Story at a glance
- The statue was spray-painted with the words “genocidal colonist.”
- Earlier this week, a statue of Thomas Jefferson that stood outside Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, was also toppled by demonstrators.
- This comes as protests continue over the killing of George Floyd.
A statue of George Washington that stood on the lawn of the German American Society in Northeast Portland was toppled by protesters Thursday night as demonstrations continue following the killing of George Floyd, local KATU reports.
A U.S. flag was seen burning at the head of the statue of the first U.S. president before it was pulled down by protesters using a rope.
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KOIN reports that Thursday marked day 21 of demonstrations for racial justice and police reform in Portland, Oregon. Two groups — Rose City Justice and Lavender Caucus — hosted a sit-in rally at Jefferson High School in the evening, before a separate group of people met at the site of the large statue of Washington around 10 p.m. About 30 to 40 people were there at the time the statue was taken down, KATU reports.
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The bronze statue was spray-painted with the words “genocidal colonist” and several vulgar words, according to images on social media. A second American flag was laid over the toppled bronze Washington statue and set on fire.
The George Washington statue on NE Sandy in #Portland #Oregon has been pulled down and vandalized. Portland Police officers inspected the damage. Someone left a note and a few dollars on it next to the spray painted bronze. #koin6news pic.twitter.com/e5LYbDtvMa
— Matt Rashleigh (@Matt_KOIN) June 19, 2020
They did it, they really did it. Sucks to be George Washington right now… #Portlandprotest #statue #blacklivesmatter #PDXprotests #pdx #oregon #blm #acab #pdx #georgewashington #flagburning #StatuesMustFall pic.twitter.com/uwbTFoLUuq
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Glutton) (@hungrybowtie) June 19, 2020
The statue of Washington dates back to 1926.
Earlier this week, a statue of Thomas Jefferson that stood outside the Jefferson High School was also torn down by demonstrators. The statue’s base was spray painted with the phrase “slave owner,” as well as Floyd’s name before the statue was toppled.
Meanwhile, thousands of Americans have signed a petition to remove a statue depicting President Abraham Lincoln standing over a freed slave in Boston’s Park Square, as a national movement to remove historical monuments some consider to be racially insensitive has gained traction following the death of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Last week, a Confederate monument made of four statues in Portsmouth, Va., was taken down by demonstrators, as was a statue of Jefferson Davis and Christopher Columbus in Richmond, Va.
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