Controversial Portland statue debate ends with reinstatement decision
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Statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt will be relocated to Portland’s South Park Blocks after a public consultation process determined the landmarks should return.
Monuments toppled five years ago this month during “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage” protests will return following a series of public hearings where participants voiced different reasons for bringing them back.
City of Roses reported Many residents were particularly concerned about the re-erection of Lincoln’s monument. One participant said they wanted the statues “backed up” because “anarchists were illegally tearing down the statues.”
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Aerial view of the Willamette River passing through downtown Portland. (Universal Images Group via Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Getty Images)
Another resident spoke out against the “erasure of monuments” and called for a “high-level conversation” about how landmarks can be “contextualized for today’s audiences and into the future.”
While recontextualizing the history written on the statues remained a common theme, others shared the idea that the tributes “might work better in other communities.”
The report also cited “unauthorized vandalism” of the statues; One Portland resident argued that the city should hold a public vote on each statue removed, while stating that “a gang of young, white anarchists should not be dictating city policies.”
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The Theodore Roosevelt statue was torn down during “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage” protests in Portland, Oregon, in 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Another participant agreed, saying the crowds tearing down the monuments “do not represent Portland.”
Another participant said, “Portland is a young city, we must preserve the limited history we have…damaged monuments must be repaired and reinstalled as soon as possible…public monuments need to be criminally destroyed.” [and] Art should not be an impetus for their reunion.”
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A person defaces the Theodore Roosevelt statue in Portland during “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage” in 2020.
voters about this It reportedly split into two distinct factions: one advocated updating the context of each statue, the other focused on the reconstruction of historical monuments.
Deb Elliott, a professor at the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University, said: Oregonian He said one group of people wanted the monuments updated “with a full narrative of the historical figure’s impact,” while others “wanted the monuments to be put back in place.”
Lincoln’s statue is expected to be re-erected in early 2026, with Roosevelt’s expected to follow about a year later.
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