For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2025
STATEMENT FROM PORTLAND CITY COUNCILORS CANDACE AVALOS, MITCH GREEN, SAMEER KANAL AND ANGELITA MORILLO ON THE RECENT EXPANSION OF PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE
Portland, OR – Today, Portland City Councilors Candace Avalos (D1), Mitch Green (D4), Sameer Kanal (D2) and Angelita Morillo (D3) released the following statement:
“The recent policy changes announced by Portland Street Response (PSR) are a welcome step forward for our city and credit to those who’ve advocated for years to expand the program. Overall, these service changes will make it easier to support more Portlanders in mental or behavioral health crises. We readily support the decision to allow PSR workers to respond to calls occurring inside publicly accessible buildings and to voluntarily shuttle people to services like shelters and treatment centers.
We also understand and share some of the concerns voiced by advocates and the broader community about PSR co-responding with the Portland Police Bureau and the potential for it to undermine the trust PSR workers have diligently built with individuals. Our goal remains: a world in which no one in a mental or behavioral health crisis is ever harmed by police.
While we continue to work toward the realization of that vision, Council must build on this progress and plan for the future of PSR by recommitting to its original purpose and expanding our investment in its work.”
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