have the Reformed Baptist Church of Roseburg, Oregon, founded by self-proclaimed Evangelist Mason Goodnight and Pastor Ryan Clark. Mason, notably, was fired from the Douglas County Sheriff’s office years ago for refusing to participate in trans rights training. Ryan Clark, however, is the quiet force truly running this operation behind the scenes.

Completing this trifecta is the RV Saltshakers, an unregistered nonprofit seemingly headed by Jon Clement. It’s worth noting that in 2020, Jon and Ryan Clark were arrested in Grants Pass for illegally using shotguns against waterfowl, with witnesses reporting stray bullets flying dangerously close

What Do They Really Want? (Spoiler: It’s Not Your Soul)

Do these individuals genuinely care about the eternal fate of our souls? Unlikely. This is a money-making venture, and apparently a lucrative one. They display signs with QR codes, encouraging other bigots to donate. They wear body cameras, posting carefully curated video clips online to solicit donations from haters worldwide. They feed off emotional reactions, yes, but also off the very passivity of our community, which has allowed them to terrorize our streets for far too long.

Their “Christianity” is a facade, but the harm they inflict is profoundly real. At Pride 2024, they wreaked havoc, preventing access to an HIV testing booth and ultimately contributing to the decision to move Pride indoors for 2025. Local artists and farmers at Saturday Market report significant revenue losses due to their disruptions. And tragically, people are afraid to seek vital healthcare at Planned Parenthood because of the threatening presence of Wellspring and Company.

Our Response: Organized Action, Not Passive Acceptance

These men are not locals; they are invading our town with hate. The police have, at times, proven feckless in their response, even appearing to protect Mason and his crew. This hate group’s presence demands a large, organized community response aimed at making them unequivocally unwelcome in Lane County and beyond.

Here’s how we can push back:

Avoid Emotional Reactions: This fuels their agenda and their coffers. When you engage, do so directly and confidently, and only if there’s a clear purpose.

Strategic Engagement: I’ve successfully distracted them with everything from theological arguments to sing-offs of popular hymns. The goal is to keep them from engaging with and upsetting vulnerable members of our community and to disrupt their funding opportunities.

Document and Be Prepared: Know that they are always filming you. If you have a camera, wear it.

Show Up, Be Visible, Be Louder: We have successfully blocked them out when enough people show up with Pride flags and signs that counter their messages. They will bring noise-amplifying devices, and may even have permits. We must be louder than them. Bring your own megaphones and speakers, and consider obtaining a permit for them – otherwise, local law enforcement may quickly shut you down.

Get Creative: The tactics are as endless and diverse as your imagination. Think outside the box to disrupt their activities and reclaim our public spaces.

How to get directly involved:

In Douglas County, the RV Pepper Shakers (rvpeppershakers.org) have been doing the Lord’s work for multiple years now, following the Salt Shaker crew and countering their hateful narrative in their home base of Roseburg Oregon. Here in Lane County, the Neighborhood Anarchist Collective is organizing against the group’s intrusions into Eugene and Springfield. Join us by going to neighborhoodanarchists.org and attending a Welcome Gathering. Ask about the “Wellspring Welcoming Committee.”

As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wisely said,

“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

Let’s organize, Lane County. Let’s stand together and make it clear that hate has no home here.

In solidarity,

Pastor Reb (sometimes known as Rodney)