PORTLAND, Ore. — The bust of York at Mount Tabor Park will stay in its place for now, after vandalism recently left damage to the statue's base.
York was the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The bust was in the news last week after a woman was caught on video defacing its base with purple spray paint. The bust itself didn't appear to be damaged. Portland police cited 43-year-old Jeanette K. Grode for second-degree criminal mischief, abuse of venerated objects, unlawful applying of graffiti and vandalism.
Adena Long, Portland Parks & Rec. Director told KGW on Monday "the recent graffiti incident has not impacted the safety of the installment and has not influenced any plans for the artwork."
The bust was never meant to be permanent. It mysteriously appeared in Mount Tabor back in February in the place of the Harvey Scott statue toppled in 2020.
The York bust is made of wood and urethane, not bronze, so it won't withstand weather damage over time.
Long says it'll remain at Mount Tabor Park as long as it doesn't pose a danger to anyone.
Jeff Hawthorne, Portland arts program manager, told OPB because of the bust's materials, it'll have to come down at some point-- and that may be months, or years, away.
"It was always intended to be temporary, so we can't accession that sculpture the way it's currently constructed into the public art collection," Hawthorne told OPB. "And, in fact, it will have to come down at some point."
The city hasn't said what they'll replace the bust of York with once it's taken down. Hawthorne said a similar bronze version could go up in place of the current structure but no decision has been made yet.
York was an enslaved member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Corps of Discovery, had been William Clark's servant and his father before him was a slave to Clark's father. York was also the first African American to cross North America and reach the Pacific Coast, with historical journals showing he was invaluable to the expedition.
Willamette Week reports this is the second time in three months the bust's base has been defaced. Vandalism in the past has featured racial-justice slogans.
The motivation behind this new vandalism last week remains unclear. In the video, Grode says to others off camera she has "been prejudice against Black and Hispanic people" and replacing a statue of a white man with a Black man was "not unity." She also says she would pay for damages.
The Harvey Scott statue stood in that place for 87 years before it was toppled in October. Scott was a well-known figure in Portland's early history. He was a longtime editor and part-time owner of The Oregonian newspaper. According to the Oregon Historical Society's website, Scott was a vocal conservative to many social reforms of the time including women's suffrage.