Portland, Ore. (KATU/CNN Newsource) – A couple who recently moved to Portland, Oregon feel threatened after someone sprayed graffiti on their home, telling them to go back to California.
Preston Page said, “The first thing I noticed was the ‘Get California out of Portland.”
Page notice the graffiti on his door early Sunday. At first, he couldn’t believe it. He said, “I had to take a double-take.”
He then noticed more. Graffiti reading, “MOVE BACK” was tagged on a wall, with “CALIFORNIA DREAMIN” on another.
His fiance’s car was covered in gold paint from front to back, with key marks too.
All of it was anti-California.
“I feel like they went and watched Point Break or listened to a Beach Boys album and took a few key statements there and wrote on the house and car,” Page said.
The couple spent thousands of dollars renovating their home since they moved in four months ago.
They just finished re-painting the outside two weeks ago, and now it’s covered in gold graffiti.
Page said, “It’s a pretty loud message about not wanting Californians in their neighborhood.”
Neighbors are flabbergasted. One said, “I just can’t believe they would do something like this.”
Page has a hunch who did this. The day before he got into an argument with a man who Page said was racing down his street yelling “Get out California.”
He thinks that man came back overnight.
Understandably, Page feel threatened. But there’s a balance.
“At the end of the day as well, you can’t get upset at every mad person in the world,” said Page. “That’s why we pay for insurance and stuff like that.”
Page understands that many Portlanders may feel pushed out because of some transplants have moved in. But he says this is not the way to share that.
“Other than this little instance, the city’s been great,” said Page. “The community is great. It’s just unfortunate when people are frustrated this is how they express it.”
Page has already repainted the exterior of his home and purchased two flood lights and surveillance cameras to install outside his house.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.