In November of 2025, the ACLU of Oregon filed a Class Action Complaint against Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of our clients, whose First Amendment rights were violated outside the Portland ICE Building on the corner of South Bancroft Street and South Macadam Avenue.
Laurie and Richard Ekman, two clients in the case, are not originally from Oregon — Laurie is an East Coast transplant, and Richard came to Oregon from Los Angeles after his time in the Navy — but they have truly made a home here. They met 12 years after separately relocating to our state in 1976, “at church of all places.” That church was Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, which they still attend, and was the faith organization that organized what was advertised as a family-friendly protest that took place on January 31, 2026.
Despite posing no threat, Laurie and Richard were exposed to tear gas at that protest. In October, DHS agents shot Laurie in the head without warning with a pepper ball, and shot munitions at Richard’s walker and teargassed him.
The ACLU of Oregon communications team had the opportunity to connect with the Eckmans and get a sense of where they came from and why they are called to take action now.
