"The latest act of vandalism is incredibly disappointing for me, and I’m sure the majority of Portlanders will miss seeing York at the top of Mt. Tabor," the Portland Parks & Recreation Director said.
A statue that commemorates an enslaved Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition has been toppled and suffered significant damage on Wednesday, officials said.
This is the second time the statue of York, an enslaved Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was vandalized.
In this instance, a Portland Parks and Recreation (PPR) spokesperson said the bust was torn from its pedestal, KOIN News6 reported.
The incident took place sometime Tuesday night or early morning Wednesday. The statue was discovered after a park maintenance worker was notified by a visitor on Wednesday sometime after 7 a.m., the news outlet reported.
Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long said the statue first appeared in Mt. Tabor park in February. Before the statue of York stood in that spot, a statue of Harvey Scott, a longtime editor of The Oregonian who opposed women’s suffrage, stood there.
“Unfortunately, the numerous racist responses to the memorial of a Black man forced to participate in the Corps of Discovery Expedition have not been a surprise,” Long said. “The latest act of vandalism is incredibly disappointing for me, and I’m sure the majority of Portlanders will miss seeing York at the top of Mt. Tabor.”
Long said the department will determine if the statue can be salvaged in any way, a report said.
