October 30th, 2024

Vandal hurls rock through
​Linn Dems office window

Mark Leonard, Linn Dems Organization Committee chair, measures for a temporary plywood cover for the damaged window.

  Shards of glass were strewn throughout the Linn County Democrats campaign office Wednesday morning, Oct. 23, the act of a vandal who threw a rock through the front window.
    The incident happened sometime after 7 p.m. Oct. 22 and before 9:40 a.m. Oct. 23, when a volunteer arrived to pick up canvass information. The organization filed a police report, and the incident is under investigation.
   The shattered window came after reports in recent weeks of thefts of Harris-Walz, and Bynum lawn signs in west and North Albany. While several Linn Dem officers cleaned up the mess the mornng of Oct. 23, a Queen Avenue resident came to the office to report that a tow truck deliberately backed over his lawn signs at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 18. That incident was captured on the resident's security camera.
  “I’m frustrated and disappointed in the state of our current politics, where people think it’s OK to target folks who disagree with them politically and would do something like vandalize a political office,” said Jerred Taylor, chair of the Linn County Democrats. 
   Ben Roche, chairman of the Linn County Republican also denounced the vandalism. "I felt we needed to send a strong message that we oppose any kind of political violence and intimidation," Roche told the Oregonian.
   The office was cleaned up by noon Oct. 23. Taylor is unfazed by the vandalism.
   “We’re not going to let political intimidation tactics stop us from doing the work of protecting democracy, and we’re going to continue operations,” he said. “Even though this has been a slight interruption, we’re going to keep on going until Nov. 5 and make sure we’re going to elect Democrats down the ballot.”
​  Anyone whose lawn signs are stolen, or whose 

---

Volunteers arrived Wednesday morning to a mess of glass, buttons, stickers on the floor.

The 5-inch-long rock was found amid the mess on the carpet.

Jerred Taylor later painted the rock blue and added the words "We're not going back."

Jerred Taylor later painted the rock blue and added the words "We're not going back."

Video: Vandalism at Linn County Dems office.

Oct. 18 security camera video: Tow truck backs over Dem lawn signs on Queen Avenue.

property is vandalized in the lead-up to Nov. 5 should ​
​call the Albany Police Department, 541-917-7680.
   The Linn County Democrats thank all those who have donated to assist with the $785 cost of the window replacement, and that includes more than $500 from Republican donors.

Full Message from Linn Dems Chair Jerred Taylor