A church in downtown Portland, Oregon, announced late Thursday that it was pausing its efforts to help the homeless because of the damage to its doors and windows caused by election night rioters.
City officials said vandals smashed the glass windows and damaged the doors of St. Andre Bessette Church, according to the Portland Tribune.
A church leader told officers that it would halt its homeless shelter “for the foreseeable future” because they can’t secure the property, the Tribune reported.
The church leader said it served several hundred meals a day, provided shelter and offered other services to the city’s homeless, according to the news outlet.
“The loss of shelter beds due to violence and vandalism comes at a time when we desperately need a safe space for vulnerable individuals to seek refuge from a pandemic and a colder, rainier weather. This hurts the community’s efforts to get people off the streets and connected to the crucial resources they need,” Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese told the Tribune.
Hundreds of protesters swarmed Portland’s streets on election night, and a riot was quickly declared. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown deployed the National Guard to help, the first such deployment in 50 years.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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