[ For Educational Purposes Only ]

Anarchists' Rally Erupts Into Riot in Eugene

Police arrest at least 15 and resort to tear gas after protesters march through streets, throwing rocks and smashing windows

Saturday, June 19, 1999, By Debra Gwartney of The Oregonian staff

EUGENE -- A Eugene police officer and a citizen were hospitalized Friday after what was organized as a peaceful street demonstration escalated into violence and mayhem on the streets of Eugene.

The riot resulted in the arrest of 15 self-described anarchists by Friday evening, five hours into the downtown protest.

More than 100 people suffered minor eye and throat pain after Eugene police officers in riot gear threw tear gas into the crowd at a downtown park.

The street party, planned in opposition to global capitalism, attracted more than 300 people to downtown Eugene at 2:30 p.m. Many were masked, and about 20 women were topless as they made their way to a central location in the downtown mall.

Protesters burned an American flag and smashed various electronic equipment before starting to walk through the streets, waving signs encouraging the destruction of industrialized society.

Police hovered nearby as protesters smashed windows of a furniture store, threw rocks through windows of a downtown bank and hotel, and stopped traffic at several intersections.

"The police showed amazing restraint," said City Councilor David Kelley, who walked on the periphery of the protest. "I think they've handled it just right, to keep the situation from escalating."

About an hour into the protest, more than a dozen police cars and a force of officers in riot gear began following the crowd, which had diminished to about 150 people. Police repeatedly announced that rioters would be arrested or tear-gassed if they did not immediately disperse. After protesters stopped rush-hour traffic at a busy intersection, pounding on cars and verbally harassing drivers, police rushed in to make two arrests.

About a half-hour later, police again lined up at the Washington-Jefferson Park where protesters had gathered, warned the crowd to break up, and then lobbed at least 30 canisters of tear gas at protesters.

Eight-year-old Megan Wilson cried out when the cloud of tear gas hit her face. "We made an effort to stay on the sidewalk like the police told us to and we came to a public park for a peaceful protest and my child still got tear-gassed," said Delyla Wilson, the child's mother.

Police said protesters had agreed in meetings before the demonstration to stay within a specific area of downtown, but they broke that agreement.

Police arrested one man at the park, who was videotaping the action. After the rioters again went to the street and held up traffic, one driver stepped out of his vehicle, swinging a hammer.

One protester was struck in the head and was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center by ambulance.

Police later made at least 12 additional arrests as the protest continued, according to Brian Terrett, a spokesman for the Eugene Police Department.

Terrett said the police officer injured in the shoulder by a rock was being treated Friday night at Sacred Heart Medical Center. A second officer, hit in the head with a glass bottle, was treated in the field, he said.

No names of those arrested or injured were released by police.

The street protest followed a two-day anarchist conference held at the University of Oregon, which included at least one panel on the use of property damage during protest actions. Organizers of the event said the activists had come together to encourage the dissolution of the country's economic system, particularly corporate America, and a return to a more primitive existence.
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This is the Oregonian, not the Onion ... maybe.
IMBECILES all the way around.

And you think ppl are going to be reasonable when they actually have something to be pissed about?

IMBECILES.

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-- 2 Cascadians (allaha@earthlink.net), June 19, 1999

Answers

can you imagine what the welfare-offices will be like next-year?? especially in states that give checks too drug-addicts & alchy,s. [consider them >disabled????]GLAD I GOT DOGS & GUNS.OH-& FIRE-EXT.

-- al-d. (catt@zianet.com), June 19, 1999.

After living in Eugene for a period of time I am not surprised by those effects. Eugene is like the Grateful Dead had a concert and everyone stuck around afterwards.

-- SgtSchultz (SgtHansSchultz@Stalag13.com), June 19, 1999.

" ... escalated into violence and mayhem on the streets ... street party, planned in opposition to global capitalism, attracted more than 300 people to downtown ... Protesters burned an American flag and smashed various electronic equipment before starting to walk through the streets, waving signs encouraging the destruction of industrialized society ... Organizers of the event said the activists had come together to encourage the dissolution of the country's economic system, particularly corporate America, and a return to a more primitive existence ... "

Doesn't that just take the cake for MORON incident of the week award?

Personally, we feel if we're paying lotsa tax $$ and it is going to the military, when TSHTF and the rioters are out looting and burning and raping and pillaging and murdering and smashing, the US military and local & state & regional EVERYBODY had better try to help protect us!

Yeah, we know they won't, we know they'll run and hide tail, we know they've already said they're just gonna rope off the hot spots and let er burn, yeah we know we're going to die, us little church mice who have never done anything hurtful in all our days.

Hell of a way to go out for millions ... glad we've had this year on the Forum to laugh and gnash and get ready emotionally, mentally, spiritually, a little bit physically (can anybody really get ready for out of control mayhem?). Articles like this still leave us dumbfounded at the incredible stooooopidity out there. And the simmering violent explosive danger out there.

If some of the wild prophecies for this summer & fall & winter do come true, then we'll die laughing. Let's see just which predicted catacylism ends up getting us all first.

