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Logline

After protesters upend five monuments in Portland in 2020, the community reckons with its symbols of westward expansion. The unfolding fate of the sculptures pits historic preservationists and the descendants of Oregon Trail settlers against artists, Indigenous activists, and others who view the monuments as relics of colonialism.

Synopsis

During the summer and fall of 2020 across the American West, protesters pulled down hundreds of monuments. Among the overturned artworks were pioneer monuments, many of which commemorated the nation’s westward expansion. In Portland, Oregon, protesters on Indigenous People’s Day of Rage toppled monuments to Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Five years later, the pedestals remain empty and the community remains divided—even as the legacy of the bronze men on horseback and bonneted pioneer mothers continues to loom over the public spaces of the West. The film tells the story of a community reckoning with its symbols of westward expansion, including the unfolding fate of “Rough Rider,” a sculpture of Roosevelt upended in October 2020. The film juxtaposes the stories of those who want the monuments returned and those who want them gone, all set in a nation divided over who—if anyone—to elevate on pedestals.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Erika Bolstad — Director
Erika is a journalist and filmmaker in Portland and the author of Windfall, a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. She spent a decade in Washington, D.C., covering politics and environmental issues for Climatewire and the McClatchy Washington Bureau. In 2008, she was a Pulitzer finalist for work at the Idaho Statesman. To Be Rich, her companion short documentary to Windfall, was supported by an environmental art grant from the Anonymous Was a Woman Foundation.

Jackie Weissman — Producer
Jackie Weissman is the director of Rock N Roll Mamas. She is a founding board member of Women In Film-Portland and a founding organizer of Oregon Documentary Camp. Jen Tate is the co-founder of Oregon Media Lab and the director of Karaoke People. She has also served as executive director of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance and the producer of Oregon Documentary Camp.

Zach Putnam — Director of Photography
Zach leads a team of filmmakers and cinematographers with over a decade of experience telling stories for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. He’s also an adjunct instructor of multimedia storytelling at the University of Oregon.

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Contact

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