In the middle of April, while in my living room in an apartment complex near downtown Eugene, I heard an explosion that shook my apartment. I looked out my window and saw an armored vehicle in the street flanked by two tactical teams holding long-guns. They were decked out in all their fancy gear. The scene was reminiscent of a hit in Baghdad. I’m sure they thought they looked pretty cool — pretty powerful.
The team’s tactics were almost comically excessive, if the reality of possible outcomes wasn’t so dangerous. This isn’t the first time that I’ve seen the police use this level of force for minor cases in a relatively low-income apartment complex. I should note, too, my neighbors are Black and, given the state of affairs, I was afraid for them. The right mix of power and fear on the part of the police can have deadly outcomes. Luckily, my neighbors weren’t home.
Sure, I don’t know the exact details of the case. But, unless my neighbors had plans to do something like blow up a building (which they certainly didn’t), the use of force was not justified. There’s no violence coming out of this area. Not even any disturbances, beyond police throwing grenades at apartment doors (apparently a standard practice to warn those inside who are not involved).
In short, the whole thing was ridiculous and unnecessary. It’s looking more and more like (excessive) force isn’t just one of the options in the police tool kit, but the only option.
Jacob Pixler
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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