‘I feel defeated’: Oregon Little League baseball field vandalized and damaged
By Spencer Thomas
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TROUTDALE, Oregon (KPTV) — East County Little League is seeking help from the community after recent vandalism costs them thousands of dollars in damages.
“We have a container that holds all of our equipment it’s been broken into, 10-dozen game balls were stolen earlier in the year, our old scoreboard torn apart, they ripped the wires and the circuit board out of it too,” says Robert Peterson, Field Director of the East County Little League.
FOX 12 spoke with Robert who says there has been damage to the entire baseball complex 4 different times, over the past six months; $1,500 worth of turf infill for the home plate area was bumped onto the ground and no longer useable, $900 in rakes, and $2,500 in security cameras that were stolen, and the list goes on.
The Multnomah County based league is a volunteer-based organization that recently expanded its reach to Reynolds, Gresham/Barlow School District and sections of the Centennial and Corbett School Districts.
“I feel defeated” Little League baseball field vandalized and damaged Image: KPTV
Peterson says, “we feel like our backs are against the wall and this is just a place where the kids need to come to feel safe and play ball and fall in love with a game of baseball which is already dying in the community as it is.”
The estimated total in damages sits at $7,000, and Peterson begs the question of, “Why? Why would you be doing this to the kids, to the people that are involved trying to do something good for the greater good of the community?”
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Troutdale Police Department are working to learn more about the on-going vandalism.
The team started a GoFundMe to help with the cost of damages done to the field. Peterson also encourages kids to sign up for the spring baseball league and urges parents to volunteer their time to aid in the team’s recovery.
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