The Elk Is Gone -- Long Live The Elk!

 

This foregone spot was once the home of elk statues.  

First was the original, then came the modern. Briefly, this is how it went with the downtown Portland elk statues.

The modern elk. 

After protesters damaged the original elk, the city took it down and put it in storage for preservation. Then an artist created the above version.

Sometime in September White Supremists took a page from the fraternity pranks playbook and removed the modern elk to an undisclosed location. 

The city then scoured the area where it had stood.

We're all getting ready for the election, the aftermath, and a long winter. I can't say that the elk is a symbol or harbinger of anything except the ebb and flow of the protest movement here. My feeling is that the creativity and energy of the elk-producing people far outweigh the destructive impulses of the haters.

I would not be sad if a string of elk-inspired sculptures periodically appeared at this spot.

Elk Stoke!