A restaurant in Portland, Ore., had been warned that “something” would happen to it because of their apparent pro-police stance before someone shot through the windows days later, a report said.
The owner of Heroes American Café, John Jackson, told The Oregonian that someone called the burger joint last Thursday to say it was on a list of establishments that are pro-police and they should expect something to happen.
“We kind of dismissed it as whatever,” Jackson, 55, told the newspaper.
But on Sunday, vandals targeted the restaurant, shooting out two windows and smashing a third with a baseball bat, according to the report.
The vandalism came the same day a demonstration dubbed a “day of rage” on fliers hit the streets of the city. There have been a string of destructive protests in Portland since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
“It looked like a planned thing because they called us on Thursday and threatened us,” Jackson told the newspaper.
Jackson, who is black, said the vandals don’t know who he is or what his restaurant stands for.
“We are pro heroes, any hero — whether it’s a teacher, a firefighter, a police officer or a vet,” Jackson told the newspaper.
“We’ve very American in nature. I served in the military. We’re red, white and blue. Whatever side you’re on, you have a right to believe what you believe, but you don’t have a right to step on whatever you disagree with. We kind of felt like we’re neutral,” he added.
