Protesters overturned statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday night in a declaration of “rage” toward Columbus Day. The group threw chains around Roosevelt’s statue, officially titled “Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider.”
A group of around 200 people gathered in Portland’s South Park Blocks just before 9 p.m. Sunday and used ropes and a blowtorch to dislodge and topple a statue of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Some minutes after taking down the Roosevelt statue, a group of people toppled a statue of President Abraham Lincoln and spray painted. 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 conflict with white settlers in Minnesota.
According to the reports, Portland police declared the gathering a riot and began to disperse protesters around 9:40 p.m. Police said anyone involved in “criminal behavior, including vandalism” was subject to arrest. It’s unclear if any arrests were made.
More News: 18-year-old girl was attempted to pull into a truck near the Berry Creek County Club
More News: Missing Alert: 50-year-old Florida mom from Belle Isle, last seen on Sept. 25
More News: 3-year-old shot in the head in Orange County drive-by shooting