After immobilizing Snack Van 2, police told the owner if he didn’t move his van soon, he’d be arrested.
Portland Tribune reporter Zane Sparling caught the surprising moment a Portland Police officer whipped out his knife before stabbing all four tires of Snack Van 2, a van operated by protest supporter Jeremy Vajko whose sole mission is to keep protestors in the Seattle area fed and fueled with free snacks and drinks.
This night in the East Precinct area marks 70 nights of protests to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Check out the video for yourself below.
In the video, a pair of cops circle the van, one with his tactical knife in hand and the other yelling at protesters to, “Get out of the way…move…get off the streets.”
With a quick stab of his knife, the police officer punctures each tire rendering the 6,000 pound van immobile.
As mentioned, police are not making it easy for Snack Van 2, putting the owner in a Catch-22. To move so a tow truck can reach him, he needs his tires, but they slashed them so…
This vehicle looks like a pre-facelift, second generation Mercedes-Benz Springer 2500 HD.
As the name suggests, this is the second Snack Van.
Here’s a photo of the van before protesters adorned the exterior with sayings.
A quick search reveals these Sprinters run on common 245/75/16 tires with an “e” load rating. Since the sidewalls are punctured, a simple patch job won’t work, new tires are needed.
Thankfully, it looks like the owner can have four new tires for less than $500. While a major inconvenience, it’s not too expensive.
How to help
According to Amanda Siebe, Snack Van’s owner is accepting donations on Venmo and CashApp.
To help @SnackVanTM get new wheels, they're accepting donations on venmo @ SnackVanTM & on Cash App @ $snackvantm
— Amanda Siebe | ♿ #DisabilityRightsAreHumanRight ♿️ (@SiebeforORD1) August 7, 2020
Please help us spread the word!!
Efforts are underway to get a more permanent fund set up to support other victims of slashed tires.
New tires will set back someone hundreds of dollars, money that could’ve been spent on something more conducive to the greater good.
It’s wrong for Portland police to unduly burden its own citizens with this extra headache.
Thankfully, this injustice is being documented and people are more than willing to help the cause.
If that means new tires for Snack Van 2, that’s where their money is going.
Good. I have been trashing this terrorist groups vehicles here in Detroit as well. Recording tag numbers for later use as well. We will deal with those who fund terrorists after the election-trust that.