Vandalism isn’t activism

Ward 1 Councilor Emily Semple’s house was vandalized with a gendered pejorative I won’t repeat here. A particularly low blow as she is recovering from surgery following a car accident. Apparently, she lacked sufficient sincerity with her rather large Black Lives Matter sign. Ironic, considering her long history of social justice work including as a leader in Occupy. Certainly her contributions far exceed those of the coward who thinks tagging someone’s house is “activism.” 

Similarly, a mural-in-process on a retaining wall of a home on Willamette Street was defaced with the same red paint. The owner had previously painted “no justice, no peace” and had decided to invest in some public art. The vandal decided this was not sufficient in replacing her previous message of support. Tagging someone’s home does not make you an activist fighting the power, it makes you a dirtbag.

Ted M. Coopman, Eugene