Portland Rioters Tear Down Lincoln Statue, Smash Up Historical Society in 'Day of Rage'
Rioters in Portland, Oregon, toppled statues of former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in a wave of destruction Sunday night that was planned as an “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage.”
A mob of about 200 people also smashed windows and defaced a mural commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Police did not intervene until long after the first statue fell, according to Oregon Live, but eventually dispersed the crowd and made arrests.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Portland Police shut down the unpermited antifa protest because they could start attacking the north precinct. Many arrests made. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/X4N2KpOMtR
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 11, 2020
President Donald Trump shared his disgust with the mob’s wanton destruction.
“These are Biden fools,” he tweeted Monday. “ANTIFA RADICALS. Get them FBI, and get them now!”
These are Biden fools. ANTIFA RADICALS. Get them FBI, and get them now! https://t.co/RI9fH6sC1g
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020
[firefly_poll]
Taking advantage of fools. Law & Order! Portland, call in the Feds! https://t.co/rJl9IVxdMM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020
The event had been planned with an advance notice warning away those who regularly video the months of demonstrations that have left Portland strewn with shattered glass, graffiti and boarded-up buildings.
Tonight the “indigenous” faction of antifa held a “day of rage” riot in Portland. They banned video recording as the criminal acts were planned ahead. They’ve toppled the statues of Roosevelt & Lincoln so far using chains. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/PkTqxeCLIj
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 12, 2020
The statue of Roosevelt was the first to fall.
Portland protesters tonight take down the Teddy Roosevelt statue behind the Portland Art Museum. #PortlandProtests #Portland #protest #pdxprotest pic.twitter.com/4sd4CMortn
— Independent Media PDX (@NDpendentPDX) October 12, 2020
Archive: Portland (Tracy Molina) pic.twitter.com/kO3lEJLT9S
— Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) October 12, 2020
The mob then pulled down a statue of Lincoln. Someone sprayed “Dakota 38” on the statue’s pedestal.
The reference is to the Dakota War of 1862, in which Lincoln approved the execution of 38 Dakota Indians after an uprising that fall in Minnesota. State officials had sought the executive of more than 300 Dakota for their role in the uprising, but Lincoln reviewed the case files and winnowed the number to 38.
Now Lincoln. The second statue is toppled in downtown Portland pic.twitter.com/dizgPMkFgf
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) October 12, 2020
Once the statues, which had stood for almost a century, were torn down, the group smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society and displayed a sign reading, “Stop honoring racist colonizer murderers.” A mural depicting the Lewis and Clark expedition was splattered with red paint.
Despite the smashed windows, the historical society reported that none of its exhibits was damaged.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
