And I’ve said before, that statue was designed to be seen by viewers from below. The proportions will be askew if met face to face on the ground.
Portland should put Lincoln back on his plinth or leave him in storage. Either commit to honoring the man or stay silent. This wishy washy approach is silly and has become all too typical of this city.
The Man who spent his entire presidency trying to save our Union, the Nan who signed the Emancipation Declaration, the Nan who befriended Stephen Douglas, the Man who gave , perhap the greatest presidential speech at Gettysburg PA is displaced. This attack on our history should be responded to by demanding the public resignation of all these "arts" council members. They spoke for themselves as the elitists they are. SEND THEM PACKING for their disrespect of not only history but also culture. I will gladly post their names if requested.
The City's decision to lower the base of the Lincoln statue appears to have been made with an alarming lack of transparency and public engagement. Following the decision to restore several of Portland's historic statues, the City's arts office had discussions with a variety of interested individuals like Bill & Kit Hawkins, community groups, including Concerned Citizens, and others. At no point during these conversations was there any indication that the City was contemplating relocating the Lincoln statue onto a dramatically lower base.
This omission matters. Public engagement is not simply a box to be checked after decisions have effectively been made behind closed doors. It is intended to provide residents with meaningful opportunities to understand proposals, offer input, and influence outcomes before decisions are finalized.
The City currently employs 37 community engagement personnel across its four service areas. With such substantial resources dedicated to public outreach, there is no reasonable excuse for failing to ensure that a significant proposed change- a change that the decision makers knew would be of great public interest and concern- to one of Portland's most prominent historic monuments was widely communicated and openly discussed. The fact that neither the possibility of lowering the statue's pedestal nor the ultimate decision itself was disclosed during these discussions raises troubling questions about the City's commitment to transparency and public accountability.
Government earns public trust by dealing fairly and honestly with the people it serves. Residents have a right to expect that important decisions affecting shared civic assets will be openly discussed before they are made, not revealed afterward as a fait accompli. When information is withheld from stakeholders who have been participating in a public process, it undermines confidence that the process was genuine.
The Lincoln statue is more than a piece of public art. It is a significant civic and historical landmark whose presentation conveys meaning about how Portland understands and honors its past and that of our nation. Changes to such a monument should be approached with care and openness.
Good government requires more than technical compliance with procedural requirements. It requires candor, transparency, and respect for the public. Portland residents deserve a clear explanation of when this proposal was first considered, who participated in the decision-making process, why it was not disclosed during prior public engagement efforts, and what steps will be taken to ensure that future decisions involving significant public monuments are conducted in the open.
Trust is earned through transparency and lost through secrecy. Whatever one thinks of the merits of lowering the Lincoln statue's base, the process that produced this decision falls short of the standards Portland residents should expect from their government.
p.s. On a practical note, the city to date has failed to demonstrate how a Lincoln statue on the ground to make it more "accessible" can be better protected from individuals who wish to disrespect or harm it- as well as from dogs using it as a scent post or marking spot- than keeping it on its original raised base.
Let's just cut to the chase: Lincoln makes the latte-revolutionaries nervous, since he effected monumental changes without resorting to people dressed up in frog costumes..
The people who attacked the statue of Abe Lincoln during their demented rampage around Columbus Day 2020 were not “protesters.”
They were vandals, some of whom very likely had clear ideological viewpoints consistent with the thinking that would humiliate one of this nation’s greatest presidents by taking him off his well earned pedestal.
Too many layers in the decision making process enabling the decision to be non transparent and then able to blame someone else for not doing their due diligence. The statue was made to be put on a pedestal. That was the artist's intent. Nobody should reimagine what the artist did.
Surely nobody is surprised. It seems that everything the City of Portland does is far more complicated than it needs to be. Let’s be honest: there are probably people inside City Hall who oppose restoring the Lincoln statue.
Local media has been looking the other way on this story. The elk got ink; Lincoln continues in top-secret limbo. And now comes the Regional Arts gang, tax-exempt and refusing any requests for information about the way they do business. RACC is a self-dealing cabal of artists paying off other artists and a money laudry of public money thhat suddenly becomes very, very private.
They have been "contextualizing" the vandalized statues for years, as progressive mantras have endlessly morphed. Perhaps what signage should contextualize is the anarchy and civic malfeasance that toppled the statues in the first place.
And I’ve said before, that statue was designed to be seen by viewers from below. The proportions will be askew if met face to face on the ground.
