WGNO

Statues of beloved Beverly Cleary characters tagged with graffiti

Kelly Doyle and Nexstar Media Wire

Statues of author Beverly Cleary's beloved characters Ramona and Henry were defaced at the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in NE Portland on Wed. Feb. 16, 2022. (Graffiti Removal Services of Portland)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Statues at the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Portland were vandalized on Wednesday.

The bronze sculptures of Cleary’s beloved characters Ramona and Henry at Northeast Portland’s Grant Park were tagged with paint at some point overnight, as shown in the pictures below. The words “racist b—-” were also written in paint beneath the Ramona statue.

Portland Parks and Recreation is aware the statues were tagged. When KOIN reached out for comment, a PPR spokesperson called the incident unfortunate and said the Regional Arts & Culture Council is responsible for the piece.

The Henry Huggins sculpture was cleaned after being vandalized on Wed. Feb. 16, 2022. (“Before” photo provided by Kim Goldthwaite. “After” photo supplied to RACC by Graffiti Removal Services of Portland)
The Ramona Quimby sculpture was cleaned after being vandalized on Wed. Feb. 16, 2022. (“Before” photo provided by Kim Goldthwaite. “After” photo supplied to RACC by Graffiti Removal Services of Portland)

According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the sculptures were cleaned by 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon “with good results.”