Anonymous Report-back:
On May 2nd there was a call for a black bloc under the slogan MAY DAY MELT ICE, in response to the federal government’s unrestrained escalations against migrants, people connected to last year’s Palestine Solidarity movement, and non-white people in general. A short, small march yielded some light property damage and a fairly heavy response from EPD, resulting in four arrests. Despite the modest attendance and intensity of attack, this was an important testing of the waters here in Eugene, where the climate of repression is shifting, with police beginning to take a more hands-on approach. Police tactics are evolving, and so should ours. And at the same time, this action proved that confrontational street action is very much still possible here. Things are bad, but you can definitely still wile out and get away with it.
The reason for an anti-ICE march should be obvious, but to spell it out: ICE is the attack dog of the federal government, with a longer leash every passing day. Politicians on the so-called “left” pander helplessly as migrants, political dissidents, and other unsuspecting residents are deported without a semblance of their ever so sacred “due process.” The legal leverage they must provide to support such deportations is only getting more and more flimsy. Though ICE is nothing new, we must hone our awareness towards their intensifying presence, and embrace preparedness to tend the wounds left from each wave of repression.
Some may feel that ICE is not a concern here in Eugene, but this is historically and presently untrue. There have been multiple reports of ICE detaining people in Eugene since Trump’s inauguration. There is an ICE office in the Federal Building right downtown (not to be confused with the hideous shiny Federal Courthouse). During Trump’s first term, ICE worked in Lane County, holding people in Springfield Jail before moving them north to ICE’s Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. There were also two separate scandals in 2017 and 2019, where Lane County Sheriffs were caught illegally holding ICE detainees in the sheriff’s office beneath the county courthouse. These are only some of the connections we are aware of and already reveal a far more complicit local law enforcement than we are led to believe. This demo was initially planned in response to the Department of Homeland Security issuing self-deportation orders to several students at the University of Oregon, which, according to the Daily Emerald, have since been rescinded in the days leading up to the demo. Still, a strong response on all fronts, using all tools available, is warranted. We are certain this won’t be the last instance of these punitive self-deportation orders, and ICE activity will surely continue in Lane County. We hold that Eugene should stand by its purported values as a “safe place for marginalized people” and work to expel the influence of ICE and other repressive groups from the community—not just symbolically, but materially.
As for the march itself: A contingent formed in a park around 8:30PM, prepared, a speech was given, and they were off. This was one of the first black blocs that Eugene has had in some time, and many people were rusty or inexperienced, but folks worked well and adapted quickly. Some used spray paint on construction equipment along the route, as well as the march’s eventual destination, the Federal Building which hosts ICE’s local offices, making sure to save some love for the Nike Store on the way out—a Eugene tradition. Others took measures to inhibit security cameras, people took turns leading chants, and several comrades came on bikes to help block traffic. Each played an important role.
The group, which had some (but unfortunately not enough) advance knowledge of police staging in the area, was eager to keep moving and so retreated. There was no desire to be kettled by trying to hold any space with a small contingent of 20-30 people. On the streets, our tactical strength lies in our flexibility and mobility. Unlike the police with their rigid command structures, we have the ability to be water, as the saying goes, and to act unpredictably to outmaneuver our adversaries. Unfortunately, that’s only sort of what happened that night. As the group retreated down Pearl, a squad of police attempted to detain the crowd where Pearl meets 5th Street. The group made the sensible decision to scatter, and the squad of at least a dozen cops was only ultimately able to capture four alleged members of the contingent.
Taking arrests is a collective setback. While the legal system claims that criminal charges are for individual acts, we recognize that these charges, like so many others, are intended to sow fear and suppress collective action, and that support for those targeted is essential for resisting repression. When comrades were released early the next morning with inadequate clothing for the cold, Eugene Jail Support was ready with blankets, rides, and treats to affirm that these comrades are not isolated or alone and that the movement will not be so easily cowed. Support for these comrades will continue through the legal process.
The other 20+ members of the contingent were able to escape. We want to emphasize that this is not the end. This is only the beginning—an exercise, a reclamation of what our capabilities can be. Even a small bloc was able to open horizons that have otherwise been closed in Eugene’s climate of peace-policing, which has recently reached such heights that some think that merely marching on the streets rather than the sidewalk is an “escalation.” Liberalism’s rule of law and “equal rights” has fallen to a blatant Fascist suspension of those laws. We encourage those still struggling to overcome fear instilled by this to recognize your worries with care, as we all leap into an unknown and uncontrollable future. We maintain that repression cannot be fought by caving to it— You cannot escape repression by following the rules. In the present moment, the parameters are shifting dramatically. The new outgrowths of the same old slave empire are constantly moving the line in their favor. This is an opportunity, one that many people are capitalizing on, and we can shift the line in our favor too. We must expand the horizons and tactics of resistance, and not shy away from confrontation. We will meet the demands of our time. We will grow stronger, our skills sharper, our coordination more fluid. We support the homies who get caught up on charges and celebrate those who escaped the state. We will look forward to future techniques of repression and attempt to stop or limit their implementation today. We will fight in ways that are impossible for the enemy to perceive or understand, and our blades will find their Achilles’ heel.
The inspiration we derive from others is unbound by time and space and, as an offering of gratitude, we tend to this cosmic fire, stoking its eternal flames. Our shouts and laughs and screams fan the embers of resistance. Together, each exhale creates ignition. Clearly, there is a taste for more heat in Eugene. The limits of endless “peaceful” marches and rallies were reached a long time ago, and we invite others to take initiative themselves; in person, in the streets, in spirit and/or in the numerous other avenues which sustain our counterattack. Despite setbacks, we will keep growing, offering each other grace as we pivot and learn from mistakes. Momentum excitedly continues to build within us — we know when to resist, and when to release.
CHINGA LA MIGRA FUCK ICE BEYOND ABOVE BELOW WITHIN AND WITHOUT