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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), June 19, 1999.

Hi Leska! I got an e-mail from Blondie Marie today. You may remember her from the forum last fall. Anyway, she told me they were informed yesterday in their small town in Iowa, that the water was contaminated with E-coli. They can't even wash their hands in it. She said the water in the stores was sold out within 10 minutes. Sure made them think about Y2K. She said, "Can you imagine the panic if things go bad?" One more reason to be prepared for ANY emergency!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), June 19, 1999.

Hi Gayla! yes we remember her. E Coli in water -- no shower, no drink, no nothing. We're thinking of investing in the Berkefeld. The simplicity attracts us. But it's so expensive! Just 2 stainless steel pots with 4 filters -- $270 !! We saw an imitation, something like Aqua Pure, for $260. Jeepers, creepers, for us that would be a huge purchase and it's hulking big too. But water is necessary for life. Guess we'll hafta take another really miserable job and deal with unbearable conditions again to finance water prep -- gotta do it, sigh.

Thanks for the info :-)

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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), June 19, 1999.

"Subject: Anarchists' Rally Erupts Into Riot "

well....duh!

what did you expect?

I can just see them applying for a permit from the city:

ANARCHISTS: " We'd like a permit for a rally"

CLERK: " and the rally is for what purpose?"

ANARCHISTS: "To promote ANARCHY"

CLERK: "very good, just fill out these forms here and here and sign here, and that will be $35, thankyou and have a nice rally"

ANARCHISTS: "Thanks, we will"

-- Plonk (realaddress@hotmail.com), June 19, 1999.

Ashton and Leska,

A Washington Cascadian here. Bummer about the anarchists, especially since I heard they plan to party in Seattle during the big international trade conference here in December.

Anyway--on the following thread (among others):

Thread

one of the posters included this link to a company in Texas that sells less-expensive filtration systems:

Link

Just pointing this out in hopes it might be helpful to you (and others).

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), June 19, 1999.

Thanks, Don! And Plonk, of course you are right, and that's exactly how clueless things seem to be going. Big city, planning 100,000 people downtown late at night 12/31/1999, wild party, yes of course alcohol! Um, hellooooooooo! This was off-the-cuff brought up at the Mayor's *Y2K* Council meeting, supposedly a gathering of experts, in front of all the .city .gov .corp .industry bigwigs. Head policeman says, Yeah I wouldn't want go to any party without alcohol. Yuck yuck, laughter, everybody agrees. EXCEPT Ashton & Leska who shot out of their seats and discomforted everybody by telling them they had better reconsider their plans. Hell OO! Nobody's home! Brains out to lunch and won't be coming back. Sigh.

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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), June 19, 1999.

PLONK: LOL, LOL, LOL. Stop the world, I wanna get off!

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), June 20, 1999.

Ashton & Leska,

If you want a British B. water filter, try www.jamesfilter.com. They have a plastic two filter version of the stainless steel one. Cost about $150.00. I have no connection to the company, just a happy customer. Note, most of the supplies I buy are NOT from the y2k sites. I have been able to find everything I want from regular dealers. Saved much that way.

Sigmund

-- sigmund (cigar@justacigar.com), June 20, 1999.

HELLO! Clue phone is ringing! These were not normal citizens we are talking about here...THEY WERE ANARCHISTS! Of course they rioted against the police.

Geez, do you people ever take off your disaster colored glasses? (for the record, yes I am a GI, I am prepping, but this jump in logic thinking this is a good example of what will happen...*rolls eyes*)

-- ring ring (pickup@theclue.phone), June 20, 1999.

" Organizers of the event said the activists had come together to encourage the dissolution of the country's economic system, particularly corporate America, and a return to a more primitive existence." Classic example of " be careful what you wish for, you may get it." These same people will be the first ones upset when their cappucino makers won't work....

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), June 20, 1999.

Huh,

if ya really want a good riot you need to get your ass over to London, it's our national sport :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), June 20, 1999.

Andy,

Too true. Here is a link to an anti-capitalist riot over the weekend in London. 4000 demonstrators try the patience of police.

By the way, I wonder if the groups in London and Eugene are related? Most Americans probably could not tell the difference between anarchists and anti-capitalists. Yet, most Americans can not imagine anyone challenging the state run religion of capitalism. So I think it possible the reporters might have tagged the Eugene group as anarchists just so as not to confuse their American readership.

Anyway, here is the URL:

http://cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9906/18/AM-Britain-CapitalismPro.ap/

Sincerely,

-- Uhm... (jfcp81a@prodigy.com), June 20, 1999.

Anarchy? Has the press blamed this on the militia yet?

-- Betty Alice (Barn266@aol.com), June 20, 1999.

Okay - so the police stood by (and did nothing) while private property (stores, cars, windows, localized looting, etc.) was damaged and stolen. Now, who will end up paying for the damages?

But the city council member appluaded the police for "restraint" - wait then until the city gets sued from the insurance companies? What will he say then?

Who would the police have arrested if a shop owner or car owner (whose cars were being destroyed, whose lives were threatened by battery and weapons) had responded with a pistol?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 20, 1999.

