I am authorizing the Portland Police to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation on North Mississippi Avenue and to hold those violating our community’s laws accountable. There will be no autonomous zone in Portland. We all agree many of our nation’s systems and structures are fundamentally racist and require significant reform. There’s a housing crisis, a health care crisis, an education crisis, an employment crisis, a mental health crisis, and an addiction crisis.

The Portland Police Bureau today announced it will assign every officer a three-digit number and require that the number be prominently displayed on officers' helmets during crowd management events. The Police Bureau also said it has assigned five officers alternative duties outside of crowd management response while investigations occur based upon concerns reported by members of the public.

Taking action to prevent climate change is one of the City’s top priorities. We are in a climate crisis, and we must all do our part to protect our environment. Here are some of the actions we’ve taken that I’m particularly proud of. We adopted the 100% Renewables Resolution, committing the City of Portland to meet 100 percent of community-wide energy needs with renewable energy by 2050.

During the first debate, President Trump portrayed Portland as a city of violence and destruction. Even during challenging times, Portland is a beautiful and vibrant city. Today, I’m sharing dispatches from around the city showcasing the Portland we know. #PostcardsFromPortland Portland is known for its arts scene, and public art is a vital part of Portland. It’s hard not to smile at this art in the Kenton neighborhood of North Portland. #PostcardsFromPortland

While many of our firefighters are on the road helping other communities, Portland is still being protected. All 31 Portland Fire & Rescue stations are staffed 24/7 and our firefighters are trained to fight wildfires. But we are all stretched thin. The best way to fight a fire is to not start a fire. Here is what PF&R suggests we do during this vulnerable time:

• Do not BBQ or create outdoor fires during this dangerous period.

I joined @MayorJenny , @MayorBowser , & @NYCMayor to issue this joint statement in response to President Donald Trump threatening to revoke federal funding from cities. “Our cities, and the millions of Americans who we represent, are not President Trump’s political pawns. We are confronting unprecedented challenges—fighting back a pandemic and economic devastation without another stimulus.

The federal occupation of our community has brought a new kind of fear to our streets. Federal agents nearly killed a demonstrator, and their presence has led to increased violence and vandalism in our downtown core.

https://twitter.com/oregongovbrown/status/1288497308733018113

The daily coverage of their actions has distracted our community from the Black voices at the center of this movement, and the urgent work of reform. I appreciate Governor Brown’s leadership in this discussion and her willingness to step in with State resources.

At the direction of the President of the United States, unidentified federal agents have been deployed to America’s cities, like Washington, D.C., Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, to interrupt local protests and impose “law and order” for political purposes. Targeting and occupation of progressive cities is unacceptable, un-American and unconstitutional. Moreover, these federal agents are not trained in modern community policing, crowd control, or de-escalation strategies.

Today, Mayors from around the country took a stand against unilateral federal intervention in our cities, calling for immediate removal of the President’s “Rapid Deployment Unit” squads and for a congressional investigation of their unconstitutional terror tactics. I was proud to join @MayorJenny of Seattle, Mayor @KeishaBottoms of Atlanta, @chicagosmayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, @MayorBowser of Washington, DC, and Mayor @QuintonLucasKC of Kansas City in these actions.

Yesterday, City Council approved a settlement with Monsanto to bring relief to Portland and the many other cities and counties that have had to manage the impacts of PCBs in our waterways. Governments across the country, including the City of Portland, filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Monsanto for contaminating water bodies by manufacturing chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, between the 1930s and 1977.

Over the last three months, $10 million dollars were distributed to immigrant workers in Oregon not eligible for federal pandemic relief. Thank you to the Oregon Workers Relief Fund for their hard work to make sure we support all our communities. Join the group Thursday at 11 AM on Facebook Live as they celebrate the disbursement and discuss next steps to help immigrant workers and their families. Our families and communities are stronger, safer, and healthier when we come together.

facebook.com/events/3338041…

Today the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security asked to speak with me about demonstration activity in Portland. He expressed his concern about ongoing violence and asked how his agency can help. I told the Acting Secretary that my biggest immediate concern is the violence federal officers brought to our streets in recent days, and the life-threatening tactics his agents use. We do not need or want their help.

A person was seriously injured in Portland last night. This should not have happened. I spoke with US Attorney Bill Williams about the injuries and learned that the U.S. Marshals Service will be conducting a full investigation. I am calling on the federal government to be thorough and transparent with their findings. I’m concerned that the actions of federal officers last night escalated, rather than de-escalated, already heightened tensions in our city.

Kamelah Adams is a Portlander and a small business owner. She has been using her voice and her platform—Mimi's Fresh Tees—to call for racial justice and change. Last week, Kamelah, her daughter, and her company were featured in a news story. This week, a death threat arrived in Kamelah's mailbox.
This incident is not isolated, and we’re seeing a disturbing increase in Black people experiencing these and other types of threats to their safety and well being on a daily basis. This is simply unacceptable.

Record number of cases. Record number of deaths. Help us protect each other, PDX. washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07…

As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend, our beautiful city is on edge: An escalating global pandemic. The possibility of a deep and prolonged recession. Demands for police accountability and racial justice. People are justifiably angry, hurting and frustrated. We have the ability to overcome these challenges and reimagine a city and a country that are welcoming, inclusive and prosperous for all. It seems far off right now, but Portlanders are resilient and I am confident that we can do it, together.

Over the last few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized countless households in our community, deepened disparities, and pushed too many of our friends and neighbors to the brink. As we grapple with the unprecedented human and economic toll of this crisis, there has never been a more important time to ensure stable, affordable housing for Portlanders who are struggling more than ever to make ends meet — now and for the long term.

I stand in solidarity with our non-violent demonstrators, who are sending a strong message that we are long overdue for meaningful reform and restorative justice. Our community has serious concerns about the use of CS gas for crowd management, particularly during a time when we’re battling a pandemic.

I share those concerns.

I wanted to share some of the difficult but necessary conversations I've had with friends, colleagues, and partners in our black community. We talked about the moment we are in – that the rioting we are seeing is a direct response to years of systemic injustice. We talked about agitation – yes even violent agitation and how it has historically occurred with purpose and resulted in change that has moved this country forward.

We talked about educational disparities. Health disparities. Housing disparities. Employment disparities.

George Floyd’s murder has weighed heavily on my mind. So has the death of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Atatiana Jefferson. A disproportionate amount of our black friends and neighbors are systemically killed over and over again. Racism has been a long-festering wound eating away at our collective humanity.

This week, the City of Portland is bringing awareness to the epidemic of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). We are issuing a proclamation declaring May 5th as the official Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered American Indian and Alaska Native Women in the U.S. This humanitarian crisis has reached unprecedented levels on tribal lands and in urban areas such as the City of Portland. Four out of five native women have been affected by violence in their lifetime.