Updated June 28
Racial Equity panel’s report recommends changes in oversight, training of Portland police officers
Among the recommendations is creation of a crisis response team to initially deal with some mental health and other situations in marginalized communities.
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Members of Portland’s Racial Equity Steering Committee presented the findings of their final report to the City Council on Monday night, the first step in a process that could lead to changes in the training, screening and oversight of the Portland Police Department.
The recommendations touched on community policing, oversight of the department, and changes in the way law enforcement responds to mental health crises. The report was delivered to the City Council in April.
Updated April 26
Portland council receives recommendations for racial equity
A 65-page report from the Racial Equity Steering Committee, appointed in response to last summer s protests demanding racial justice, contains a range of recommendations for policing, mental health, housing, employment and even street names.
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A special committee asked to examine systemic racism in Portland’s public safety practices formally delivered its report to the City Council on Monday after six months of meetings and deliberations.
The 65-page report from the Racial Equity Steering Committee, appointed amid last summer’s protests demanding racial justice by Mayor Kate Snyder and the City Council, contains a wide range of recommendations around policing, mental health, housing, employment and street names.
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Local leaders discuss racial justice efforts
The panelists spoke on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, hosted by Greater Portland Council of Governments.
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Deqa Dhalac was a panelist with other local leaders on Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year. She discussed the formation of South Portland Human Rights Commission as well as other ways she has supported Black, Indigenous, People of Color in the community.
Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
Margaret Brownlee, vice-chair for the South Portland Human Rights Commission, talked about what led her to the work she’s done to form the committee during a panel on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Staff Photo by Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
How Martin Luther King Jr. Day feels different after ‘a year of revelation’
Black Lives Matter is likely the largest movement in American history. On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the question is, what does it mean for Maine?
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Lelia DeAndrade was in downtown Portland one Friday last summer when Black Lives Matter marchers passed by. People of color were among the crowd, yes, but she was surprised and heartened to see they weren’t the only ones demonstrating.
Multi-racial herself, she was well aware that racism existed. She also believed that many white Mainers thought racism hadn’t really been a problem for years.