Protesters in Portland, OR tore down statues of U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt on the 20th of October. They did this as a protest for what they called “Indigenous Peoples’ Day of Rage.”

Lincoln is arguably one of the greatest presidents and has done many things that support the (modern) Democratic Left’s views, yet they still toppled over his statue. Discrimination against people of color is a major topic that the left tackle with, and Lincoln was the president that ended slavery in our country. There are, however, many different things that could’ve motivated such an appalling act.

This was done on Indigenous Peoples’ Day to express their rage towards the President’s actions. “Dakota 38” was sprayed on the base of the statue, which references the largest mass execution in the United States. In 1862, President Lincoln ordered that 38 Dakota men were to be hanged due to accusations of rape and violence. This vile act obviously ended up motivating the protesters towards such volatility. 

This raises the moral dilemma of whether or not Lincoln’s bad actions cancel out all the good he has done. He did end slavery and fought very hard to do so, but that doesn’t hide the fact that he also ordered an unjust mass execution. The protesters went far to knock down his statue, which completely disregards all of his achievements but also brings attention to an issue not talked about often.

Along with damaging the Lincoln and Roosevelt statue, they also damaged the Oregon Historical Society. The protesters displayed recklessness by destroying these historical landmarks. Their goal may be to raise awareness to certain problems that are pushed aside, but they are basically erasing history as they do so. Doing something extremely shocking draws attention, but in an ineffective way that poses a new array of issues that further widens the divide in our country.

In order to properly avenge those who have been wronged, you must fix current world issues instead of destroying the past. No president has ever been pure, but it serves no good to ignore his achievements that have done so much for the country. As racism and discrimination is an active issue worldwide, other methods to find a solution must be worked towards instead of using destruction.

Portland has been the center of many issues, especially related to protests. They have had major protests relating to the BLM, cops abusing their power, and now avenging the indigenous people. These are all great causes that people should direct attention towards, but carelessly acting will only create a larger split with what’s going on. 

As sides become more extreme, they begin to go further and further with everything they do. They have reached the point of toppling down statues of important historical figures, even ones who have benefited the country immensely. There reaches a point where vengeance goes too far and only sets the country back. 

It was respectable that they wanted to raise awareness for issues not often talked about, but it was not necessary to cause this much damage and practically destroy history. Lincoln has done so much progressive work for this country, and while we shouldn’t dismiss the moments where he went wrong, we’re definitely going about it in the wrong way.