PORTLAND, Oregon (NewsNation) — Despite having her coffee shop vandalized, a business owner in Portland still hosted Cup With a Cop, even though she believed the vandals targeted her shop for hosting the event.
“We still did it,” said Bison Coffeehouse owner Loretta Guzman to NewsNation affiliate KOIN. “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.”
Videos and photos shared after the vandalism showed six masked vandals and the destruction of the coffee shop on the outside and inside. After arrival, police found broken windows, property damage and debris from a discharged fire extinguisher. But Guzman said the cleanup response was quick, thanks to help from officers and the community.
“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 OK, buckets, water, rags, and everybody just started getting busy.”
No arrests had been made as of Friday morning, but the Portland Police Bureau is investigating, and asking the public for help locating the suspects. Local authorities say relevant information should be emailed to crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, and reference Case No. 22-267489.
There have been no reports that anything was stolen from the coffee shop.
“PPB (Portland Police Bureau) is grateful to the business owner for hosting and giving officers and the community an opportunity to interact and discuss public safety issues,” said an entry on the Portland Police Bureau’s website.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler sent out a series of tweets condemning the incident, promising “prosecution to the fullest extent of the law — including potential federal hate crimes.”
Guzman created a GoFundMe to help pay for damages. As of Friday morning, $27,307 of the $100,000 goal has been raised.
NewsNation affiliate KOIN contributed to this report.