York - The Statue of a Black Man that was built up and then torn down

 YORK’S STATUE –

Erected in February 2021                      Defaced in June 2021

                              Toppled and damaged in July 2021 





In February, this year (2021) I wrote an article about a statue that mysteriously appeared in a forested area in Mt. Tabor Park in Portland Oregon, USA. It was a statue of a black man, the first African American to cross North America and reach the Pacific Ocean.

The man’s name was York. He was the slave of William Clark “an enslaved member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.” York  was forced to take part in the Corps of Discovery Expedition 1804 – 1806 to find an all water route to the Pacific.

No one in the community knew how the bust of Clark got there. What was even more peculiar was that the statue of the black man, York, replaced one that was toppled - one of a white man, named Harvey Scott.  What was the reason why Scott’s statue was removed?  “Because of his (Scott’s) past conservative views on women’s suffrage, which he opposed.”

York’s statue was not popular with everyone in the community, not at all!  Some months ago, a white woman used “purple spray paint to deface the statue.”

“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,” Adena Long the Portland Parks and Recreation Director said.

The incident took place sometime Tuesday night (July 27, 2021) or early Wednesday morning (July 28, 2021). On this occasion – the second time that the statue was vandalized, the bust of York was torn from the pedestal KOIN News6 reported.

Adena Long commented that “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.”

Not only was the bust torn from its pedestal, “it was significantly damaged.” On Wednesday, July 28, 2021 “the shattered bust of York was cleaned up and cleared from the area” CBS News reported.


 #year #2021 #statue #forested #taborpark #portland #oregon #usa #blackman  #african

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