Portland protesters topple George Washington statue

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland protesters toppled a statue of George Washington overnight -- on the city's 22nd consecutive day of protests in the wake of George Floyd's death.

The statue stood on the lawn at the German American Society in northeast Portland and had been there since the 1920s, according to The Oregonian's website.
 

There were between 30 and 40 people there when the statue was vandalized and came down.

Protesters targeted the monument of the nation's first president because he was also a slave owner.

In Oregon, protesters have also taken down a Thomas Jefferson statue and a monument to pioneers who had reportedly celebrated white supremacy.

The Washington statue came down a day after protesters in Portland tried unsuccessfully to set up an autonomous zone similar to the CHOP in Seattle.

Protesters used dumpsters and other barriers to occupy the block surrounding the Portland mayor's apartment building in the Pearl District. Police later declared it an unlawful assembly and cleared the area Thursday morning.