Editor in chief: Jack Clifford
Editorial Editors: Jeff Smith, Jonathan Allen
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Tuesday
June 20,2000
Volume 102, Issue 1
Emerald
Photo illustration by the Emerald
Do you remember the
Summer of Love? Well, wel
come to the Summer of Fear,
Eugene style.
Civil protesters are afraid
that their basic rights to as
semble and peacefully
demonstrate are being tram
pled on. The anarchists — at
least the small group within
the larger congregation in
town that continually pushes
the envelope when it comes
to protesting — are afraid
that the police are not only
out to torture them, but are
keeping tabs on their person
al movements as well.
The police and city offi
cials aren’t without fear. The
police sense that protesters
are out to truly harm them,
with rally chants of “Kill the
pigs!” as evidence to back up
their claims. Business own
ers are also watching their
backs, scared by masked ma
rauders terrorizing restau
rants and banks, toting signs
declaring “Kill the Yuppies”
and “Rob the Rich, Arm the
Poor.” And city officials are
seemingly afraid to make any
decisions that don’t please
all parties, which of course is
impossible.
And some of us in the me
dia are afraid, as well, but in
a twisted way. As one Asso
ciated Press reporter told an
Emerald reporter at Sunday’s
anarchist gathering in Wash
ington-Jefferson Park, “If this
doesn’t turn violent, then
there’s no story.” Thanks pal,
for making the rest of us
sound ethical and responsi
ble, in contrast to your fear of
not being able to write about
mayhem and bloodshed.
How did we get to this
point people? When did our
Emerald City, historically
known for its desire to hear
all sides, become a “They
said / They said” communi
ty, a mumbo-jumbo of rheto
ric? At what point did our
strive for diversity turn into
suspicion, and fear?
Laying blame, or pinpoint
ing the exact incident that
caused problems, is like try
ing to answer the age-old
chicken-egg question. This
past weekend, did the riots
occur because of the anar
chists’ tactics? Or were the
anarchists’ tactics in re
sponse to the police intimi
dation and harassment?
So who’s guilty? Realisti
cally, it’s a combination of ac
tions from all the groups in
volved, though neither group
is willing to admit to any
wrongdoing on their part.
Are the police non-toler
ant? People walking down
the streets, essentially caus
ing little to no trouble — re
ports are that just one win
dow was broken over the
four-day ordeal — certainly
doesn’t warrant the response
of a police saturation
throughout the downtown
area. Yet, is it any surprise
that the police took action
when the activists’ game of
Red Rover stopped traffic in
the street? No.
But releasing a homeless
man from the Lane County
Jail and refusing him posses
sion of his own shirt and
coat, his only protection
from the elements and in
sects, is spiteful.
The anarchists’ “Carnival
Against Capital” at Washing
ton-Jefferson Park caused lit
tle fear to anyone who at
tended. The heavy police
presence just blocks away
while the rally played out
probably caused little fear to
anyone passing the forces.
City officials certainly
weren’t afraid Sunday after
noon in the light of day —
several councilors were on
hand at the rally — but what
about when they return to
their chambers? Will they
have the bravery to make
tough decisions?
And what about Joe and
Jane Citizens? Fear shouldn’t
be a part of our vocabulary,
yet approximately 45 Eugene
residents — business own
ers, protesters from all slices
of life and just concerned cit
izens — got up at a June 8 Po
lice Commission public fo
rum and expressed just that
sentiment: fear.
That’s wrong no matter
how you look at it. We’re not
so idealistic to think that the
Summer of Love will ever re
turn. But, we do want to see
the Summer of Fear end be
fore it really gets started.
This editorial represents the view of
the Emerald editorial board. Re
sponses maye be sent to ode@or
geon.uoregon.edu.
Anarchistprotest gets us nowhere, so what’s the point?
Oh, crap. Just as I was be
ginning to peruse the pages
of the Wall Street Journal to
consider future investment
plans I find out that the awe
some mechanism of capital
ism is about to be destroyed.
And that end is starting in
our very own hamlet of Eu
gene because the beacons of
wisdom that are our friendly
local anarchists have kept
their movement alive by tak
ing to city streets and clash
ing with police to enlighten
the rest of us about the error
of our ways.
