Today (10/23) my friend Robert was shot right between the eyes by a bully with a paintball gun, in broad daylight, with plenty of witnesses, outside Old Nick’s Pub.

Robert is a photographer. He takes pictures. He takes stock. He shows up and documents us, here in Eugene. He is a gentle soul with a great heart. And some asshole takes careful aim at his head. Some white asshole who has the privilege to show up ARMed and camouflaged, ready to defend all patriots against — a fuckin’ drag show. Had that asshole been Black or Brown, he’d have been arrested, or killed, for rendering his opinion with his ordnance. But a white boy with a balaclava, a big gun and a teeny little dick can swagger down Main Street, intimidating and silencing us. Free to cancel the guy with the camera. And no one bats an eye. Congrats, Eugene; congrats, America. 

Rebecca McCroskey

Eugene

Editor’s note: Robert Scherle is a local freelance photographer whose work has appeared in Eugene Weekly, Double Sided Media and other publications.