Police take an individual into custody after a protest on the I-5 on April 15, 2024. Protesters gathered on the Harlow Rd. bridge and I-5 below, blocking traffic, “as part of a global economic blockage to free Palestine,” according to an Instagram post by the Springfield-Eugene Anti-Imperialist Coalition (@anti.imperialist.coalition). The demonstration was organized in conjunction with other actions across the world as part of the “A15 Economic Blockades for a Free Palestine.” (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

The first of the “Eugene 19” protestors was sentenced on Oct. 10. Samuel Joseph Yergler was convicted of “Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree” on Oct. 3 for his involvement in the blockade of Interstate 5 on April 15. 

A six-person jury found Yergler guilty of participating in the blockade of I-5 that caused standstill traffic “for approximately 50 minutes” with further delays that “lasted hours longer.”

The protest was part of a larger global “day of action” and planned economic blockade in support of Palestine. The protest caused a temporary closure of the Southbound lane of I-5 between Eugene and Springfield ending in over 50 arrests. 

Court records show that the Lane County District Attorney’s office asked for 30 days of confinement, a maximum fine of $2,500 and 18 months of probation.

Yergler was sentenced to 18 months of bench probation, 60 hours of community service and a $100 fine, according to court records. 

Yergler spoke out after the sentencing in a social media statement posted in conjunction with Students for Justice in Palestine, the Springfield/Eugene Anti-Imperialist coalition, the Neighborhood Anarchist Collect and A15 Eugene.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome,” Yergler stated. “It’s so much better to stand up as totally innocent and have a jury convict. I would so much rather do that than admit guilt and take diversion.”

The trials for the remaining defendants are scattered throughout the coming months into early 2025.