The erasure of art and history, and its replacement with only those things which are acceptable to the Party, is a founding principle of Communism. It must be resisted, and the perpetrators brought to justice at all costs.
“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
I am a 1991 graduate of Portland State University. The library was designed to wrap around a beautiful old tree with windows that overlooked the tree and the park blocks. When I was a student there, I would do research near a window that looked over the tree. The Saturday before the takeover I went to the farmers market that is held in the park blocks next to Portland State. A group of angry people had taken over a space next to the library. They spray painted slogans on the exterior brick of the library. Painting on something porous like brick can permanently damage it, yet no one had done anything about it. If they had been stopped from damaging the exterior of the library, they would never have been allowed to take over the interior of the library and damage that. That this is allowed to happen is related to philosophy professor Peter Boghossian having to quit due to a hostile work environment. Once people like this are allowed to do some damage to the physical and intellectual structures of an institution, it is harder to stop them from damaging the institution itself.
So often we remember our life's libraries. I spent some time looking at pictures of the library before the destruction. It is beautiful and so student-centered with growing special collections. The video of the walk through after it was cleared showed that those who entered had no idea where they were. To them it was just a building. After hours when a library is closed the only things left might be a few pieces of crumpled paper from a student taking notes--signs of study and thought. After the takeover the mess left showed people had been there who had no concept of what they were destroying. I am so sorry for this loss to your memories.
People whose hearts are on fire for Justice and who believe that their zeal and utopian dreams make them bearers of a higher wisdom/infallible truth have no need for books or ideas, if anything these things can only get in the way of their certitude and their burning (literally) desire to destroy this world so a better one appears in its place—these are always the enemies of civilization, in all times and places.
I can hardly "like" a piece that talks about college students damaging a university library. There is really no excuse for destroying records of what other people have thought about and written about. It makes me very sad to know that college students would think this is an appropriate way to express their ideas.
Since there is growing evidence that outside agitators are organizing these criminal trespass, vandalism, and harassment operations, the participants should be prosecuted under RICO statute. Restitution must be part of the penalty.
The damage walk-through--the men who have to clean up the destruction --no one wrecking the library thought how they hurt working people and then students who might need the library's resources. Of all the places that could be occupied, this hit at the university's heart.
If these were skinheads doing and saying the exact same thing as these protesters, the FBI, DHS, BATF, DEA, DOJ & CIA would be all over them and claim victory over the largest domestic terrorist organization in DOJ history.
I saw one picture that I couldn't share of spray-painted slogans across an entire range of books--across all the beautiful bindings. When protesters come for libraries I am damaged in my heart and soul.
It betrays a deeper malice. I do not accept that these acts are mindless or ignorant. This is not heedless vandalism. Their ideas cannot prevail amid the glory of Western culture.
How terrible. This is the destruction of a public resource for education for all and for the preservation of history and culture. It is the opposite of what the left should stand for.
Does anything matter to the Portland politicians? Anything? The destruction of the collected information and records of human beings in their time on earth is an abomination to me, apparently Portland is unfazed in their search for ......what?
The erasure of art and history, and its replacement with only those things which are acceptable to the Party, is a founding principle of Communism. It must be resisted, and the perpetrators brought to justice at all costs.
“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Solzhenitsyn reminds us that this has always been done by people who want their ideas to triumph.
The storming of the monasteries (Klostersturm) in the Habsburg Empire began in January 1782 when Joseph II began dissolving purely contemplative religious houses. https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/question-utility-klostersturm-under-joseph-ii
I don't believe that library destroyers have ideas. Only rage. Their goals are apparently annihilation, as has been said.
They share this with Hamas and Islamic jihad.
Awful. But this is what happens when you coddle those who hate Western civilization.
Over millennia libraries have been targets of burning and destruction. A place that preserves memory is seen as a threat.
I am a 1991 graduate of Portland State University. The library was designed to wrap around a beautiful old tree with windows that overlooked the tree and the park blocks. When I was a student there, I would do research near a window that looked over the tree. The Saturday before the takeover I went to the farmers market that is held in the park blocks next to Portland State. A group of angry people had taken over a space next to the library. They spray painted slogans on the exterior brick of the library. Painting on something porous like brick can permanently damage it, yet no one had done anything about it. If they had been stopped from damaging the exterior of the library, they would never have been allowed to take over the interior of the library and damage that. That this is allowed to happen is related to philosophy professor Peter Boghossian having to quit due to a hostile work environment. Once people like this are allowed to do some damage to the physical and intellectual structures of an institution, it is harder to stop them from damaging the institution itself.
So often we remember our life's libraries. I spent some time looking at pictures of the library before the destruction. It is beautiful and so student-centered with growing special collections. The video of the walk through after it was cleared showed that those who entered had no idea where they were. To them it was just a building. After hours when a library is closed the only things left might be a few pieces of crumpled paper from a student taking notes--signs of study and thought. After the takeover the mess left showed people had been there who had no concept of what they were destroying. I am so sorry for this loss to your memories.
People whose hearts are on fire for Justice and who believe that their zeal and utopian dreams make them bearers of a higher wisdom/infallible truth have no need for books or ideas, if anything these things can only get in the way of their certitude and their burning (literally) desire to destroy this world so a better one appears in its place—these are always the enemies of civilization, in all times and places.
I can hardly "like" a piece that talks about college students damaging a university library. There is really no excuse for destroying records of what other people have thought about and written about. It makes me very sad to know that college students would think this is an appropriate way to express their ideas.
Since there is growing evidence that outside agitators are organizing these criminal trespass, vandalism, and harassment operations, the participants should be prosecuted under RICO statute. Restitution must be part of the penalty.
The damage walk-through--the men who have to clean up the destruction --no one wrecking the library thought how they hurt working people and then students who might need the library's resources. Of all the places that could be occupied, this hit at the university's heart.
If these were skinheads doing and saying the exact same thing as these protesters, the FBI, DHS, BATF, DEA, DOJ & CIA would be all over them and claim victory over the largest domestic terrorist organization in DOJ history.
Thank you for remarking on the disgraceful acts of destruction.
These people are beneath contempt.
I saw one picture that I couldn't share of spray-painted slogans across an entire range of books--across all the beautiful bindings. When protesters come for libraries I am damaged in my heart and soul.
It betrays a deeper malice. I do not accept that these acts are mindless or ignorant. This is not heedless vandalism. Their ideas cannot prevail amid the glory of Western culture.
Targeting libraries does seem insidious.
that is sickening
thanks for documenting this
It hasn’t had much coverage. Libraries don’t seem to be interesting to national news.
Most people don't read books, especially journalists!
Most of them have probably never used said library.
How terrible. This is the destruction of a public resource for education for all and for the preservation of history and culture. It is the opposite of what the left should stand for.
Does anything matter to the Portland politicians? Anything? The destruction of the collected information and records of human beings in their time on earth is an abomination to me, apparently Portland is unfazed in their search for ......what?
What a bunch of entitled punks.