Portland Church Will Struggle to Feed the Homeless Due to Repairs from Riot Damage
A church in Portland, Oregon, that was recently vandalized will struggle to provide meals to the local homeless population, bringing attention to an unfortunate consequence of civil unrest.
The First Christian Church was one of the buildings damaged as a result of civil unrest in the city, with people protesting and rioting against police brutality on Friday night.
“Sometimes when windows are broken in a riot, it’s not a specific statement by one individual,” Cynthia McBride, the lead pastor at the progressive church, told KGW-TV.
“It’s more people who seem to be caught up in the angst of the moment.”
“I felt frustrated because even the effort of putting plywood and having to repair windows again takes funding away from the important work we do to feed the vulnerable,” she added.
First Christian Church will continue to stay open, but McBride is hoping that the violence will subside.
“We need to find a better way to move forward together, to resolve injustices and to do so without violence,” she said.
Portland’s First Christian Church on SW 6th and Jefferson had some damage done to some windows last night.
They were the church that hosted the group I was with a few years ago, so I had open access to the building for a few years and helped them with a few minor projects. pic.twitter.com/pE8kOiJaWS
— Josh Blount (@stickwithjosh) April 17, 2021
Oregon Historical Society & First Christian Church.
Downtown Portland resident tells me: “These are the people feeding the unhoused and telling the story of racial injustice in Oregon. It just doesn’t make sense.”https://t.co/v0NbTthQWL pic.twitter.com/OVCdjQBEav
— Shane D. Kavanaugh (@shanedkavanaugh) April 17, 2021
The religious institution has gained a reputation in the community for assisting the homeless population, making the financial burden a cause for concern.
“Windows were also broken at the First Christian Church, a location known for their generosity in feeding over a thousand meals weekly to the homeless,” a police report explained.
During this pandemic, resources are harder to come by for the houseless. Thankfully, our friends at First Christian Church in Portland generously donated hundreds of meals for our HOPE team to deliver to our most vulnerable community members. pic.twitter.com/MpflOmLlvj
— Multnomah Co. Sheriff’s Office (@MultCoSO) April 1, 2020
Apparently, this is not the first time the church has dealt with damage in the past year, Fox News reported.
The obstacles the church now faces show that there are wide-reaching negative implications of rioting in major cities.
While the church was left-leaning, they appeared to serve an important role in serving the communities’ homeless population and needed the financial resources to do so.
#Antifa are telling their comrades to discard of evidence if they were involved in the arson attacks last night in downtown Portland. Fires were set near propane tanks. The Apple store was also torched. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/rVSRJ907qN
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 17, 2021
Portland has frequently been the site of civil unrest, and many other major cities have been faced with violence in the wake of police shootings.
As the trial of Derek Chauvin is expected to conclude this week, there is concern that major cities will have chaotic scenes depending on the verdict — and places like the First Christian Church will probably be on alert.
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