by Alex Zielinski
[What follows is part five of a five-part series on the progress Portland has made on police reform over the past year. Read the rest here. eds] The movement that kicked local police reform efforts into gear last May is far from over. For many activists who invested months into organizing in 2020, the past year’s wins aren’t satisfactory. “We’re not even remotely close to where we should be,” said Darren Golden, a former member of the activist organization Rose City Justice, which led many of the early summer marches. “But that’s expected. I think a lot of people believe that it is easy to change the system of policing, and you can just tear it down. It’s not that easy that investment takes time. If you remove a support system and don’t support the system you removed, it’s going to fall. And the people that are hurt most are the ones that need the most help.”
When Margaret Carter reflects on police, she remembers the 1970s, when officers in North Portland planted marijuana in people’s cars and arrested them. Since then, said Carter the first Black woman elected to the Oregon Legislature little has changed to restore trust between Black Portlanders and police officers. And continued police killings of Black Americans have only exacerbated these .
Wyden, Blumenauer endorses full funding of Portland Street Response program May 06 2021
The Oregon U.S. senator tweets his support the day after a public hearing on Mayor Ted Wheeler s proposed budget.
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden urged the City Council to fully fund the Portland Street Response program Thursday, May 6.
Wyden tweeted that he had met with Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who favors full funding, and said he supports federal funding for such non-police crisis response teams nationally.
Portland s program pairs Portland Police & Fire paramedics with mental health professionals to respond to 911 calls that do not require a police response. The program started as a pilot in Lents in February. Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed spending nearly $1 million in next year s budget to fully fund the pilot. Hardesty wants to spend at least $3 million more to expand the program citywide.
Wyden, Blumenauer endorses full funding of Portland Street Response program May 06 2021
The Oregon U.S. senator tweets his support the day after a public hearing on Mayor Ted Wheeler s proposed budget.
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden urged the City Council to fully fund the Portland Street Response program Thursday, May 6.
Wyden tweeted that he had met with Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who favors full funding, and said he supports federal funding for such non-police crisis response teams nationally.
Portland s program pairs Portland Police & Fire paramedics with mental health professionals to respond to 911 calls that do not require a police response. The program started as a pilot in Lents in February. Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed spending nearly $1 million in next year s budget to fully fund the pilot. Hardesty wants to spend at least $3 million more to expand the program citywide.