Oregon Antifa riot arrestee and convicted fraudster gets payout settlement following excessive force lawsuit

Clifford P. Eiffler-Rodriguez, 37, who allegedly assaulted a female police officer during the altercation, filed a complaint against the city of Salem and three police officers in Eugene US District Court alleging that officers used excessive force when they shot him at close range with pepper balls and 40mm launchers in 2021, according to Salem Reporter.

On May 25, the city of Salem reached a $25,000 settlement with Eiffler-Rodriguez despite no acknowledgment of fault, and paid the Antifa member in exchange for dismissing the lawsuit, the outlet reports.

The agreement also dropped any liability towards Salem police officer Judy Dan, who was accused in the suit of tackling Eiffler-Rodriguez during the arrest. Records curiously show that Officer Dan left the department on May 1. It remains unclear if the lawsuit directly led to Dan's decision to leave, the publication said.

Eiffler-Rodriguez has in the past faced other legal troubles, including being convicted of a felony fraud crime in which he was forced to pay over $15,000 in restitution.

This was observed by American journalist Andy Ngo, who noted back in February that Eiffler-Rodriguez along with the far-left Oregon Justice Resource Center is attempting to squeeze cash out of the Salem Police Department as part of an Antifa "lawfare strategy."

A few months after Ngo made the assertion, Eiffler-Rodriguez was ultimately able to pocket $25,000 from that very suit.

The Antifa member has also publicly proclaimed his desire to assault the mayor of Salem, and was involved with an Antifa gathering aiming to shut down a bar in Salem called Honky Tonk. The confrontation became violent.

In 2021, the Oregon state legislature passed House Bill 2928 at the height of the "police accountability," more commonly known as the "defund the police" movement, which regulates police use of chemical incapacitants, rubber or plastic bullets and sound devices. The passing of the bill was in response to complaints from anti-police activists that were subjected to crowd control munitions during the infamous 2020 BLM-Antifa riots in Portland, Oregon.

Eiffler-Rodriguez told Salem Reporter that he filed the lawsuit to "hold police accountable."

"Salem police have had trouble as of late in the ways that they interact with the community and have done so in a lot of prevalent ways," the Antifa militant said, who explained that the city offered to settle the case to prevent it from going to federal trial, which could have resulted in Eiffler-Rodriguez being awarded less money and having to reimburse the city.

For this, he decided to take the settlement but insisted that he still didn't receive the "justice" he sought out.

"That's not justice," Eiffler-Rodriguez told the outlet. "That’s wild to think that the suit intended to show that this violation of my civil rights is a pattern of this police department and their behavior – now, they just get to sweep it under the rug and the settlement, you know, ends that pursuit."

Eiffler-Rodriguez, who hails from Salem, Oregon, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a female police officer, at a violent protest on August 10 where Antifa had gathered to attack participants of a street church protest outside Planned Parenthood.

According to Salem Police, shortly after 6:00 PM, participants from the church group and Antifa gathered "in and around the sidewalk and parking lot of the Planned Parenthood facility located in the 3800 block of Wolverine ST NE."

Antifa activists came in black bloc and "…wore gas masks and helmets and carried shields, paintball guns, bear mace cannisters and other devices." Salem Police added that "Some individuals from both groups openly carried firearms. The gathering, however, remained largely peaceful throughout the evening."

Later on, around 8:15 PM, participants began to leave the area. Soon after, two individuals were seen having a verbal altercation, which turned violent. According to police, "...participants from each opposing side then deployed chemical irritants at each other and launched smoke fireworks and one mortar-style pyrotechnic device."

In response to the altercation, the Salem Police Department Mobile Response Team entered the area to disperse the crowd and prevent further acts of violence. The crowd management team repeatedly broadcast orders for the crowd to disperse, yet some continued to fight and throw objects

As the officers worked to clear the scene, inert impact rounds were deployed to effect the arrest of an individual who failed to comply with the lawful orders, identified as Antifa militant Clifford Phillip Eiffler Rodriguez.

The 35-year-old Salem resident shoved an officer as she moved in line with the other officers. Rodriguez was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation and cleared, after which he was taken to the Marion County Correctional Facility and charged with second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a police officer and harassment.