, bring your gayest banners, flags, and outfits 🏳️⚧️✊🏳️🌈
A federal judge has questioned the safety of the new fence at the Eugene Federal Building.
The discussion came Thursday during an evidentiary hearing on a lawsuit from six local activists who want the barrier taken down.
The General Services Administration fenced off parts of the building’s courtyard and sidewalk in April after a riot was declared at an anti-ICE and anti-Trump protest there in January.
The manager for the site, Ryan Anderson, told the court Thursday that the government is discussing more permanent changes to the building, including new riot glazing and hardened doors. But he said some of these projects will take time.
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs argue the temporary fencing has shrunk a long-standing forum for freedom of speech, while cutting off access to a ramp and benches that protesters with mobility issues have relied on.
Judge Mustafa Kasubhai is now weighing how to respond to the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction.
In court Thursday, the government’s lawyer James Blum argued the fence is just a time, place, and manner restriction. He said organizers could apply for a permit to use the closed-off area for an event.
However, Kasubhai questioned how people would get out of that space in an emergency. He said he didn’t want any adjustments he imposed around the policy to create a “kill box.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine that people cannot escape,” said Kasubhai.
At least one of the exits in the fence has no handle on the outside and appears to be padlocked from the inside.
Anderson said the main way into the upper courtyard is through the actual building. He said some employees have keys that will open the gates in the fence.
He said details about how the gates would function during events would be decided during the permitting process. But he said nobody has applied so far to use the space.
Kasubhai toured the site Thursday afternoon, as a small group of protesters and reporters stood outside of the gates. The court will reconvene Monday morning at 9:30 a.m..
Donate to Local Mutual Aid Funds: The organizations fighting this battle rely on community support. Direct your donations to the NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAI]) and other local Newark mutual aid funds to help cover legal fees, protest supplies, and support for the families of the detainees. https://www.njaij.org/donate
Amplify the Message: ICE relies on the information blackout to operate without scrutiny. Share the articles, share the YouTube footage from the ground, and refuse to let the story disappear from the timeline.
Contact Your Representatives: Call your local, state, and federal officials. Demand that they pressure DHS to lift the visitation ban immediately, provide independent medical care to the striking individuals, and terminate the GEO Group contract.
Show Up: If you are local to the New Jersey/New York area, look for calls to action from grassroots groups. As we saw on Doremus Avenue, physical solidarity can disrupt the machine.
It will be a wonderful celebration of labor, leftism, and activism ❤️🔥
Sun, April 26th 12-5pm
Eugene Park Blocks (8th and Oak)
Music and workshop schedule: https://eugenemayday.org