An activist stole a portrait of disgraced former Oregon governor and Portland mayor Neil Goldschmidt from City Hall on Wednesday.

Portraits of Portland’s 53 mayors, except for the several for which no portrait is known, hang in the foyer of the mayor’s office on the third floor of City Hall.

Goldschmidt was mayor from 1973 to 1979 before serving as the U.S. transportation secretary and Oregon’s governor. In 2004 he confessed to having sex with a then 13-year-old girl during his first term as mayor. He could not be prosecuted for rape because the statute of limitations had expired.

In a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday, a man approaches Goldschmidt’s framed photo in the mayor’s office and says “let’s take that off the wall” before grabbing the photo and exiting City Hall.

Portland City Hall. #PatrickKimmons #SayHisName #WheelerIsShameless #NeilGoldschmidtIsDownForGood #NoJusticeNoPeace The only serious choice. Posted by Jeff Thomas Black on Wednesday, March 27, 2019

“Did you guys see that?” the man says once outside. He continues: “You know guys, I thought I was getting arrested today and I’m not, I don’t think, because I just got away with it. That was pretty funny."

The man uses the name Jeff Thomas Black online and frequently posts material critical of President Donald Trump, Republicans and other politicians, including the current mayor, Ted Wheeler.

Black, whose social media profiles describe him as a civil rights activist, said he took the photo because images of Goldschmidt should not be on public display.

A spokeswoman for Wheeler confirmed the theft and said a police report had been filed.

Revelations of Goldschmidt’s abuse led to his political downfall and earned Willamette Week a Pulitzer Prize for exposing his sexual abuse. A painting of the politician was also removed from display at the Oregon Capitol.

-- Gordon R. Friedman