Portland should put Lincoln back on his plinth or leave him in storage. Either commit to honoring the man or stay silent. This wishy washy approach is silly and has become all too typical of this city.
The Man who spent his entire presidency trying to save our Union, the Nan who signed the Emancipation Declaration, the Nan who befriended Stephen Douglas, the Man who gave , perhap the greatest presidential speech at Gettysburg PA is displaced. This attack on our history should be responded to by demanding the public resignation of all these "arts" council members. They spoke for themselves as the elitists they are. SEND THEM PACKING for their disrespect of not only history but also culture. I will gladly post their names if requested.
Frederick Douglas too! I'm reading his biography by David Blight at this very moment.
The City's decision to lower the base of the Lincoln statue appears to have been made with an alarming lack of transparency and public engagement. Following the decision to restore several of Portland's historic statues, the City's arts office had discussions with a variety of interested individuals like Bill & Kit Hawkins, community groups, including Concerned Citizens, and others. At no point during these conversations was there any indication that the City was contemplating relocating the Lincoln statue onto a dramatically lower base.
This omission matters. Public engagement is not simply a box to be checked after decisions have effectively been made behind closed doors. It is intended to provide residents with meaningful opportunities to understand proposals, offer input, and influence outcomes before decisions are finalized.
The City currently employs 37 community engagement personnel across its four service areas. With such substantial resources dedicated to public outreach, there is no reasonable excuse for failing to ensure that a significant proposed change- a change that the decision makers knew would be of great public interest and concern- to one of Portland's most prominent historic monuments was widely communicated and openly discussed. The fact that neither the possibility of lowering the statue's pedestal nor the ultimate decision itself was disclosed during these discussions raises troubling questions about the City's commitment to transparency and public accountability.
Government earns public trust by dealing fairly and honestly with the people it serves. Residents have a right to expect that important decisions affecting shared civic assets will be openly discussed before they are made, not revealed afterward as a fait accompli. When information is withheld from stakeholders who have been participating in a public process, it undermines confidence that the process was genuine.
The Lincoln statue is more than a piece of public art. It is a significant civic and historical landmark whose presentation conveys meaning about how Portland understands and honors its past and that of our nation. Changes to such a monument should be approached with care and openness.
Good government requires more than technical compliance with procedural requirements. It requires candor, transparency, and respect for the public. Portland residents deserve a clear explanation of when this proposal was first considered, who participated in the decision-making process, why it was not disclosed during prior public engagement efforts, and what steps will be taken to ensure that future decisions involving significant public monuments are conducted in the open.
Trust is earned through transparency and lost through secrecy. Whatever one thinks of the merits of lowering the Lincoln statue's base, the process that produced this decision falls short of the standards Portland residents should expect from their government.
p.s. On a practical note, the city to date has failed to demonstrate how a Lincoln statue on the ground to make it more "accessible" can be better protected from individuals who wish to disrespect or harm it- as well as from dogs using it as a scent post or marking spot- than keeping it on its original raised base.
Very well said!
Let's just cut to the chase: Lincoln makes the latte-revolutionaries nervous, since he effected monumental changes without resorting to people dressed up in frog costumes..
The people who attacked the statue of Abe Lincoln during their demented rampage around Columbus Day 2020 were not “protesters.”
They were vandals, some of whom very likely had clear ideological viewpoints consistent with the thinking that would humiliate one of this nation’s greatest presidents by taking him off his well earned pedestal.
Too many layers in the decision making process enabling the decision to be non transparent and then able to blame someone else for not doing their due diligence. The statue was made to be put on a pedestal. That was the artist's intent. Nobody should reimagine what the artist did.
Surely nobody is surprised. It seems that everything the City of Portland does is far more complicated than it needs to be. Let’s be honest: there are probably people inside City Hall who oppose restoring the Lincoln statue.
Local media has been looking the other way on this story. The elk got ink; Lincoln continues in top-secret limbo. And now comes the Regional Arts gang, tax-exempt and refusing any requests for information about the way they do business. RACC is a self-dealing cabal of artists paying off other artists and a money laudry of public money thhat suddenly becomes very, very private.
They have been "contextualizing" the vandalized statues for years, as progressive mantras have endlessly morphed. Perhaps what signage should contextualize is the anarchy and civic malfeasance that toppled the statues in the first place.
Dear lord. This kind of bs again? It defies belief. I’m embarrassed by this & to live in Portland when this kind of stuff gets out.