In what appears to be an intentional, targeted crime, Lan Su Chinese Garden’s Teahouse window was vandalized overnight on Friday August 4th.
Dear Friend,
My team and I are deeply troubled by this act of vandalism. Upon arrival on Friday morning, our staff discovered a slab of granite on the floor inside, with more pieces scattered around the outside of the garden. Shockingly, the granite seems to have been forcibly broken off one of the bronze guardian lion statues located at the entrance to Portland's Old Town/Chinatown, over a quarter mile away from the Garden.
The timing of this crime is especially disturbing as it took place just before the annual Chinese Festival, scheduled to be held tomorrow at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Lan Su will join the festival organizer, Oregon Chinese Coalition, and many more local Chinese businesses and organizations to celebrate our cultural unity.
We want to emphasize that we consider this an act of hate, targeting the Chinese community, and we unequivocally condemn such behavior. Lan Su stands in solidarity with our Chinese community. We will not let this senseless crime deter us from our mission to inspire, engage, and educate the community about Chinese culture.
We have promptly reported this incident to the Portland Police and the Oregon Department of Justice's bias crime hotline. We urge anyone with information related to this crime to come forward and report it to the authorities.
We remain committed to participating in the Chinese Festival tomorrow, and we encourage everyone to join in showing support.
As an organization dedicated to fostering cultural understanding and appreciation, we will continue to promote unity and compassion despite such acts of vandalism.
Together, let us stand against hate and uphold the values of diversity and inclusion in our community.
Elizabeth Nye
Executive Director, Lan Su Chinese Garden
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