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WHEREAS, the Portland metro region's homelands include the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, and many other Indigenous nations of the Columbia River. This region is home to one of the largest urban Native American populations in the U.S.;

WHEREAS, Portland State University (PSU) has been an integral part of downtown Portland since the 1950s and was recently ranked one of the top 10 college locations in the United States and Oregon by school ranking and review website Niche and U.S. News and World Report;   

​WHEREAS, PSU is celebrated as Oregon’s most diverse university yet still aspires to attract and retain more students of color, especially in the STEM fields, with a plan to make Indigenous students central in their outreach efforts;  

​​WHEREAS, PSU’s Indigenous programs and partnerships lead to Indigenous PSU students and the surrounding community sharing the importance of feeling a sense of community and feeling represented on campus in supporting their personal and academic success; and

WHEREAS, PSU’s Native American Student & Community Center, which opened in 2003, is a gathering space to celebrate and empower student success through culturally relevant programming, academic support, and inter-generational community engagement to preserve and perpetuate inter-tribal connection for Native American/Alaskan Native/Pacific Islander students and our allies through tradition, ceremony, and storytelling; and

​WHEREAS, PSU’s Native American Student & Community Center is located on SW Jackson Street, a street named after former United States President Andrew Jackson who signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that resulted in the removal of over 50,000 Native American people from their land east of the Mississippi River; and 

​WHEREAS, PSU and the surrounding community, since the opening of the center in October of 2003, began educating people about the current street name and thus determined to replace the street name Jackson following Indigenous and traditional protocols; and

​WHEREAS, a SW Jackson Street Renaming Committee was formed to lead a culturally informed community engagement process to identify a new name for SW Jackson Street that honors an Indigenous leader, place, or living thing who is significant to the region and the university campus community; and 

​WHEREAS, the proposed new name for SW Jackson Street is SW Rose Hill Street, from SW 5^th Avenue to SW Park Avenue (refer to Exhibit A), after Indigenous community leader Rose Hill; and

​WHEREAS, Rose Hill is a Cultural Keeper and former Native American Student & Community Center Student Coordinator who serves as a Cultural Advisor at the Native American Rehabilitation Association in Portland; and

WHEREAS, countless students, and community members have been positively impacted by Rose Hill’s mentorship, advocacy, and leadership; and

​​WHEREAS, the City of Portland has worked with community members to rename city streets after prominent local and national figures in the past and in most, if not all cases, exceptions to City Code requirements were made; and

WHEREAS, the Portland Bureau of Transportation put a temporary pause on processing street renaming applications due to uncertainty about capacity, this proposed application will be processed as an exception due to the unique and significant circumstances, including the short three block section within the PSU campus and the robust outreach by PSU that has already taken place;  and

WHEREAS, an application shall be submitted to the City of Portland with the proposal to rename SW Jackson Street, from SW 5^th Avenue to SW Park Avenue, to SW Rose Hill Street; and

WHEREAS, Rose Hill is still alive, therefore, Portland City Code 17.93.010 A.3. which requires that the person the street is named after must be deceased for at least five years must be waived in accordance with City Code; and

WHEREAS, the proposed street renaming only encompasses SW Jackson Street between SW 5^th Avenue to SW Park Avenue and not the entire length of SW Jackson Street within Portland city limits. Therefore, an exception to Portland City Code 17.93.020 (C) will be pursued; and

WHEREAS, the City will consider whether an exception can be made to the Portland City Code requirement that for a period of five years after the street renaming, the existing street name and the new street name must be posted together. The City must balance the needs of abutting property owners and emergency services with the very real impact this has on the Indigenous community; and

WHEREAS, the Downtown Neighborhood Association has expressed their support for renaming SW Jackson Street to SW Rose Hill Street and is committed to assisting with any necessary additional community engagement; and  

​​WHEREAS, SW Jackson Street, between SW 5^th Avenue to SW Park Avenue, is located on PSU’s campus and the university is the primary property owner for buildings abutting the street. Outreach to other abutting property owners about the proposed street renaming has been initiated and will continue; and

WHEREAS, the formal language used by the U.S. government in “Whereas” statements, which are commonly found in treaties, resolutions, and official documents, have historically created a sense of authority while simultaneously obscuring the painful realities of broken promises, historical injustices, and the silencing of Indigenous voices; and

WHEREAS, this resolution offers the City of Portland and PSU a way forward that includes recognition, accountability, and a more profound, honest engagement with Indigenous experiences and perspectives.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED​ upon receipt of a completed application under Portland City Code to rename SW Jackson Street, from SW 5^th Avenue to SW Park Avenue, to SW Rose Hill Street, the City’s Public Works Deputy City Administrator shall assign the necessary Public Works staff and financial resources to process the application.​