Window Cleaner Takes Sh*t from President Obama

Feces splattered on Douglas County Democratic headquarters. Pictured: Erik Haeber of Crystal Clear Professional Window Cleaning cleans off the window in front of a life-size cut-out of President Barack Obama.
A window case displaying a life-size cutout of President Barack Obama was pelted with a bucket-sized load of feces early Tuesday at Douglas County Democratic headquarters in downtown Roseburg. The excrement appeared to have been thrown from some kind of container as it coated the window at 827 S.E. Cass Ave., covered the eaves and was visible on the ground. “I was shocked to see it,” said Jean Patricia, a Democratic Party volunteer who discovered the vandalism when she arrived at 10 a.m. to open the office. “You'd think people would have something better to do.” The incident is the latest and most serious act in a recent string of vandalism on downtown streets, police report. And the Republican Party headquarters has not been immune, according to a party member.
Splashing the feces on the Democrat's window was a cowardly act, said Dean Byers, chairman of the Douglas County Democratic Party. “This is where people choose to take the dialogue,” he said. Byers added that if whoever responsible had the guts, “they'd call me out and ask me to debate them.” Other incidents have been reported on a smaller scale downtown in recent days, according to the Roseburg Police Department. Sgt. Aaron Dunbar said someone smeared feces on the window of the Blend Clothing store at 556 S. E. Jackson St. last week. In a second incident, someone defecated in the doorway of the store. There have also been incidents of vandalism at Republican Party headquarters at 642 S.E. Jackson St. in recent weeks, according to longtime Republican Tom Hatfield, an alternate to the state Republican Central Committee. There has been evidence of public urination and vomiting at the building, Hatfield said, which he prefers to think is tied to the homeless population downtown. But there have also been incidents specifically targeting the building, including matches jammed in the front lock, soaped windows, and even buttock marks left on a window. Two years ago, a window was shot out. “That was disturbing,” he said.



Hatfield denounced the incident that occurred at Democratic headquarters. “I think it's unfortunate people choose to express themselves that way,” Hatfield said. “We do have a First Amendment that allows good and reasonable discourse, and that should be allowed. This is inappropriate. This is out of line.” Linda Hellenthal, chairwoman of the Douglas County Republican Central Committee, also criticized the act. “It's a shame. There are much more civilized ways to express to express unhappiness,” she said. “What a deplorable way to express an opinion, if that's what this was. It doesn't tell us anything about what they might be angry about. All it does is require a lot of cleanup.” Sgt. Dunbar said police are investigating the downtown incidents, but at this point don't have a lot to go on.
The window that was plastered at the Democratic Party headquarters only contained the Obama cutout. The main display window that contains photographs of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio and other prominent state Democrats, was not touched. “The fact they chose to focus on the Obama image seems to suggest a racist statement,” Byers said. Last November, Obama received 38 percent of the presidential vote in Douglas County. Republican John McCain carried the county with 58 percent.
The incident took place sometime before 7 a.m. Tim Beaty, the owner of the American Family Insurance agency two doors down from the Democratic headquarters, said there wasn't anything amiss when he came to work at 3:30 a.m. He left later for breakfast and noticed the feces attack when he returned to the office about 7. The vandalism was the third in the past two months targeting the party headquarters. Someone filled the front door keyhole with solder last month, said building owner Byron Frazer, who also owns Garden Valley Realty, located next to the office. Later that same month, someone glued a couple of flyers denouncing both Obama and former President George W. Bush for the war in Iraq. Beaty said he wished people had more respect for differing views. “Whatever your political views are, this isn't something you should be doing,” he said.