At Least 11 BikeTown Stations Trashed This Week, as Vandals Declare "Our City Is Not a Corporate Amusement Park" - UPDATED

Both now feature signs reading: “This Biketown is now closed."

(Christine Dong)

By Sophia June

In the past week, vandals have hit at least seven BikeTown stations, according to Bike Portland.

Two of the incidents appear to be connected. Both contain signs reading: "This Biketown is now closed. Our city is not a corporate amusement park" with a "Rose City Saboteurs" emblem on the sign.

In addition to the signs, Bike Portland reports "slashed tires, spray paint on the LED displays, cut spokes, and sliced seats."

Photos of a BikeTown station on Southeast 30th and Division show graffiti reading, "Nike Hates the Poor."

(FrankDiMarco/dimarcogallery.com)

This isn't the first time the bike-share service has been vandalized, but this vandalism is well beyond the scope of any previous attack.

Last summer, there were several reports of vandalism, including slashed tires at the BikeTown station at the New Seasons on North Williams Avenue. Before BikeTown even opened, people placed signs next to the stations in protest of the bike share.

Related: This BikeTown Protest Sign Has Become Portland's Greatest Comment Thread

WW reached out to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, which did not immediately respond.

UPDATE 3:21 P.M. 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is asking for the public's help in identifying BikeTown vandals, who vandalized more than 200 bikes this week. They're asking for people to call 9-1-1 if they see any vandalism happening.

"All Portlanders should be saddened and outraged by this senseless act of vandalism," said City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees PBOT, in a statement. "The Transportation Bureau created BIKETOWN, with bikes owned by the public, to make bicycling easier and more convenient for everyone. Unfortunately, because of this criminal act, dozens or perhaps hundreds of Portlanders were not able to ride a bike this morning."

The statement also said that Motivate, the contractor that operates the bikes, has been working to clean the graffiti since this morning.

In an email to BikeTown members this afternoon, BikeTown asked anyone with information to contact the Bike Theft Task Force at bttf@portlandoregon.gov.