A demonstration in Portland, Oregon, that included people breaking windows and taking down statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln has been declared a riot by police.
The protests were part of a “Day of Rage” declared over the celebration of Columbus Day on Monday. Organizers named the event “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage” to shed light on Italian explorer Christopher Columbus‘ role in the genocide of the native populations in the Americas, according to The Associated Press.
A mass gathering formed Sunday night in downtown Portland, where demonstrators used chains to topple the statues, the Portland Police Department tweeted just before midnight. The crowd also threw red paint on the Roosevelt monument, photos show, and used a blowtorch on the statue’s base, according to AP.
The statues were erected in the 1920s, and several other statues that were considered possible targets were removed, The Oregonian reported. A statue of Thomas Jefferson was pulled down by protesters in June.
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About 200 people were in the crowd, according to the local newspaper.
A glass window for the Oregon Historical Society was smashed with a police officer standing inside, ABC Portland affiliate KATU reported. Windows were also smashed at the Portland State University Campus Public Safety office, according to AP.
Read more: yahoo
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