Broken windows at four banks and a drug store appear to be the work of a few dozen Occupy Portland members. The vandalism spree took place Thursday night. Police were called and some suspects were detained but no arrests have been made yet.
On Thursday night a group of about 40 people was seen congregating in the parking lot of Umpqua Bank in Portland. Police were called and while still en route learned the crowd was roving to other banks, smashing windows as they went. Eventually four banks–Umpqua, Chase, Wells Fargo, US Bank–had smashed windows along with a Walgreens drug store.
Video of the damage was posted on You Tube Friday:
According to a press release issued by the Portland PD, the mob of vandals evaporated into the neighborhood before police arrived. However, police did locate and detain some individuals believed to be part of the group. They are collecting video tapes from the affected businesses and expect to be able to make arrests using the tapes to identify those responsible.
Police have not yet connected the vandalism to Occupy Portland, but the attacks on banks are similar to several other vandalism sprees which have been connected to Occupy. For instance, a very similar spree involving a roving mob took place in Oakland last weekend. In that incident, a crowd numbering close to 200 smashed windows at two banks, City Hall, and also vandalized two BMW’s along their route.
Additionally, an Occupy related vandalism spree took place last weekend in Portland. In that incident, two men were arrested Sunday after using stencils to spray paint Occupy slogans on businesses and the hood of a police cruiser. When they were arrested the two individuals had stencils, paint, and Occupy literature in their possession.
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