Portland African American Center and Masonic Temple Hit with Racist Graffiti and Swastikas

From [HERE] and [HERE] Four food carts and a Masonic temple on North Mississippi Avenue were spray-painted last night with racist graffiti, including swastikas and the "N" word. Police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime. Ellis Bradley, the owner of Grass Roots Cafe at 3503 N. Mississippi Ave., says the front of his cart was painted in swastikas, while the side was covered with the "N" word. "They repeated the word over and over," he says.  On the Sons of Haiti Grand Lodge and Masonic Temple next door, Bradley says the vandals drew a picture of a man being lynched, and wrote: "Leave and die. Forever and ever die." Both the cart and the lodge are African-American-owned businesses.

Police say they will investigate the vandalism as a hate crime. "Bias Crime Detectives have been assigned to this case," the police said in a press release, "and been to the scene this morning and they are actively working all available leads at this time."

Bradley says his cart, which serves a sandwich called the “Bro that’s stupid hot” Chicken Burger, has been robbed four times since he opened in last December.  "This to me is the last straw," Bradley says. "Like I don't belong to my own neighborhood where I grew up. I'm thinking about leaving the whole freaking state."

Gloria Hall was woken up early this morning by the news that the Masonic Lodge she's been a member of for 30 years was attacked last night by someone with a can of spray paint and a penchant to spread racist speech.

The sky-blue St. Joseph Grand Lodge sits on the corner of North Fremont and Mississippi, host to community events and meetings of the Sons of Haiti Baptist church. This morning, it was covered with swastikas and hate-speech. The culprits also spray-painted swastikas on the food carts, like King Burrito, parked next door to the lodge.

"I've never seen nothing like this," said Hall, 75, as she surveyed the damage this afternoon, talking with passerby who stopped to ask what had happened. "Portland has never been this way, never this bold. Ridiculous! They're stupid!"

"How do they know it's black people who come to church here? They've been watching it," chimed in Chauntell Lawrence, 35, who was raised in the neighborhood and has been coming to the lodge her whole life. The graffiti will remain on the building until at least this weekend, when the lodge leaders return from a conference in Seattle. "Maybe people just need to see it and know it's still happening," said Lawrence.

Police are investigating the tagging as a bias crime. If anyone know anything about who might have done the tagging, call the detective on the case at 503-823-3761.

Meanwhile, people looking to support the center are welcome for lunch tomorrow, say Hall and Lawrence. The group has long planned to host a fundraiser lunch and garage sale tomorrow from 11am-6pm, selling catfish and chicken meals for $10.