January 20, 2025
Portland police are still searching for multiple suspects seen vandalizing the Multnomah County Elections Office around 2 a.m. Monday.
A group of eight to 10 vandals smashed 33 windows and two doors at the elections office, located near Southeast 10th Avenue and Morrison Street. Crews worked until 9 a.m. to clean the glass and graffiti.
Surveillance footage provided by Multnomah County shows vandals dressed in mostly gray or black all wearing hoodies, throwing rocks and other heavy objects through the windows.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day says despite the incident occurring on Inauguration Day, there is no reason to believe the attacks are politically motivated.
"I think it's important to remember that we have seen these types of attacks regardless of who's in office," he said. "It does not tend to be so much associated with the ruling party as much as it has to do with a ideological belief around government and establishment in general."
Graffiti sprayed on the building contained anarchy symbols and anti-government rhetoric.
Day noted the attack was likely planned because of the amount of damage done in a quick amount of time.
When asked whether there was any potential for a correlation to an arson attack at a Tesla dealership in Salem that occurred just shortly after, Day said they are working with Salem police to investigate a potential link.
Found on Mainstream Media