The Unofficial York Sculpture in Mount Tabor Park Has Been Vandalized

The base of the statue was tagged with the phrases “Land Back,” “Abolition Now,” “His Blood Is on Your Hands,” “Liberation” and “Decolonize.”

By Shannon Gormley

The statue of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, that mysteriously appeared last month in Mount Tabor Park has been tagged with graffiti.

The base of the unofficial statue was spray-painted with the phrases "Land Back," "Abolition Now," "His Blood Is on Your Hands," "Liberation" and "Decolonize." The wooden placard at the base of the sculpture was removed and smeared with a red substance that appears to be ketchup, according to a Reddit user who supplied WW with photos.

The statue's base, which has an inscription for the dethroned Harvey Scott statue, is the only part that was graffitied. The bust itself was not vandalized.

Created by an unknown artist, the rendering of York was placed in the park last month. It stands on a pedestal that formerly displayed a statue of Harvey Scott, which was pulled down by protesters last year. Portland Parks & Recreation officials said they would allow the bust to remain on display.

Related: Someone Replaced the Toppled Harvey Scott Statue at Mount Tabor With a Monument to York, the Only Black Member of the Corps of Discovery.

Portland's Regional Arts & Culture Council typically removes toppled statues and cleans graffiti from public art. Though the bust was contributed anonymously, the base is technically still administered by city agencies.

A spokesperson for RACC told WW that Portland Parks & Recreation plans to dispatch a maintenance team tomorrow morning.

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