Protesters in Oregon were caught on camera burning and destroying a historic fountain representing an elk.
“The elk statue in downtown Portland is now fully engulfed in flames,” journalist Andy Ngo tweeted, accompanied by a video early Thursday morning.
The elk statue in downtown Portland is now fully engulfed in flames. #antifa pic.twitter.com/EdqOnJCdSP
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 2, 2020
Fox News reported that protesters ripped wood paneling from the statue, called the “Thompson Elk Fountain,” and lit a bonfire underneath it. The fountain sits outside of the city’s federal courthouse.
The statue of one of the largest species in the deer family was erected 120 years ago and named after David Thompson, who moved to Oregon in 1853 as a teenager and went on to work as a railroad surveyor. Thompson also worked within the mining, banking, and manufacturing industries, eventually amassing a fortune and becoming Portland’s 24th mayor.
The vandals also threw projectiles at police officers who were trying to disperse the crowd with pepper balls and a flash-bang, a freelance journalist reported. The words “oink oink” could also be seen written in graffiti on the base of the statue.
[Also read: McConnell likens Democrats to ‘far-left mobs attacking statues of our Founding Fathers’]
Police inside the federal courthouse fire pepper balls at protestors who get close to the doors pic.twitter.com/xq61cV4XyF
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) July 2, 2020
Very hospitable, plenty of warmth around the courthouse here in Portland. #PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/PtGO3Quv21
— Shauna Sowersby (@Shauna_Sowersby) July 2, 2020
Protests have popped up across the country following the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite his pleas for air.
Protesters have sought to raise awareness about systemic racism and police brutality against people of color. While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, there have been some instances of violence, including against law enforcement.
