Weekend Wrapup on Riots in Portland and LA

In honor of “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage,”  rioters in Portland tore down statues of Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln Sunday night.  The Associated Press reports that protest organizers targeted the statues on the eve of Columbus Day because of their belief that both Lincoln and Roosevelt were hostile to Native Americans.  It is also likely that the two presidents were targeted because no statues of Christopher Columbus were available.  The rioters then smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society, a hotbed of white privilege, then marched on the Portland State University Public Safety Office.  No arrests were reported.  Not to be outdone, sports fans in Los Angeles celebrated the Lakers capture of the NBA title Sunday night by setting fires, destroying property and attacking police.

Lee Brown of the New York Post reports that the festivities in downtown Los Angeles included destroying and setting fire to a city bus, throwing bottles and rocks at police, break-ins and looting of stores and shooting off illegal fireworks which blew off one reveler’s hand.  A story in today’s The Christian Science Monitor reported footage of rioters setting fires and jumping on cars, and a man being beaten.  City firefighters reported 37 separate incidents in the area of the arena during the 3 hour riot.  Eight people were hospitalized with some suffering serious injuries.  One woman, whose downtown neighborhood was swarmed with rioters, told reporters that the windows were broken on every car on her street.  Taking characteristic command of the situation, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti begged fans to stay at home and exercise social distancing to prevent the spread of the cononavirus.