There's a graphic video circulating of Portland Police rushing into a homeless shelter and killing a suspected car-jacking suspect. It stirs emotions, so I'll post at the end of the thread.
First, as a community, I want to think rationally about what's happening in our city:
First, as a community, I want to think rationally about what's happening in our city:
What we're witnessing in Portland today is WARFARE within our own boundaries between the dominant class (white, housed, affluent) and those who are not.
Our militarized police an occupying force less interested in "public safety" than in maintaining order and control.
Our militarized police an occupying force less interested in "public safety" than in maintaining order and control.
Portland Police too often serve as judge, jury and -as witnessed last night- executioner: they KILLED someone they weren't sure was criminal or even carrying a weapon w/ ZERO deescalation, firing into a room of homeless people seeking shelter.
We KNOW they will go unpunished.
We KNOW they will go unpunished.
Police violence goes unpunished because we, as a society, have made maintenance of racial and economic segregation their job: they spend their days excluding the underclasses entirely from some parts of town while harassing them to submission elsewhere. furmancenter.org/research/iri/e…
Some policy makers and civic leaders would go so far as ship Portland's houseless people to a suburban JAIL facility under the auspices of providing shelter as a 'solution' to homelessness:
4000 homeless - 500 jail beds = 3500 homeless -- PROBLEM SOLVED!
kptv.com/story/37861798…
4000 homeless - 500 jail beds = 3500 homeless -- PROBLEM SOLVED!
kptv.com/story/37861798…
Then, this week Portland's Mayor sent a letter to people who'd contacted his office about livability issues alerting them PORTLAND'S PUBLIC SAFETY IS IN JEOPARDY unless they turn out to support his $10 MILLION budget request to hire 93 new police officers:
Yes, 911 response times are up, but CRIME IS DOWN or FLAT even as the city grows. Serious emergency calls? Mere 1.6% increase since 2012. Sharpest increase? "Disorder Calls" up by 32% "welfare checks" or "suspicious persons."
Wheeler wants $10M TO POLICE THE HOMELESS, period 📈
Wheeler wants $10M TO POLICE THE HOMELESS, period 📈
No policing, community or otherwise, will solve the problems Portland currently faces. Until we address RACIAL & ECONOMIC INEQUALITY we cannot solve the "livability issues" plaguing this city.
Write your commissioners and attend the hearing on April 17-- lives depend on it.
Write your commissioners and attend the hearing on April 17-- lives depend on it.
TW/CW: Graphic Police Murder, Systems Abuse
The troubling video that inspired this thread. As someone who volunteers in homeless shelters, I gasped then cried. Guessing you won't be able to think straight after you see it, either.
The troubling video that inspired this thread. As someone who volunteers in homeless shelters, I gasped then cried. Guessing you won't be able to think straight after you see it, either.
Also, if you want to learn more about the budget process and the community budget office recommendations (data-driven) vs the proposed budgets (politically driven), this page is an excellent resource (and source of statistics cited here) portlandoregon.gov/cbo/75892
One other bright light (for the supernerds who go all the way to the end 👁️ ❤️🤓) there's a community-led effort to bring PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING to Portland.
They're hosting a summit on April 14, registration is required: healthydemocracy.org/events/2018/04…
They're hosting a summit on April 14, registration is required: healthydemocracy.org/events/2018/04…
