Homeless Man Donates His Last Dollar to Repair Aftermath of Portland Riots: ‘I Wanted to Help’

(Oregon Historical Society)

A homeless man from Portland, Oregon, is being praised for donating all of his money to the Oregon Historical Society after protesters smashed in the building’s windows during a protest-turned-riot.

On Oct. 11, a Portland protest turned into a riot in which demonstrators toppled statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in protest of Columbus Day and in support of Indigenous People’s Day.

Inside the Oregon Historical Society during an Indigenous People's Day of Rage protest on Oct. 11, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Protesters also threw flares inside the Oregon Historical Society building and stole a priceless handmade Afro-American heritage bicentennial commemorative quilt, sewn by 15 black women from Portland in the 1970s.

The society’s executive director, Kerry Tymchuk, stated publicly that the OHS works diligently to honor Oregon’s Native Americans.

As news of the vandalism spread on Monday morning, donations started flowing in to help repair the destruction.

But one donation stood out among the rest.

Tymchuk received a note, handwritten on a simple napkin by a homeless man named Oscar. The note was accompanied by a meager $1 bill.

“I’m homeless,” the note read, “so I don’t have much to give you, just some of my bottle collecting money. But I saw your windows got broken and I wanted to help.”

(Oregon Historical Society)

The note also thanked the Oregon Historical Society staff for a free tour he once received.

“None [of these donations] have affected me as much as a gift from our neighbor, Oscar,” Tymchuk said, adding that the OHS is grateful for the numerous donations that have poured in from the community over the years.

“We’ve been grateful to receive many generous donations over the years, some upwards of a million and more dollars. No donation means more to me, and to the society, than this dollar donation,” Tymchuk added.

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