The city of Springfield has agreed to a $700,000 settlement with racial justice activists who sued over the city police’s response to a 2020 protest.

Demonstrators gathered in Springfield’s Thurston area on July 29, 2020 in protest of a noose that was hanging from a tree in a nearby yard.

The advocacy group Black Unity helped organize the event, which was one of many similar demonstrations across the country that summer following the killings of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor that year.

“We had a community member, a Black woman who lived in the community, who was feeling unsafe due to that neighbor and other neighbors around,” said Black Unity co-founder Claire Reyna.

But according to the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit, Springfield Police officers responded to that evening’s march by setting up a barricade and declaring the event an unlawful assembly.

Plaintiffs claimed officers then rushed the crowd and used excessive force against peaceful protesters.

“We represented a young woman who was repeatedly punched in the face with a closed fist by one of the Springfield Police officers, who basically acted like a street brawler,” said Lauren Regan, the Director of Litigation and Advocacy for the Civil Liberties Defense Center and one of the plaintiff’s lawyers.

The plaintiffs also claimed police showed favor to counter-protesters by allowing them to cross the barricade — and by failing to respond when they threatened and assaulted Black Unity supporters at the event.

In one video described in a judge’s order, a protester told a Springfield police officer that they’d heard an armed group of people use a racial slur to describe people they said they were going to “shoot.” The officer reportedly asked “what am I supposed to do about it?”

“It was incredibly frightening,” said Regan, who was at the protest as a legal observer. “There were just rogue, big dudes with guns, clubs and giant things of mace that were just marauding this lawful march that included teachers and parents.”

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit included Black Unity and five individual activists. At least three of them were identified as Black or Indigenous People of Color in filings.

They sued the city for due process and first amendment violations, including unlawful surveillance. They said the protest was a protected speech activity.

In January, Federal Judge Ann Aiken denied the city’s request for a summary judgement, clearing the way for the case to head to trial.

But earlier this month, the parties agreed to settle out of court and drop the lawsuit.

“From the beginning, we knew as a group that we were just practicing our constitutional rights,” said Reyna. “Instead of Springfield Police facing a jury, they chose to settle, and that’s because they knew they were wrong.”

As part of the settlement, the City of Springfield accepts no liability and doesn’t admit wrongdoing. City Spokesperson Elyse Dietzel responded to KLCC’s request for comment in an email Thursday.

“Settlement allows all parties to resolve the litigation while avoiding uncertainty, expense, and time associated with continued court proceedings,” said Dietzel. “With the litigation now concluded, the City remains focused on serving the Springfield community.”

Regan said the money in this agreement will make a difference in the lives of these young organizers.

She said the lawsuit has also helped expose the culture of the Springfield Police Department, and inspired changes to its policies and training practices.

“I’m not sure if I would say that that problem is remedied at this point,” said Regan. “But a lot of the old guard that were fostering that racist culture, that cowboy culture, no longer work there.”

Nathan Wilk is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/31/springfield-2020-protest-settlement/