Today I voted to support 4/5 proposals brought forward by Mayor Wheeler & Commissioner Ryan in an attempt to address our housing & houselessness crises. I also passed 2 amendments proposed by my office, and supported 2 amendments from Commissioner Rubio. I am disappointed some of my amendments did not pass, such as speeding up the timeline of creating serviced outdoor camping areas 3x faster than the final proposal, which instead is a set of aspirational, unfunded resolutions that may begin implementation in 2-3 years.

Last week the Oregonian Editorial board sent each Council office a series of important questions in advance of an opinion piece they published on Sunday about Portland's response to gun violence and community safety.
portland.gov/hardesty/news/… This is an incredibly important conversation & these questions have complex answers. For the sake of transparency and so Portlanders know how I'm thinking about these issues, I wanted to share the entirety of my answers, which can be read below.
portland.gov/hardesty/news/…

My office and PBOT are aware that the “thin blue line” flag is being displayed by a City contractor doing work for PBOT. Full statement below. The thin blue line imagery is viewed by many in our community as a symbol of white supremacy that has been prominently displayed by those that oppose the Black Lives Matter racial justice movement and we understand this is causing distress in the community.

[Settlement agreement statement continued]

It’s Tony Stevenson killed by a chokehold in 1985, where PPB officers responded by creating and selling t-shirts that read “Smoke “Em, Don’t Choke Em”.

It’s the 2003 killing of 21 year old Kendra James during a traffic stop. It’s the 2010 killing of Aaron Campbell during a welfare check.

It’s the 40 fatal incidents at the hands of Portland Police that have occurred since Kenda James lost her life.

And now most recently it’s the killing of a teenager, Quanice Hayes.

Commissioner Hardesty's full statement on the Quanice Hayes Settlement can be watched here:

The statement can be read in full here: portland.gov/hardesty/news/… [Statement Thread] Let me begin by reading a piece of a letter that was written by Donna Hayes, Grandmother of Quanice Hayes, as shared on the Pacific Northwest Family Circle website.

I want to be very clear, there is an accusation circulating that threatens to damage my reputation as a City Council member and as the Transportation Commissioner. I take these allegations very seriously and am here to tell you they are false allegations.

https://twitter.com/portlandmercury/status/1367598960064356355

I have not driven my car in the last 24 hours. In fact, my car is inoperable because of an unlatched door and has been sitting in the same parking spot for about 6 months. As many know, I use Lyft when I’m going somewhere I can’t walk to.

Today is a remarkable landmark – It has been 1 year since the first known COVID-19 case was confirmed in Oregon. Ever since, it has been a year of hardship and tragedy that tests us all.

Full statement attached and in thread below. Over half a million Americans have died so far, including over 2,200 Oregonians. Today we honor those we lost, those that survive, and reflect on the lessons we are learning.

Today City Council did not vote in support of my amendment to reallocate $18 million from PPB to invest in our communities. My full statement below (Thread) can also be found here: portland.gov/hardesty/news/… When yet another Black man was killed by police and mass protests took place throughout the country, including here in Portland, hundreds and thousands of people took to the streets to seek redress from their government and demand change. 1/18

Tomorrow afternoon, City Council will vote on the Fall budget and decide whether to accept my proposed amendment to reallocate $18 million from PPB to build a bold new model of community safety that focuses on reinvesting in communities. (A thread) Before we get into the details of tomorrow’s vote, I want to say that no matter the outcome, together we have effectively moved the conversation back to centering people and that is so important. This was never just about this one budget. 1/12

I know we are living in tense and uneasy times right now, and during these times it is my goal as a community leader to create opportunities for us to lean towards each other – not away. (Thread re: my budget amendment proposals) We’ve got multiple simultaneous crises doing a number on our communities, and we are all yearning for stability. 1/

A budget is a moral document and this budget has no soul. Full statement below. This morning City Council held a work session to discuss the Mayor’s proposed budget package for the Fall Budget Monitoring Process (a.k.a. the Fall BMP), which council will vote on next Wednesday, October 28th.

