Portland Homeless Man Donates to Riot-Damaged Historical Society Museum

In the midst of torn-down statues and vandalized buildings in riot-ridden Portland, Oregon, a homeless man donated a precious dollar to help rebuild. The homeless man donated to the Oregon Historical Society whose windows were smashed in Sunday night’s Indigenous People’s Day of Rage riot.

Oregon Historical Society Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk told Fox 12 Oregon that the donation from the homeless man, identified in a hand-written note as Oscar, lifted his spirits after vandals smashed windows, threw lit flares into the building, and dragged an Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commerative Quilt into the streets.

One of the women who made this quilt tells #fox12Oregon that she can’t understand how anyone could steal it. It was taken during Sunday’s riots but police found it and returned it to ⁦@OrHist⁩ which opens back up this morning after being vandalized. pic.twitter.com/U9C720fKFO

— Marilyn Deutsch (@marilyndeutsch) October 14, 2020

Tymchuk told the reporter the quilt had been hand-sewn by 15 Black women from Portland in the 1970s. Vandals dragged the piece into the rain leaving it soaked. It is currently being assessed for possible restoration.

Homeless man gives dollar to ⁦@OrHist⁩ after ⁦@PortlandPolice⁩ say protesters damage the building breaking in and breaking glass doors. Oscar says he earned the money from recycling and wants it to go to help repair the building. #fox12Oregon pic.twitter.com/CDmsXpvSrd

— Marilyn Deutsch (@marilyndeutsch) October 12, 2020

The museum director said many people reached out to make donations to help with repairs of the damage caused by rioters. “None have affected me as much as a gift from our neighbor, Oscar,” he told the Fox reporter.

Oscar donated one dollar that he said he earned by collecting bottles and turning them in for cash. In a hand-written note, Oscar said:

Hello, I’m homeless so I don’t have much to give you, just some of my bottle collecting money.

But I saw your windows got broken and I wanted to help.

You once gave me a free tour before the pandemic, so this is a thank you!

— Oscar @MyHomelessMeals

Oscar’s Twitter account tells the story of life on the streets during the coronavirus pandemic. He reacted to the news about his donation to the historical group by tweeting, “I’m famous”

Sunday night’s Indigenous People’s Day of Rage riot led to the destruction of two historical presidential statues — those of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, Breitbart News reported. Rioters went on to smash the windows of the Oregon Historical Society, an Oregon State University police office, and other businesses in the downtown area. Sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday night, rioters fired gunshots into the windows of the Heros American Cafe.

On Tuesday, the Multnomah County District Attorney announced the arrest of two people involved in Sunday night’s riot.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.