Termed as the “one-year
anniversary of the insurrec
tion that started it all,” by
Steve Heslin, described by
some as an anarchist leader
— wrap your head around
that one, if you can — the
event was attended by about
300 people in the Washing
ton-Jefferson Park and
turned into a melee as police
dispersed a small group that
had broken off and was
blocking several lo
crusaders.
To those who would argue
that the crowd has no busi
ness disrupting
Udl SUtJtJlS.
Of course, as per
the Eugene usual,
the protesters were
the real victims.
Victims of police
brutality, victims of
a harsh capitalistic
system. Victims,
too, I suppose, of a
righteous cause
they are but mere
pawns in.
We should all
take a moment to
realize what a great
Commentary
Bret
Jacobson
lire tor the rest ot
us, I say this is just
political speech in
the nonviolent
heritage of Martin
Luther King, Jr.
and Mohatma
Gandhi. Never
mind that little de
tail that our pro
testers throw
rocks and bottles
at police and dam
age local business
es and infrastruc
ture.
service me anar
chists do for our community.
They give police overtime to
collect and they keep insur
ance companies on their toes
so they can pay out claims of
shops damaged by the holy
Also, I say forget
that the necessarily unorgan
ized group hasn’t put forth
any realistic social alterna
tive to that which they
protest. It’s not important
that their ideals, when they
can be uncovered from a
warped heap of conflicting
rhetoric, would never work.
Those are but minor
points.
After all, the main focus of
our attention should be on
the “Carnival Against Capi
tal.” The Marxist leanings
spouted by many anarchists
as gospel should make us all
examine how we get along
with each other in society
and how we treat even the
least of our brethren. We
don’t really need competi
tion to innovate or financial
incentive to motivate, do we?
And it’s not like Marx was a
capitalist. Oh, wait, he was.
Well, we’ll just have to ig
nore that fact for the time be
ing so the enlightened, so
cially conscious leftist
wisdom makes sense.
And we needn’t concern
ourselves with examining
the reason Western philoso
phy elevates John Locke and
Thomas Hobbes, two promi
nent thinkers on why man
creates society, but knows
next to nothing about anar
chist philosophers. It’s just a
part of the capitalist machine
that lies to hundreds of gen
erations of western thinkers,
that keeps the idea of total
social anarchy from being
manifested right away.
I guess Silicon Valley and
Wall Street had better get start
ed looking for other jobs be
cause Adam Smith’s “invisi
ble hand” is about to get a slap
on the wrist by a group of high
Eugene thinkers. At least we
won’t have to read that con
founding Journal anymore.
Bret Jacobson is a columnist for the
Oregon Daily Emerald. His views do
not necessarily represent those of
the Emerald. He can be reached via
e-mail at bjacobso@
Quoted
"Anarchists are the
only people who
believe—asfaras
I know—that
people when given
the chance, can
live together
peacefully.”
—Steven Hesfin,
speaking at the
June 18 anarchist
rally in Washing
ton-Jefferson Park.
“When laws are
broken and people
are endangered
policies should be
strict and if not fol
lowed, swift action
should betaken.”
—Tom Simms,
while addressing
the Eugene Police
Commission meet
ing in a public fo
rum on June 8.
“Eugene appreci
ates the good in
tentions of its po
lice and
anarchists. We just
wish they would
play more basket
ball."
—Tom Atlee, car
rying the above
words on a home
made sign at the
rally in the park.
“There are two
types of people in
this crowd; partici
pants and oi>
servers. One hun
dred years from
now, the partici
pants will be he
roes and the ob
servers will still be
losers.”
—Unidentified
male speaker, at
the rally.
“I’m tired of the
vocal minority in
fluencing deci
sions. I want every
one’s voice heard,
even those who
are not here
tonight.”
—Todd Young, a
downtown busi
ness owner, speak
ing at the Police
Commission public
forum.
“Maybe if we feed
the anarchists,
they won’t get so
grouchy."
—Katie Guske,
who was serving
free food at the ral
ly from a Food Not
Bombs set-up.