Remove City Councilor Clark for repeatedly supporting White Supremacy on the Eugene city council

Concerned Individual and Organizations

Hate and white supremacy have no place in Eugene and in Oregon. It is crucial that our elected officials fully enforce this vision by not addressing these topics with kid gloves, double standards, or leniency. The only way to stop hate and white supremacy from gaining more momentum is with mass public opposition. Elected officials must be held accountable equally for their actions and inaction. Now is not the time to be silent or complacent because that makes you complicit. That work cannot be done with someone like Councilor Clark on board – a person who has a track record of sympathy towards white supremacist organizations and businesses, dog whistling, and an unwillingness to condemn white supremacist violence.

We are calling on you to sign the petition in support of three demands:

1) Mike Clark resign from his seat on Council;

2) All seven other representatives on Council and the Mayor make a formal and public call for Mike Clark's resignation;

3)  Begin a formal investigation into Clark’s ties to white supremacy.  



Petition by
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Eugene, Oregon

To: Concerned Individual and Organizations
From: [Your Name]

Councilor Mike Clark has a documented track record of perpetuating a clear double standard between white supremacists violence and social justice movements, including but not limited to, Black Lives Matter (BLM). It is imperative that Clark faces real consequences for demonstrating sympathy to racist organizations, racist businesses, and violent white supremacists.

Incidents showing Mike Clark uses a double standard between White Supremacist violence and Racial Equality Justice movement.

1. On January 11, 2021 Councilor Clark refused to denounce white supremacy. This was in response to a proposed new vote to condemn white supremacy after the deadly right-wing extremist insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 and the pro-Trump rally at the federal courthouse in Eugene on January 9, 2021. Instead Clark encouraged the council to condemn violence on both sides of the political spectrum. This is the same political appeal that Donald Trump used after the alt-right rally in Charlottesville where a counter protester was killed when they were hit by a car. Councilor Clark doubled down on his position saying that white violent supremacists and their sympathizers are “good people” who “care deeply about their community,” noting “their motives are pure and they’re trying to do the right thing.”

Clark also stated “there are a lot of people in our community that stay quiet but they feel picked on.” This is another political appeal known as the dog whistle, which is similar to the idea of a silent majority. It has been used by right wing politicians for many years to signal to the far right they support white supremacy without appearing to racist for the more moderate people on the right that would not accept open racism.
Full video of the meeting here: https://youtu.be/lv-viZssSvw
Compiled Video Clips here: https://twitter.com/mgbelka/status/1349089786045165568?s=20

2. On June 21, 2020 Councilor Clark posted a Facebook status alleging that members of the Black Liberation Coalition were marching past city councilors’ homes without any supporting evidence. According to KEZI, Clark noted, "I don't care much for being bullied" and added, "their tactics make me angry with them for being cowards." The post has since been removed from Clark’s Facebook Page. No public apology or any statement has been made regarding it.
Source: https://www.kezi.com/content/news/Eugene-City-Councilor-claims-protesters--571415321.html

3. On Oct 12, 2020 Councilor Clark compared an image on a mural of a non-binary liberationist organizer Charlie Landeros who was killed by EPD on Jan 11th 2019 to the “confederate flag or swastika.” This mural was commissioned to celebrate Indigenous and Latina culture. Clark requested this depiction of Charlie and the “police officer” should “be removed”. Clark stated “have it corrected because it is offensive to so many.”
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufIeeFOFSKA started at minute of 40
https://otishaschemeyer.medium.com/equating-a-brown-face-on-a-mural-with-a-swastika-oregon-style-f310c35c5ab

4. On July 22, 2019 Councilor Clark voted against the first resolution to condemn white supremacy. Two days later on July 24, 2019, Clark suggested changes to Sections C, D, E, and H so that he could vote yes.
Source with Original Documents: https://www.klcc.org/post/eugene-city-council-unanimously-passes-amended-resolution-denouncing-white-supremacy

Leads Between Councilor Clark and local white supremacists that should prompt further investigation

1. On July 30, 2020 Councilor Clark shared the GoFundMe page for Elk Horn Brewery. The owner of Elk Horn Brewery, Stephen Sheehan, has demonstrated sympathy to white supremacists and their use of his facilities to stage well known violent white supremacists who have committed acts of violence against the BIPOC people of Eugene and the local unhoused population.
Source:https://twitter.com/DownStrings/status/1332057858674810880

2. In February 2020, Eugene Wake Up posted the City Prosecutor’s legal decisions regarding an incident report filed by Elk Horn Brewery. In disagreeing with the decision, a member of Eugene Wake up refers to Councilor Clark as “the only one worth keeping…[because] he’s on ‘our’ side.” Why do known white supremacists think that Councilor Clark is on their side?
See https://www.canva.com/design/DAEUwM7hUD4/view

3. On November 7, 2019 City Councilor Clark addressed the crowd at the Rick Dancer / Eugene Wake Up event
Source: https://www.facebook.com/eugenewakeup/posts/121742692583498

4. On November 8, 2018 Clark wrote in a Facebook post about the chance to “overthrow the government and not a drop of blood is shed.” An individual responded with a comment that argued the opposite by referencing the deadly anti-Semitic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg. In response, Clark stated his disagreement with the above comment and alluded to his belief that there is room for debate about who was ultimately at fault for the violent bloodshed at the congregation.
See https://www.canva.com/design/DAEUwM7hUD4/view

Additional Sources
Elk Horn Brewery Connection with White Supremacists
https://twitter.com/mgbelka/status/1291205131136937985

https://old.reddit.com/r/Eugene/comments/i4skl0/3_seperate_reporter_accounts_of_counter/g0kx9cr/

https://old.reddit.com/r/Eugene/comments/i5n7dq/has_it_already_been_posted_her_about_elk_horns/

https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2020/02/27/organizing-hate/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Eugene/comments/i5rs3g/elk_horn_is_now_trying_to_game_reviews_on_social/