London riot targets icons of wealth

LONDON, June 18 (UPI) - Hospitals treated about 50 people for injuries, and police arrested 15 more after more than protestors 4,000-strong marched through central London in a "Carnival against Capitalism," demanding debt relief for the developing world. The protestors targeted the London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE) and banks, smashing windows, cars and setting fires. Demonstrators disrupted peak time traffic in London and forced shut major London Underground stations. LIFFE traders halted transactions as protestors attacked the building, forcing everyone to evacuate. The protests continued hours after leaders from seven industrialized countries and Russia meeting in Cologne, Germany, announced a deal to forgive up to 40 percent of Third World debt. The march was coordinated to mark the opening of the G8 world economic summit. Clashes flared in London's financial district as police and protesters confronted each other in the streets. Police said demonstrators attacked their ranks with bricks and blocks gathered from building sites as they converged on the financial district. Earlier, nearly 300 cyclists disrupted traffic in London's financial heartland. Carrying banners with slogans like "Money Kills," they rode slowly into the city center and brought traffic around the Bank of England, Britain's reserve bank, to a standstill. Eight demonstrators managed to enter Lloyds Bank headquarters and some chained themselves inside. Six more entered the NatWest bank on the same street but left after police intervened. Other protestors daubed pink paint on the door of the London Metal Exchange. Police removed two activists from Tower Bridge after they tried to climb the structure. Des Kay, of the Save the World Club, said: "As Gandhi said 'There's enough on this planet for everyone's needs but not for everyone's greed. ' That is what today is all about." --

Copyright 1999 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

-- R. Wright (blaklodg@hotmail.com), June 21, 1999.

Makes me proud to be British :)

Perhaps I'm safer here in Colorado when TSHTF - guns command a *little* respect, specially riot shotguns :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), June 21, 1999.

I was thinking the exact same thought as you Cook!

-- grinche (Light_servant@yahoo.com), June 21, 1999.

Sorry Andy, you're wrong. In our gun-free country, there's no risk of getting caught in the crossfire!

"50 injured" means no more than what it says: 50 people needed to attend hospital. If any had been seriously hospitalized, that would have been major news. They weren't, it wasn't.

As UK riots go, this was quite small and pretty good-natured. As always, it's a small minority of hooligans who attach themselves to a big good-natured demonstration (one that I walked through on the way out of work), and try to create mayhem. We've had far worse after football matches!

By the way, financial traders in the LIFFE building weren't exactly cowering. Apparently when the demonstrators broke in, they rolled up their sleeves to better display their Rolexes and their willingness to trade in bloody noses. Another (dubious) benefit of being a gun- free society!

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), June 21, 1999.

Thanks Nigel,

yep, Rolexes (Roli?) make excellent knuckle-dusters! :)

I think back with nostalgia to old Maggies' Poll Tax riots, those were the days, and the Miners strike, ah yes, brings tears to my eyes, rioters these days know nowt, ah yes, when I were a lad...

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), June 21, 1999.

Hey Cookie, I seem to recall reading somewhere about a particular spikey-haired mutant who made quite a mess of the Jerusalem futures and currency exchange, circa 33 a.d. Maybe that guy didn't think that Private Property was the supreme value of the universe either?

You can't fault a bunch of Eugenies for being Christ-like, can you??? :~}

-- number six (Iam_not_a_number@hotmail.com), June 21, 1999.

<<... circa 33 a.d. Maybe that guy didn't think that Private Property was the supreme value of the universe either?>>

To the contrary, dear number, to the contrary: His specific quotes relevent to the subject were: "Render onto Caesar that which is Caesar" and "honor thy father and thy mother." [It would appear to me that means "pay your taxes, obey all the laws (and all those who should be obeyed)]'.

Also - he threw out the money lender and venders from the temple - driving them out with a makeshift whip and spilling their tables. This would indicate he strongly felt that improper activities (ie: trying to indicate Christ would approve of aimless rioting) has no business being linked to His name. He also spoke strongly in favor of working - though in those times it meant tending sheep, loaning money, tending the harvest, seeding fields, harvesting grapes, etc.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 21, 1999.

Imagine trying to get anarchists organized. Talk about herding cats! 8-}]

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), June 21, 1999.

To your implies point that the destruction of jerusalem (in AD 78-79 timeframe) was due to his teaching - you're all wet also.

The Jewish rebellion against Rome that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the disaster at Masada and the loss of Israel overall until 1948 - was a Jewish civil rebellion. The Christians had nothing to do with it. The Jewish losses were extreme (and Christ predicted them on the Way of the Cross) such that women actually did drop back into cannibalism and murder - but there was/is/will be no link between Christ's teachings and the loss of the kingdom.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 21, 1999.

***You ain't seen nothin' yet.. dunh dunh... babababababy you just ain't seen nothin' yet...

Nigel-- Dun't ya thin lad, thet theyd be a bit less tottin tea if the tuunl wis fule 'f nasty lil buggers cummin to England with a bit o larcney en mind, now?

-- spun@lright (mikeymac@uswest.net), June 21, 1999.