On Tuesday, Oct 6 between 6-8pm, the City of Portland is hosting the second public listening session to hear Portlander's thoughts and desires for the October 28th Fall Budget Monitoring Process (Fall BMP) council hearing and vote. The Oct 28 Fall BMP is the council's next opportunity to make decisions or amend how the city spends its money. We are in the midst of multiple crises and I have no interest in rebuilding the inequitable Portland that existed before this series of crises.

As the details over the 56 deputized PPB officers continue to unfold, I want to be clear where I stand: under no conditions should these deputized officers be out on Portland’s streets or responding to protests. (1/5)

https://twitter.com/ryanjhaas/status/1311427668290662400

Until the deputation is rescinded, I’m asking my colleagues to join me in demanding the Police Commissioner and Police chief pull the deputized officers immediately. (2/5)

Upon entering City Hall, one of my goals has been to increase hygiene services for our houseless neighbors.
Recently HUCIRP began distributing 100 additional portable bathrooms throughout the City, which has been met with some unacceptable hostility. Full Statement in thread. Recently the Homeless Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program (HUCIRP) began distributing 100 additional portable bathrooms throughout the City, with locations based on extensive research and data to make sure they are distributed equitably and where they are most needed.

This evening, Portland City Council is partnering with @PCCEPportland for a Police Budget Listening Session - the 2nd of 3 City Council listening sessions leading into the October 28th Fall BMP budget vote. I look forward to hearing from Portlanders about how we can rethink community safety by investing in our community & crime prevention strategies that re-align our Police Bureau with its mission to solve crime and prioritize it's resources responsibly.

I am excited to facilitate "Meet the Next Generation", a conversation this Saturday with an inspiring group of rising BIPOC leaders. Read through this thread to learn more about our panelists! Candace Avalos (she/her) (@candaceforpdx) is a first generation American Blacktina, daughter of Guatemalan immigrants & Black Virginians from the Jim Crow south. She works at PSU advising Student Government & Greek Life. A former candidate for Portland City Council...

Join Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty on 9/26 for a live stream conversation with the next generation of BIPOC leaders that are already changing Portland for the better! The Civil Rights movement & other prominent calls for progressive change throughout history have always been led by younger generations. Today, we need to listen & heed the calls of the BLM movement to end police violence & bring racial justice to all the systems in our society.

Join Commissioner Hardesty for a conversation with long time veterans of the fight for police reform in Portland, featuring: Dr. LeRoy Haynes (AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform), Debbie Aiona (League of Women Voters of Portland), & Dan Handleman (Portland Copwatch). The discussion will revolve around key moments in the history of PPB and reform efforts, as well as reflections on lessons learned from past reform efforts. During the final 30 minutes of the event, our guests will take questions from the live stream comments around this topic.

Today City Council unanimously passed the nation’s most comprehensive facial recognition technology ban. This is an exciting opportunity to set a national example by protecting the right of privacy of our community members, especially our most vulnerable and overpoliced members.

https://twitter.com/OPB/status/1303845318157455360

As highlighted by numerous studies, articles, and community feedback, the problems with FR Technology are almost too numerous to count: they range from racial & gender inaccuracies, privacy concerns, issues of consent, due process, and corporations profiting off of private data.

Statement Thread 3

- I wrote an open letter to Police Chief Lovell and Mayor Wheeler asking for a list of policy changes related to use of force that can be read here: facebook.com/CommissionerHa… - I outlined a vision for re-imaging community safety that can be read here: portland.gov/hardesty/news/…

Statement Thread 2

...Let’s also confront a hard truth. Peaceful means of protest & civic engagement have not produced the desired outcomes of our community. It’s not shocking that the unresolved trauma inflicted on so many by the police manifests into more aggressive action. Just a few days ago, 3 of the 11 members of IPR’s Citizen Review Committee resigned. This quote from one resignation letter says it all: “The events of this past weekend were a tipping point for me...