Portland protesters topple statue of Thomas Jefferson, father of the Declaration of Independence, as culture war heats up
RT-USA NEWS
A group of demonstrators in Portland has torn down a statue of Thomas Jefferson in front of a school bearing his name, fanning the flames of a growing cultural divide in the US as activists target landmarks deemed racist.
Around 1,000 people gathered at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon on Sunday to listen to speeches before setting off on a Black Lives Matter march across the city. Later in the evening, a crowd reconvened at the school and set their sights on a statue of the third US president and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Two ropes were tied around the statue’s neck as the group labored to pull Jefferson off his pedestal – which had already been defaced with graffiti reading “slave owner.”
Videos show the group tugging on the ropes, eventually sending the statue falling onto the concrete steps in front of the school.
Tough time for slave owners 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/m0lUWuYqVc
— PDX Resistance ✊ (@Pdx_resistance) June 15, 2020
Viewer video shows the moment the Thomas Jefferson statue was toppled over in Portland. #Portland #pdx #breakingnews @fox12oregon pic.twitter.com/Upnt7i1AQx
— Bonnie Silkman KPTV (@BonnieSilkman) June 15, 2020
The crowd then cheers as a man, apparently armed with an ax, strikes the bronze Jefferson several times. There were similar celebrations on Twitter.
A group removed the Thomas Jefferson statue at Jefferson High School earlier tonight.
Protesters marched back to Jefferson High School later in the night and a speaker addressed the crowd: “We’re taking this city back. One school at a time. One racist statue at a time.” pic.twitter.com/iOBUgUyW4S
— Jamie Goldberg (@Jamiebgoldberg) June 15, 2020
“Awww, poor guy tripped and fell,”joked one comment. “Thoughts and prayers,”read a similarly sarcastic Twitter reply.
Although Jefferson was a slave owner, he is revered for his advocacy of religious tolerance and individual liberty – values which became foundational principles of the United States. For many, the act of vandalism was beyond the pale.
One disgusted observer accused the protesters of carrying out a “barbaric act against history” and demanded action from Oregon Governor Kate Brown.
Others argued that the “vandals and rioters” were doing a disservice to “legitimate” protests against racism.
On Saturday, demonstrators in Portland pulled down two statues honoring pioneers who settled in Oregon. It’s not clear what their motive was, but local media said that the landmarks had been targeted in the past for their alleged glorification of “white conquest.”
Protests following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of police have led to other acts of vandalism. Confederate statues and monuments paying tribute to Christopher Columbus have been attacked and toppled in several cities across the country.
_________
Also from RT
Black Lives Matter protesters who toppled a statue on their own heads have created the perfect culture war metaphor
*********
(TLB) published this article from RT-USA News with our thanks for the coverage.
Related article from The Liberty Beacon:
Statues Fall Amidst Civil War: The Coup vs. the Woke Revolution
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply