PORTLAND DEMONSTRATORS TOPPLE STATUES
Protesters declare ‘Day of Rage’ to mark Columbus Day
Protesters in Portland overturned statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and vandalized the Oregon Historical Society in a declaration of “rage” toward Columbus Day.
Protest organizers dubbed the event “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage,” in response to Monday’s federal holiday named after 15th-century Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, a polarizing figure who Native American advocates have said spurred centuries of genocide against Indigenous populations in the Americas.
The group Sunday night threw chains around Roosevelt’s statue, officially titled “Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider.” They splashed red paint on the monument and used a blowtorch on its base, news outlets reported.
The statue was pulled down by the crowd just before 9 p.m. The group later turned their attention toward Lincoln’s statue, pulling it down about eight minutes later.
Historians have said Roosevelt expressed hostility toward Native Americans.
Protesters spray-painted “Dakota 38” on the base of Lincoln’s statue, referencing the 38 Dakota men Lincoln approved to have hanged after the men were involved in a violent conf lict with White settlers in Minnesota.
After toppling the statues, the crowd smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society and later moved onto the Portland State University Campus Public Safety office.
A quilt sewn by 15 Black women from Portland in the mid-1970s was among the items damaged, Oregon Historical Society executive director Kerry Tymchuk said Monday in a statement.
Each square of the AfroAmerican Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt honors a Black individual or moment in history. The quilt that had been given to the museum for safekeeping was found a few blocks away and will be assessed for damage, Tymchuk said.
“As we clean up broken glass, scrub paint, and make plans to ensure safety in our building, we also, as always, welcome critique of our work,“Tymchuk wrote. “We would be grateful to have constructive feedback from all those who are willing and able to aid OHS in fulfilling our vision of an Oregon story that is meaningful to all Oregonians.”
Three people were arrested by police who said in a statement that multiple businesses were damaged, including a restaurant that had at least two bullets fired through its front windows.
Meanwhile, in a split opinion, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has restored a court injunction that bans federal law enforcement from using force, threats or dispersal orders against journalists and legal observers who are working at the protests in Portland.
The 2-1 ruling issued Friday restores an injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon. That injunction was put on hold when the Trump administration challenged Simon’s order. The ruling by the 9th Circuit restores the ban while it considers the U.S. government’s appeal.
The federal agencies “assert a very important public interest, but the record fully supports the district court’s conclusion that the Federal Defendants’ interest does not require dispersing plaintiffs,” according to the majority opinion. “They have not threatened federal property, and the journalists, in particular, provide a vitally important service to the public.”
The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the ruling.
The ACLU of Oregon, which filed the initial classaction lawsuit on behalf of journalists and legal observers, applauded the news.
“This is a crucial victory for civil liberties and the freedom of the press, which are critical to the functioning of our democracy,” said attorney Matthew Borden.
The lawsuit included affidavits from journalists and legal observers who had been shot by federal officers with non-lethal munitions.
The Trump administration sent federal agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Portland this summer to help quell racial injustice protests that were increasingly targeting the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse and other federal property.
The presence of the U.S. agents prompted thousands of residents to show up at protests.
Multiple journalists and photographers said they were targeted with tear gas, f lash-bang grenades and pepper spray as they tried to document the unrest.