Gov. Kate Brown is considering a lottery drawing and other incentives to help get reticent Oregonians to consider vaccination for COVID-19. That and other creative ways that can get people to take a second look at the health information around vaccines could be well worth it, the Oregonian Editorial Board writes.
Editorial: Portland Street Response needs more time before going citywide
Today 6:15 AM
Family and loved ones of Robert Douglas Delgado, who was shot and killed by Portland Police officer Zachary DeLong last week, held a vigil in Lents Park, where Delgado died, on Fri., April 23, 2021. The shooting has prompted Portland Street Response organizers to consider how they might change their criteria for cases to which they respond.The Oregonian
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The debate over how much the Portland City Council should fund the Portland Street Response isn’t about whether to support the pilot program, which dispatches a paramedic and social worker to handle select 911 calls involving people who are homeless or in mental health crisis. The entire council is united in the belief that Portland needs an effective and sustainable alternative to the traditional approach of sending police out on such calls.
Senate Bill 580, which would require school districts to negotiate with teachers unions over class size, won't significantly reduce class sizes and instead could reduce investment in the kinds of equity initiatives and mental health supports that have been shown to help students, the editorial board writes. But the bill, which passed the Oregon Senate and now sits in a House committee, is a priority of the teachers union, one of Democrats' biggest donors.
Editorial: County’s rent assistance program needs transparency, urgency
Today 6:15 AM
County and city officials announced an eviction moratorium in March 2020. The state followed with a statewide order, which has been extended through June 30.
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Keeping Oregonians housed has been a top priority for state and local leaders since the coronavirus pandemic began, for good reason. The region’s ongoing housing shortage coupled with the economic fallout of coronavirus-related restrictions put families across the state at risk of losing their homes.
The prospect of preventing even more misery justified the actions that state and local governments have taken to protect the stability of Oregonians’ living situations, particularly renters, such as funding rent assistance and extending a moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent.
Editorial: Drawing the line between chaos and community
Today 6:30 AM
The Blazers Boys and Girls Club was among the targets of property destruction earlier this month. April 20, 2021 Beth Nakamura/StaffThe Oregonian
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The verdict declaring former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of George Floyd’s murder won’t singlehandedly restore many Americans’ faith in the criminal justice system, nor does it disentangle our policing practices from the discriminatory beliefs often embedded in them.
But it is affirmation that our institutions, as flawed as they may be, can evolve and that those who betray our faith can be held accountable. It’s evidence that progress can come from challenging our institutions to be better, not by abolishing or breaking them. And at this critical moment in which Portlanders are struggling to climb out of a year of pandemic and unrest, it offers a message of hope and encouragement that we can build on this moment.