Eugene, OR– Local punk nonprofit Radical Alternative Development (RAD) recently announced plans to open their own venue in Downtown Eugene. The announcement arrived amidst a bleak year of bar and restaurant closures in town, and is an antidote to a lack of consistently available all-ages venues in Eugene.

805 Lincoln is set to open its doors within the next year and will be home to a 24/7 queer lounge and cafe in addition to a live music venue. Keeping with tradition of punk spaces like 924 Gilman or the Che Cafe in California, RAD will operate the venue portion as a nonprofit: complete with a studio to record music, jam rooms and music equipment, a zine library, and a free store for distribution of clothes and other supplies.

RAD co-founder BriJit Jenkins shared that opportunities for their own space had come up over the years but says,

“We’ve just been turning away everyone and waiting for the right opportunity that fits our ethics, because we will never fucking lick a boot, and we are not gonna suck some Trump supporting — even neutral ass– person’s cock to get into a venue. We want to be uncensored, antifascist, anti-cop, anti-ICE, wherever we go… And we had to wait a long time to find the first perfect spot.”

The opportunity for this venue arose when a local anarchist and punk who’d attended RAD’s shows chose to funnel funds into a third space that would nourish mutual aid projects and a sense of community solidarity. This community member, BriJit says, recognized RAD’s need for their own venue in light of the momentum they’d gained in recent years and approached them with the offer.

Primarily made up of punk social workers, RAD formed informally years ago to use music to advocate for more bottom-up, holistic approaches to mental health care and community wellness. For years, they’ve hosted shows at businesses around town and are especially well known for their mental health awareness music festival at Washington Jefferson Skatepark. More recently, they became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit to bring in grants that could help actualize their own venue space and other community building projects.

RAD’s partnerships with other local nonprofits and businesses are integral to how they will afford to pay for their share of 805 Lincoln. They are hopeful that a collection of 30 community partners can pledge $100 every month to help pay the bills. Revenue from shows will also go towards their expenses. Anyone who is excited about becoming a pledger can reach out to them at rad.eugene.punx@gmail.com.

As a nonprofit venue, the space will be volunteer-run like WOW Hall just across the street. In due time, RAD will onboard volunteers to help run shows and maintain the space. Until then, the group will be posting construction and other updates to their social media, which can be found at @rad.eugene.oregon on Instagram and @805.lincoln.bsky.social.

In a time where community spaces are needed more than ever, it appears that RAD will finally have a home base where they can continue their mission to uplift their community through music and collective care. Eugene’s network of local punk antifascists are a reminder of the myriad of strategies we can employ to resist fascism, and that everyday people are organizing in ways to strengthen our communities against systemic inequities.