PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland coffee shop was vandalized early Wednesday morning after promoting a “Coffee with a Cop” event at their store, officials say.
No arrests have been made, and the Portland Police Bureau is asking for public assistance to locate the suspects involved in the incident.
According to PPB, officers responded to the coffee shop around 3 a.m. at Bison Coffeehouse in the 3900 block of Northeast Cully Boulevard.
They reportedly arrived and found broken windows, property damage and white debris from a discharged fire extinguisher on the inside of the building. Multiple officers assisted with the cleanup effort, PPB said.
Police say the suspects weren’t at the scene when they arrived. They are asking that anyone who has information about this crime or the suspects involved to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 22-267489.
Security footage captures six vandals causing large damage to the coffee house. Bison Coffeehouse owner Loretta Guzman says she believes she was targeted for hosting Coffee with a Cop.
“They tried to shut it down, that’s how I feel. Somebody tried to,” she said.
Although the damage was vast, Guzman received help with the cleanup effort almost immediately.
“It was so overwhelming, I was looking around like ‘oh my God, where do I start?’ But when I came back there were literally customers out in front and my friends came in,” Guzman said. “And they were like okay, buckets, water, rags, and everybody just started getting busy.”
Despite the vandalism, Guzman proceeded with the Coffee with a Cop event Wednesday morning.
“We still did it. Why didn’t they come when everybody was here? If they had a real issue they should have come and discussed it with any one of the people that were here. There were so many people here that would have loved to talk to them,” she said.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler sent out a series of tweets about the incident.
“Last night, Bison Coffeehouse, a local BIPOC woman-owned small business, was attacked and vandalized by a group of masked criminals. They shattered windows and covered the interior of the shop with white paint. This destruction happened on the eve of Bison Coffeehouse hosting an event to bring the community and police together,” he said. “Portland police was able to immediately respond, begin investigating, and assist the owner with cleaning up her shop in the aftermath of these hate-filled acts. Upon arrest, I will advocate for the prosecution to the fullest extent of the law—including potential federal hate crimes.”
A GoFundMe has been created to help pay for the damages.