Seattle – Portland, Rey protesters entered the city on Sunday night, overthrowing statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and damaging the entrance to the Reg Reagan Historical Society in a demonstration against colonization and treatment of Native Americans.
Protests across the country this year have mainly targeted statues depicting slave owners and union symbols, but Portland protesters focused on statues of former presidents from the 1920s as part of the protests, dubbed “Rage’s Indigenous People’s Day.”
President Trump unveiled the statues on Monday morning, citing next month’s devastation as a reason to vote for him. “The radical left idiots of Portland have no desire for real law enforcement help, which we will provide immediately.” Wrote on Twitter. “Vote!”
Lincoln has long been celebrated as president who ended slavery in the United States, but protesters sprayed “Dakota 38” on the foundations of their law in Portland – referring to the largest mass execution in U.S. history, including the 18 dacoits in 1862 accused of killing 38 immigrants. The Indians were sent to the gallows.
Link signed the execution order. He also expressed concern about the speed and lack of evidence presented to military tribunals, which led to the spread of the death penalty; He was sentenced to another 265 years in prison.
Roosevelt has been investigated for his views on racial hierarchy and his role in the Spanish-American war. He endorsed the eugenics proposals. He was quoted as saying that it would have been better if almost all Native Americans had died.
Mayor Ted Wheeler was among those who criticized Sunday’s devastation. He was joined at a news conference by Towana D. Sanchez, a native American state legislator living in Portland. He said those who want to change the city’s statues can do so through city processes.
“We don’t have to break things down, because that doesn’t help,” he said.
The statues have been centered across the country. On Monday, in NM’s Santa Fe, protesters overthrew a terrorist post, written to honor those who died fighting with “cruel” Indians.
Protests have been going on in Portland for months since Minneapolis police officers assassinated George Floyd in May, sparking nationwide protests for racial justice and against police brutality. While the demonstrations have focused heavily on how black people have been harmed, the protests highlighted other reasons, including transgender rights, economic inequality, and the need for social reform to address Native Americans.
On Sunday night, reporters in Portland reported that the mob had broken windows and spray-painted graffiti at other locations, including the Reg Regan Historical Society and some businesses. Portland police later declared a riot in the crowd and arrested three people to disperse the crowd.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Monday that one of the detainees was driving a suspicious van that helped pull down a Roosevelt statue. Prosecutors said the man, Brandon Bartels, was charged with damaging a historic statue.
Carrie Timchuk, executive director of The Historical Society, said the Society’s interior was left without a quilt sewn by a group of black women for three years in the 1970s. The quilt was removed from the building by protesters and was later found near several blocks. It was “too wet” – probably as a result of the rain – but Mr Timchuk said he hoped it could be re-displayed.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly highlighted the unrest in Portland, seeking to make a law and order case for re-election. On Monday, he sent a series of tweets about Portland statues, calling protesters “animals” and Asking the FBI to help accommodate them.
“Portland, click in the feeds!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
Thousands of protesters marched on a street in front of a federal court on Friday night, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. It comes after Mr. Trump instructed federal agencies to deploy additional troops to protect statues, monuments and federal property. Protests have eased since state and federal officials agreed to withdraw federal agents.
About 200 people attended Sunday’s rally.
