PORTLAND, Ore. — Several groups pulled down statues in Portland and Eugene over the weekend, and the reaction is mixed.
A group of several thousand gathered at Portland's Jefferson High School Sunday afternoon to protest police brutality and systemic racism.
"I was on Facebook when I first saw it. My first thing was like 'Wow!" Ronnie Manus said.
Manus graduated from Jefferson High School in 1969. He showed up Monday to watch as Portland Public Schools hauled the toppled statue away.
"Bittersweet, being a black American and a graduate," Manus said.
Several neighbors said they understood demonstrators' intent, noting that Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves.
"They should replace it with something that recognizes the truth about Thomas Jefferson," one neighbor said.
"Let's build a commemoration and an identity that makes sense, that brings people together," Jefferson Class of '91 grad Caleb Winter said.
Portland's history shows some change before, recognizing equality movements.
KGW archive footage from 1968 shows black students successfully campaigning to change the name of the former Highland School, after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"For we have a great feeling for Dr. King and for what he has done for us," a student said in the video.
In addition to the Jefferson statue coming down in Portland, Eugene also saw two statues torn off their pedestals at the University of Oregon. An unknown group pulled down statues of The Pioneer and Pioneer Mother. Some argue the statues are tied to a history of celebrating white conquest.
Those statues are now in storage, and University of Oregon president Michael Schill condemned what he called "vandalism."
Back at Jefferson High School, alumnus Ronnie Manus felt torn over fond memories of the school.
"Took many a pictures with this fellow here," he said, as PPS crews loaded the Jefferson statue onto a truck.
Manus said he personally does not want to see the school's name changed. He's now asking the question many others are asking.
"Are they gonna replace it? And what are they gonna replace it with?" he said.
PPS did not have anyone available for an interview Monday, but issued this statement about the Jefferson statue:
We understand that what occurred last night is part of an important larger conversation happening nationally and locally. We stand ready to listen to the school community about the appropriate way to go forward.