Guest host Linda Olson-Osterlund welcomes Greg McKelvey and James Ofsink of Portland's Resistance to discuss proposed policy changes within the Portland Police Bureau and renegotiating it's Federal settlement with the Justice Department.
On July 30th Portland's Resistance posted an open letter to the remaining candidates for the role of Chief of the Portland Police Bureau. It reads:
Dear Final Candidates for the position of Chief of Police for Portland, Oregon,
You probably know quite a bit about Portland’s Resistance, but we don’t know much of anything about you. We are a group of activists, workers, parents, immigrants, students, teachers, lawyers, public servants, and organizers — working to deepen our communities’ resilience to the dehumanizing, oppressive, and dangerous worldview put forward by the Trump administration. One of you is likely to be leading the most violent, authoritarian arm of our local government which is nationally recognized for brutalizing vulnerable communities. We need to talk.
We write to urge you to engage with the people who will be impacted by your judgment, your values, your leadership, and your commitment to our communities. We are deeply concerned with the state of policing in our city and the secrecy with which the hiring process for our new police chief is being conducted has heightened our resolve. We are dedicated to transforming criminal justice policies in Portland, elevating the voices of communities most impacted by institutionalized oppression and discrimination, and deepening the public’s engagement with policies and institutions which affect our lives.
We propose that you participate in a public community forum to demonstrate your commitment to the people. Before swearing to protect and serve; you must listen to the people whose homes you will enter, whose children play in the streets you patrol; whose lives may be literally in your hands. We would like the opportunity to ask you our own interview questions, and we insist that you answer to the concerns of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Our questions are as follows:
- Will you fire officers found to have ties to white supremacist organizations?
- How will you police non-permitted and permitted protests and demonstrations? If there is a difference, why?
- What training and protocol will you put in place to ensure that no unarmed person is murdered by police in our city?
- How will you take action to address the historically racist culture of police so to reform the Portland Police Bureau to serve the public through non-violent, culturally competent, and compassionate mitigation of conflict in our communities?
- What protocol will you implement to ensure Sanctuary is upheld in Portland?
- How will you ensure justice for people who are unlawfully harassed, detained, intimidated, or harmed by police? Such as people in mental health crises, experiencing houselessness or poverty, and communities of color.
- What guidance or best practices will you employ to maintain frequent, high-quality, and demonstrable engagement with communities historically endangered by police to rebuild trust?
- How will you encourage officers to report unlawful, discriminatory, or violent behavior by other officers?
- When could we expect action on these issues to be taken?
- If you were to be hired, what would your first action be?
We expect that you will recognize this as a valuable opportunity to speak to the concerns of the Portland public. Count on Portland’s Resistance to always bring these issues to your attention. Whether you answer these questions now or in the streets is up to you.
Sincerely,
Portland’s Resistance
-from pdxresistance.org:
"In order to survive a Trump Presidency, the rise of white nationalism, and widening income inequality, there needs to be a strong resistance.
Our resistance envisions a future where communities are empowered to create new solutions to present day problems, using direct action, political advocacy, and community development to inspire new people to get involved in politics and to create a united platform for progressive causes. Portland has an opportunity to become a beacon of light, modeling to the world what a nonviolent resistance movement can truly look like.
Our movement will endure, gather, and thrive. Each act of oppression spurs us to recommit our hands and our hearts. We work, we grow, we change — we resist!"
- KBOO