Oregon's Democratic Party said they are not upset after members of Antifa vandalized their party headquarters during a demonstration. The event was organized to remember 23-year-old Sean Kealiher, who was killed in a hit-and-run near a popular pub for members of Antifa.
The event, called "Light The Sky For Sean," saw protesters using flares as they chanted "ACAB! All cops are b*stards!" Some then spray painted anarchist symbols on the building. One person climbed a ledge and spray painted over the American flag.
"We feeling very deeply wounded by [Kealiher's] death and by the circumstances of it," Executive Director Brad Martin told KATU. "We know that it expresses itself in a lot of ways, including the graffiti on the building and we understand that. It's just paint."
"It's just paint." @ORDems Executive Director, Brad Martin, talks about the graffiti on the Democratic Party of Oregon building and why they see it as part of the grieving process. #LiveOnK2 pic.twitter.com/G1P1sBQIXJ
— Ric Peavyhouse (@RPeavyhouse) October 14, 2019
The state Democratic Party said they are "deeply saddened by the homicide that took place outside our building this weekend" in a full statement.
The party added they will not remove the graffiti for some time:
"We encourage anyone with information about the murder to share it with Portland police. We know that community members are discussing ways to memorialize Sean Kealiher and they can count on our support. While the location of this horrific incident may have been unintentional, we respect the desires of mourners to congregate at the scene of this crime. Although the graffiti to our building is significant, any damage is insignificant compared to the community’s tremendous grief over this senseless death. In the coming days, our focus will be maintaining a safe and supportive environment for mourners, DPO staff, and volunteers."